Writing Superheroes

Annotation provided by Bobby Shaddox

Dyson, A. H. (1997). Writing superheroes. (1 ed., p. 250). New York: Teachers College Press.

Dyson performs an ethnographic study of 7-9 year olds who appropriate superhero stories in their creative writing (stories and plays). The book explores the manner in which kids implement popular culture in their social and academic world. The author investigates how the themes of comic book stories (good vs. evil, powerful characters, etc.) influence assumptions about relations between genders, class, culture and physical qualities. The book is laced with detailed accounts, accompanied by illustrations and student conversations.