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Book Review: "Is Superman Circumcised? - The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero"
McFarland Publishing recently provided me with a copy of author Roy Schwartz's new book "Is Superman Circumcised? - The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero" which has quite a unique title to say the least.
Over the years, there have been quite a few different books written about the history of Superman and Schwartz's book certainly ranks at the top of the list with, as the title states, a heavy focus on the Jewish history of the Man of Steel.
The book delves deeply into the long established connections that Superman has to the Bible and the story of Jesus (which has been referenced more recently in such films as "Superman Returns" and "Man of Steel") as well as Jewish teachings, especially in relation to Moses.
Schwartz also gives a detailed account of Superman's Jewish co-creators, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, covering their initial creation of the Man of Steel during their teen years to ultimately selling the rights to the character to DC Comics for only $130 which would result in costing them millions of dollars.
Although a tragic story, Superman's creation heralded the beginning of the so-called "Golden Age" of comic books and led to other Jewish writers and artists (such as Captain America co-creators Joe Simon & Jack Kirby) to being able to find work in an industry unlike that of advertising agencies and newspaper syndicates which had anti-Semitic quotas.
While Schwartz has crafted together a profound read, it is not light reading material and can be challenging at times with some confusing Jewish references which, I must admit, had me referencing Google on more than one occassion. That being said, no one should be detracted from enjoying this beautifully written and comprehensive portrait of Superman's ties to the history of the Jewish faith and culture.
"Is Superman Circumcised? - The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero" definitely makes for a great addition to the collection of any Superman fan or scholar of Jewish history.
