{"id":951,"date":"2007-10-22T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2007-10-22T06:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=951"},"modified":"2008-07-15T16:30:15","modified_gmt":"2008-07-15T22:30:15","slug":"seven-impossible-tri-reviews-before-breakfast-3-featuring-roger-sutton-and-perry-moores-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=951","title":{"rendered":"Seven Impossible Tri-Reviews Before Breakfast #3: Featuring Roger Sutton and Perry Moore’s Hero<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

{Note: Please see the post below this one for today’s Robert’s Snow schedule}<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

Hi there. It’s post number three here in our fledgling tri-review series, in which we discuss the merits and\/or pitfalls of a new title with a blogger whom we have invited to come play with us (these things are way more like book discussions than traditional reviews, as you can tell by the length of these posts). We kicked the series off with a discussion of Cat Weatherill’s Snowbone<\/em><\/a><\/strong> with Betsy Bird, a.k.a. Fuse #8<\/a><\/strong>; continued with a discussion of Gabrielle Zevin’s Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac<\/em><\/a><\/strong> with Jen Robinson<\/a><\/strong>; and are currently enjoying a discussion of Mo Willems’<\/a><\/strong> Elephant & Piggie<\/em> beginning readers with none other than MotherReader<\/a><\/strong> (to be posted soon) . . . <\/p>\n

And this week we’re happy to have Roger Sutton<\/a><\/strong>, Horn Book<\/em><\/a><\/strong> editor and blogger, with us to discuss Perry Moore’s<\/a><\/strong> new novel, Hero<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. We’d like to thank Roger for joining us to discuss the new book. <\/p>\n

{Note: Beware — Plot spoilers included below}.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jules<\/strong>: Hero<\/em>, the first novel by film producer, screenplay writer, and director Perry Moore and just released last month, is \u201cthe coming of age story of the world\u2019s first gay superhero,\u201d as the publisher (Hyperion<\/a><\/strong>) likes to put it. (And I have to quickly share Fuse\u2019s thoughts on the matter<\/a><\/strong> in her post about Moore\u2019s September book release party, because it made me laugh out loud: \u201cAnd though I didn’t know it before I read the book, I LOVE gay teen superheroes! They’re the bestest superheroes out there\u201d). <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Northstar,Before it had barely hit the shelves, a lot of the early publicity for the novel (and I know this should not factor into a review, but, hey, this is more like a discussion and less like a traditional review) . . . As I was saying, the publicity revolved around Moore\u2019s fervent desire to right what he considers the less-than-stellar treatment of gay superheroes in mainstream comic books (such as the death of Northstar<\/a><\/strong>, pictured here, a mutant superhero of Marvel Comics and one of the first openly homosexual superheroes in American comic books). All kinds of Big Names (Stan Lee<\/a><\/strong>, who is interested in producing an adaptation of the story to the big screen, apparently; Maurice Sendak; and Lloyd Alexander) have lent their one- or two-line zippy-quick reviews to the book\u2019s front and back covers, and you can find coverage of the book\u2019s release and reviews in publications that range from Booklist<\/em> to People<\/em> magazine. <\/p>\n

The story centers on Thom Creed, a high school basketball star whose mother has disappeared and whose father, Hal, was once one of the most beloved members of the League of Superheroes \u2013 until an unfortunate, 9\/11-esque accident at Wilson Towers, a failed rescue operation that left Hal an outcast. Thom discovers that he has the power to heal the wounded, something which he keeps from his father \u2013 as well as the fact that he\u2019s gay. After improving upon his powers to heal, he captures the attention of the League and is invited to join, eventually meeting a misfit group of other heroes \u2013 the extremely pissed-off Scarlett, who can control fire; Typhoid Larry, who can instantly spread disease by touching others; and wiser, older Ruth, a clairvoyant. As Thom struggles to keep both secrets from his father and gain the acceptance of the League (as well as, oh, help uncover a dastardly, murderous plot to kill the superheroes off), he tries to puzzle out his parents\u2019 past and also falls in love with Goran, another athlete at his school. <\/p>\n

Roger, first let me say: We are excited and honored that you\u2019re tri-reviewing with us. Many thanks. Onward, then: How does this novel rate in terms of the fact that Hyperion is also marketing it as \u201cgroundbreaking\u201d? You\u2019ve made it clear before that you don\u2019t get all wrapped up in trends, but you\u2019ve also made it clear that you\u2019ve read a lot of YA lit with gay themes and characters. So, I\u2019m curious how it rates for you in that way? And, well . . . what did you think of the novel? Did the whole allegory — a). superheroes with secrets who struggle to reconcile their lives with their powers and b). coming-out angst -\u2013 work for you, as a reader? <\/p>\n

Roger<\/strong>: If as many children’s books broke ground as say they did, we’d be looking at an awfully big pile of sand. Is Hero<\/em> the first gay superhero in a children’s book? Sure, but to me this is more a case of high-concept publishing than any kind of groundbreaking. We’ve had gay-themed YA for a long time now, and it has become increasingly more sophisticated in style and relaxed in tone–David Levithan’s<\/a><\/strong> Boy Meets Boy<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, for example. Hero<\/em>, though, is more an example of a book with a big sexy premise: proms AND vampires, bras AND broomsticks, gay AND supergay. It\u2019s a book designed to make a retail splash.<\/p>\n

It seems to me that the best place to rectify wrongs in comic books would be in comic books, and while I find a lot to like about Hero<\/em>, it feels like a comic book (or, even more, a movie) trapped in a YA novel. The action is almost non-stop, but it\u2019s literally action, not plot, and I wish the large number of words used to describe the chases and battle scenes had been devoted instead to setting or character. Only hero\/narrator Thom is developed to any large extent; the rest feel like a supporting cast\u2014I\u2019m thinking Rosario Dawson for Scarlett and the late Ruth Gordon for Ruth (the character is straight out of “Harold and Maude”<\/a><\/strong>). That said, Thom is an appealing protagonist, wisecracking and sympathetic. I wish the book had thrown a few fewer things at him: both he and the reader have too much to juggle. The gay, um, agenda is very well handled: angsty but also funny, like when Thom cruises for superhero porn on the internet.<\/p>\n

My question, for either or both of you depending on who feels more in touch with Kids Today, is \u201cwho is this book for\u201d? I don\u2019t mean to imply that it doesn\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t have an audience, just that I don\u2019t know what it is. Hip little college gay guys?<\/font><\/p>\n

Jules<\/strong>: (Eisha and I decided that I\u2019ll take this momentarily, as Eisha\u2019s working under a deadline at this very moment). <\/p>\n

I agree that the novel, though I found it an absorbing read, seemed to have been constructed more like a screenplay. And, yes, I found Thom to be a sympathetic character, too; I liked his journey from \u201chope can ruin you\u201d (which is true, to be sure) to his feeling-like-flying kiss on the final page, his hope renewed in Goran.<\/p>\n

However, if I may voice a very specific complaint here . . . I was touched by Typhoid Larry\u2019s sacrifice toward the novel\u2019s close: He had always wanted to be a hero, and there he goes, leaping off the building in his perfect swan dive, splattering on the pavement into \u201ca million globular particles of pink goo that bounced out in all directions and permeated the air everywhere,\u201d spreading germ and general funk and knocking down everyone in the way of our heroes. And then, as if an afterthought, we find out he was put back together after Golden Boy had found each, little piece of him. Aw, man. Way to negate -\u2013 in the name of the Happy Ending, I suppose — what I thought was a rather poignant moment of the book. <\/p>\n

And wasn\u2019t it the Horn Book<\/em> review that touched upon Moore\u2019s talent for occasional rambling? I found that somewhat distracting at times, and it made it difficult for me to get into the book; it took me entirely too long to start caring about any of the characters. But I did eventually fall for Thom and his struggle to come to terms with who he is. <\/p>\n

As for audience, Roger, hip little college gay guys? Sure. But I would think the high school crowd, too, especially with Moore\u2019s occasional tendency toward one-line didactics -\u2013 \u201cSometimes you have to be your own best friend\u201d; \u201cYou\u2019re the only one who has absolute control over your own actions\u201d; etc. Eisha, what do you think about audience? <\/p>\n

And what did you think of the novel\u2019s tone, Eisha and Roger? I think this<\/a><\/strong> is an interesting read — Christopher Butcher\u2019s thoughts on what he calls the book\u2019s \u201cmenacing\u201d and all-around bleak tone (as in, is the world \u201creally . . . that dark for queer and questioning youth\u201d? For the record, he makes it clear he was a gay teenager once upon a time), though he thought the novel was well-written. <\/p>\n

eisha<\/strong>: The audience question is tricky. I read a review of “Brokeback Mountain”<\/a><\/strong> once that predicted its true fan base would turn out to be women -\u2013 it\u2019s a love story, after all. I think that might happen with Hero<\/em> as well. I mean, sure, I think the \u201chip little college gay guys\u201d -\u2013 not to mention the hip little high school gay guys — will love it. But as for the rest of the population\u2026 Based on what I\u2019ve seen in my public library days, not too many straight teenage guys seem to be comfortable reading about a gay male relationship, so that rules out a lot of the comic crowd. (The Bermudez Triangle<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, on the other hand\u2026 oh yeah, they\u2019ll read that.) Straight girls generally seem to be more open to reading about romantic relationships of any kind. And I really felt like the relationship side of this story trumped the superhero one. Thom\u2019s developing sexuality and his relationship with Goran were much more fully realized for me than the frequent descriptions of superhero school and battle scenes. I never questioned why Thom hooked up with Simon, or doubted the chemistry between Thom and Goran. But I got a little lost over the final battle, and I still don\u2019t understand why Major Might had to go up with the rocket at the end.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny, Jules, that you should mention the Typhoid Larry scene. I also felt cheated by his return, not just in terms of storytelling and ruining a poignant moment, but also because SERIOUSLY?? THOM CAN BRING PEOPLE BACK TO LIFE AFTER THEY\u2019VE EXPLODED??? Does that mean no one ever has to die again, \u2018cause Thom can fix it??? Yeah, that bit kind of stretched my credibility past the point of no return.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel qualified to speak to the \u201cdarkness\u201d of the tone and how it applies to the actual gay teen experience. It certainly was dark, and the world of the novel was extremely intolerant of Thom. Roger, what did you think? Was it too much? (And good call on the Ruth Gordon casting, by the way.)<\/font><\/p>\n

Roger<\/strong>: Wow, I didn\u2019t think it was dark at all. Sure, the world was more like Batman\u2019s than Superman\u2019s, but Thom\u2019s goodness\u2014and his gayness\u2014seemed to me like bright spots in the bleakness. It\u2019s true that he got a lot of grief for being gay but even now, you do. It\u2019s been a long time since I was a little high school gay guy, but had I been brave enough to read this book then I would have felt acknowledged, not depressed. When you find a book that speaks truthfully to the secrets in your life you feel relieved: it\u2019s not just me who feels this way. God knows it\u2019s a lot easier to be gay now than it was forty years ago but I think it\u2019s still tough for most kids at the beginning. Tough enough that checking out \u201ca gay book\u201d from the library or buying it at a bookstore takes a lot of guts. Not just because most teens, gay or straight, are painfully self-conscious, but because to read such a book makes you confront the truth about yourself. I would have treated this book like it came wrapped in an electric fence and not gone anywhere near it, even though I would have been dying to read it. I remember reading Sandra Scoppetone\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> Trying Hard to Hear You<\/em><\/a><\/strong> (one of the first YAs with gay characters) in college\u2014and I still hid it under my bed, both because it was gay and because it was \u201cfor kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wonder if publishers and librarians have given up on the adult book for young adults. Unlike Trying Hard to Hear You<\/em> and other problem novels of the 1970s, Hero<\/em> is truly a high school book\u2014it\u2019s too sophisticated for the middle-school-girl audience that used to be the primary target for the YA novel. I hammer on this theme over and over, but I believe high school readers prefer to choose their books from the free-range world of adult books, not from a selection codified \u201cfor teens.\u201d I was reading on editor Cheryl Klein\u2019s blog<\/a><\/strong> {at this post<\/a><\/strong>} about how the word \u201cyoungster\u201d in a children\u2019s book is the dead giveaway of an author writing for<\/em> children, reminding kids that they\u2019re kids. Which they hate. And a teenager, especially, wants the autonomy of being able to engage with a book as an equal. Labelling a book as being \u201cfor kids your age\u201d takes away from that, and reduces the accomplishment of finding a book for yourself, by yourself.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jules<\/strong>: As it turns out, I hosted a session at last weekend\u2019s Southern Festival of Books<\/a><\/strong> in Nashville, Tennessee, entitled \u201cComing of Age Outside the Box: Teen Novels on Identity, Gender and Sexuality\u201d with Perry Moore, Alex Sanchez<\/a><\/strong>, and Ellen Wittlinger<\/a><\/strong>. Eisha, they actually had a discussion about how a lot of their readers are straight teen girls, those for whom it is \u201csafe\u201d \u2013 in that terribly self-conscious, as Roger pointed out, segment of the population called teens \u2013 to talk up a novel about homosexuality. <\/p>\n

Roger, I don\u2019t make a habit of following the detailed ins and outs of the publishing world, but as a children\u2019s librarian who blogs about children\u2019s and YA lit, yes, I\u2019d say that there isn\u2019t a great deal of promotion out there for adult books for young adults. If I had a dime for every time this past weekend (at the aforementioned Festival) I heard a children\u2019s book author say that he or she set out to write for adults and then was a bit dismayed to be nudged toward the children\u2019s or YA market, I\u2019d be the world\u2019s richest librarian. But Perry Moore, when that question came up, pointed out that his book\u2019s dedication is \u201cfor everyone.\u201d Making note of the fact that Sendak often says he never sets out to write for children (Moore and Hunter Hill are currently filming a documentary on Sendak \u2013 SQUEE!), he said that, essentially, he wrote with no particular audience in mind. Rather, I don\u2019t think he wrote with \u201cteens\u201d in mind. How the book came to be published in the \u201cYA\u201d market must have been an editor\u2019s decision (or a publicist\u2019s? I don\u2019t know how those things typically work). <\/p>\n

I hear what you\u2019re saying about high school readers preferring to choose their books from the world of adult books. I haven\u2019t been a librarian-around-teens in three-and-a-half years, though. Eisha, did you find this to be the case at your library in Cambridge? <\/p>\n

For the record, I wanted to ask Perry last weekend why he chose to tell this story in novel form and not via a comic book, but, well . . . I wanted to be a gracious facilitator and not hog the questions — and it turns out the small crowd there had many questions for all three distinguished authors (and then when I was reminded that he\u2019s making a documentary on Sendak, I nearly passed out and had to quickly ask him about that in the brief amount of time I had after hosting the session and before they signed books for eager fans. I\u2019m a wee bit of a Sendak fan). <\/p>\n

And here\u2019s a final question (from me anyway) for you two: Will you read the next installment in the Thom saga? Moore made it clear last weekend that he has several more books lined up in his mind (he said he has \u201cbig plans\u201d for Typhoid Larry when I either boldly or stupidly asked him why the hell he brought him back to life). Roger, will you read it because you want to (and not because you perhaps have to review it for the Horn Book<\/em>)? Eisha? I think I will. We all seem to agree we would have liked less action and more plot, as Roger put it, but there was enough warmth and humor and social commentary in the book to keep me hooked. And I\u2019m invested in these characters and interested in seeing what Moore does with this storyline. <\/p>\n

eisha<\/strong>: As far as adult books being marketed\/suggested for teens, yes, I do think that still happens. They\u2019re assigned a lot of adult novels\/memoirs in school, and I can think of a few recent adult titles that I saw a lot of teens asking for: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Mark Haddon<\/a><\/strong>, Push<\/em><\/strong><\/a> by Sapphire<\/a><\/strong>, Lucky<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and The Lovely Bones<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Alice Sebold<\/a><\/strong>, just to name a few. I think what we have to remember is that we three are obviously voracious readers, and always have been. It was natural for me as a teen to skip right past all the Paul Zindel and Robert Cormier novels and jump straight into J.D. Salinger. But that\u2019s not the case for everyone. Roger, I totally take your point about a lot of teens wanting to have the full spectrum of literature to choose from, and of course they should, and do. But I think having a space in a library or bookstore of books that feature teenage protagonists and teen interests, at a variety of reading difficulty levels, is a very good thing for a lot of young readers. You\u2019re right, though \u2013 we need to make sure they know that they aren\u2019t limited to that one area, and keep stuff like the Alex Awards in mind when we\u2019re booktalking and playing readers\u2019 advisor to teens.<\/p>\n

Will I read Hero 2: the Golden Years<\/em>? Oh yeah. I loved the concept, and I\u2019m curious to see what happens between Thom and the League \u2013 not to mention Thom and Goran. I do hope Perry Moore and his editors focus on improving the quality of the writing and plotting, though. This one really only needed a little tweaking here and there to be a great action\/romance novel. I\u2019d totally recommend it to anyone who likes their superhero action stories with a heavy dose of romance.<\/p>\n

How about you, Roger?<\/font><\/p>\n

Roger<\/strong>: What makes me want a sequel are the characters, where I\u2019ve become invested enough in them to want to know more. I liked Thom but feel he was swamped by the action, so I didn\u2019t get to know him enough to find myself thinking about him, wondering what he\u2019s up to now or what else might happen to him. So I would probably give it a pass. (I\u2019m speaking here as a recreational reader, by the way, not making any predictions about what the Horn Book<\/em> might or might not do.) Books these days are too readily becoming franchises, he said, like the cranky old man that he is. But I do think Moore is a talented writer and I\u2019d like to see what else he can do.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jules<\/strong>: I suppose we can all agree that we certainly haven’t read another novel like it this year — and that two out of three of us will read Hero 2: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer<\/em>. Thanks, Cranky Old Man (hey, can I be that for Halloween this year?), for joining us in this conversation. It’s fun to delve deep into a book like this — and even better when another thoughtful reader joins us. <\/p>\n

And, again, our next tri-review will be taking a closer look at Mo Willems’<\/a><\/strong> new beginning reader Elephant & Piggie books. You will be invited to that party (okay, that was a lame play on one of the titles<\/a><\/strong> in the series) soon, as we’re currently wrapping up that tri-review with, arguably, the kidlitosphere’s hugest Mo fan, MotherReader<\/a><\/strong>. So, come read — if you’re so inclined — and join in the conversation about the merits and\/or pitfalls of those books (pitfalls? There are any?). <\/p>\n

Until then . . . <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{Note: Please see the post below this one for today’s Robert’s Snow schedule} Hi there. It’s post number three here in our fledgling tri-review series, in which we discuss the merits and\/or pitfalls of a new title with a blogger whom we have invited to come play with us (these things are way more like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-co-reviews","category-young-adult"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}