Harry Brod, professor of philosophy and humanities at the University of Northern Iowa, will read from Superman Is Jewish? at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 14, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

In Superman Is Jewish?, Brod situates superheroes within the course of Jewish-American history: they are aliens in a foreign land, like Superman; figures plagued by guilt for not having saved their families, like Spider-Man; outsiders persecuted for being different, like the X-Men; nice, smart people afraid that nobody will like them when they’re angry, like the Hulk. Brod blends humor with sharp observation as he considers the overt and discreet Jewish characteristics of these well-known figures and explores how their creators—including Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby—integrated their Jewish identities and their creativity.

Brod is widely recognized as a founding figure of the field of men’s studies, also known as masculinity studies, which applies theories and concepts derived from women’s studies to examine men and masculinities, and as a spokesperson for the pro-feminist men's movement.

He has published in professional journals in the fields of philosophy, women's, men's and gender studies, sociology, psychology, social science, education, and law. His writing has been widely reprinted in books in the above fields as well as religion, literary studies, critical thinking, art history, and architecture, as well as translated into Japanese, Portuguese, and Dutch.

For more information or special accommodations to attend this reading, call Jan Weissmiller at Prairie Lights, 319-337-2681. For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the new Arts Iowa website.