OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile
If you’re going to reveal your life story, it’s good to have a friend and fellow “Babylon 5” cast member perform it. Peter Jurasik, known to “Babylon 5” fans as the sleazy alien Londo Mollari, narrates the startling life of the series creator, J. Michael Straczynski, and his victories over a monstrous father, an abusive family, and, seemingly, an entire world out to destroy him. Jurasik soberly recounts his friend's life, a fascinating, almost unbelievable, tale of courage and determination. In all the comic books, movies, and television shows he wrote, Straczynski never created a villain more evil that his own father, a con man who collaborated with Nazis, beat his wife, and cheated everyone, according to his son. Yet, Straczynski conquered extreme poverty, abuse, and crippling psychological problems and succeeded in numerous fields. M.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
06/24/2019
Straczynski, a prolific comics, television, and film writer, delivers a frank memoir that’s equally harrowing and triumphant. Raised by a depressed, battered mother and violently abusive, alcoholic father, Straczynski found in comic books, first, refuge from his dysfunctional family, and then inspiration to pursue a writing career. He particularly admired Superman (whose adventures he would eventually write), finding in the character an ethical core that “meant everything to a young kid trapped in a family that operated without any sort of moral compass.” Though Straczynski’s anger (at his father, most notably) comes across as still raw, he balances it with heartfelt appreciations of colleagues such as Harlan Ellison, who, “despite his reputation for crankiness,” was “one of the most gracious souls I have ever known.” He also offers tantalizing looks at behind-the-scenes creative battles. While Straczynski could do nothing about an executive mandate that his animated show She-Ra, Princess of Power’s title character be not warlike but “maternal, nurturing, and nonthreatening to male authority figures,” on the later SF series Babylon 5, he achieved his ambition of telling, over the series’ entire course, a “single overarching story with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end”—a television first. Fans of this and other achievements in Straczynski’s career will find much to enjoy here. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
J. Michael Straczynski is, without question, one of the greatest science fiction minds of our time.” — Max Brooks (World War Z)
“Everything I read made me want to stand up and salute. I can’t stress enough how significant and moving (to say nothing of gripping and sometimes hilarious) this book is. It’s a magnificent piece of work that will stay with me for a long, long time.” — Cory Doctorow, author of Radicalized and Walkaway
“Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Straczynski embedded a mystery in an autobiography. Has to be a first.” — Dan DiDio, Editor in Chief, DC Comics
“Part Hollywood how-to, part Frank McCourt-style reflection on emotional neglect and poverty, “Becoming Superman” is an enveloping look back at a unique career.” — Washington Post
“His ability to stay the course, to work hard at all times, and to keep writing were his salvation time and again. This book is a testament to that — and it is an inspiring, touching look at how someone born into darkness can find the light and go on to do great things.” — NPR
“I just finished reading Becoming Superman and can, without a mote of hyperbole, state it is one of the most terrifying and inspirational, funny and empathic nonfiction books of our time. I’m too old to be currying favors. Just trust me. Buy it or die!” — Walter Koenig
“A fascinating journey through careers in three different professions—comic books, TV, and movies—from an accomplished master of each. Rare to have such detail and such access. A major literary autobiography!” — Bestselling author Greg Bear
“Straczynski [...] delivers a frank memoir that’s equally harrowing and triumphant.” — Publishers Weekly
“Becoming Superman is a valuable resource for those wishing to look behind the curtain to one of pop culture’s most cherished and esteemed writers [...] It is an incredible story of familial abuse and its aftermath, of perseverance and fortitude, of endurance and determination. Highly recommended.” — Fantasy Book Review
“Gripping. An amazing testament to the range of human durability and determination, overcoming our impossibly dark side with something even more unlikely and miraculous — hope.” — Hugo and Nebula Award Winning Novelist David Brin
“A deeply moving testament to the power of storytelling, and a no-bullshit guide to becoming, if not Superman, a better person and writer.” — Tor.com
“Straczynski’s memoir more than lives up to the promises of its sub-subtitle…Joe never saves the world à la Superman, but pulls through with a heart, spine, and soul of steel. ..” — AV Club
“Straczynski’s life story is simultaneously horrifying and uplifting. He survives a childhood worse than almost anything you could imagine and ends up taking an unlikely path to Hollywood success. It’s funny, sad, infuriating, and inspiring—often all at once.” — Jason Snell, host of The Incomparable podcast
“His true life story turns out to be as gripping and inspiring as any of his fiction.” — B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
“I’ve rarely felt such pain while reading a memoir, or felt so satisfied at its conclusion. It’s some kind of miracle that he’s taken this lifelong experience, leavened it with perspective, and created something so universal. Powerful, powerful stuff.” — Andy Ihnatko, Tech Author and Co-Host of The Material Podcast
Hugo and Nebula Award Winning Novelist David Brin
Gripping. An amazing testament to the range of human durability and determination, overcoming our impossibly dark side with something even more unlikely and miraculous — hope.”
Max Brooks (World War Z)
J. Michael Straczynski is, without question, one of the greatest science fiction minds of our time.”
Cory Doctorow
Everything I read made me want to stand up and salute. I can’t stress enough how significant and moving (to say nothing of gripping and sometimes hilarious) this book is. It’s a magnificent piece of work that will stay with me for a long, long time.
NPR
His ability to stay the course, to work hard at all times, and to keep writing were his salvation time and again. This book is a testament to that — and it is an inspiring, touching look at how someone born into darkness can find the light and go on to do great things.
Fantasy Book Review
“Becoming Superman is a valuable resource for those wishing to look behind the curtain to one of pop culture’s most cherished and esteemed writers [...] It is an incredible story of familial abuse and its aftermath, of perseverance and fortitude, of endurance and determination. Highly recommended.
Washington Post
Part Hollywood how-to, part Frank McCourt-style reflection on emotional neglect and poverty, “Becoming Superman” is an enveloping look back at a unique career.
Walter Koenig
I just finished reading Becoming Superman and can, without a mote of hyperbole, state it is one of the most terrifying and inspirational, funny and empathic nonfiction books of our time. I’m too old to be currying favors. Just trust me. Buy it or die!
Bestselling author Greg Bear
A fascinating journey through careers in three different professions—comic books, TV, and movies—from an accomplished master of each. Rare to have such detail and such access. A major literary autobiography!
Dan DiDio
Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Straczynski embedded a mystery in an autobiography. Has to be a first.
Washington Post
Part Hollywood how-to, part Frank McCourt-style reflection on emotional neglect and poverty, “Becoming Superman” is an enveloping look back at a unique career.
B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
His true life story turns out to be as gripping and inspiring as any of his fiction.
AV Club
Straczynski’s memoir more than lives up to the promises of its sub-subtitle…Joe never saves the world à la Superman, but pulls through with a heart, spine, and soul of steel. ..
Andy Ihnatko
I’ve rarely felt such pain while reading a memoir, or felt so satisfied at its conclusion. It’s some kind of miracle that he’s taken this lifelong experience, leavened it with perspective, and created something so universal. Powerful, powerful stuff.
Tor.com
A deeply moving testament to the power of storytelling, and a no-bullshit guide to becoming, if not Superman, a better person and writer.
Jason Snell
Straczynski’s life story is simultaneously horrifying and uplifting. He survives a childhood worse than almost anything you could imagine and ends up taking an unlikely path to Hollywood success. It’s funny, sad, infuriating, and inspiring—often all at once.
Washington Post
Part Hollywood how-to, part Frank McCourt-style reflection on emotional neglect and poverty, “Becoming Superman” is an enveloping look back at a unique career.
Max Brooks (World War Z)
J. Michael Straczynski is, without question, one of the greatest science fiction minds of our time.”
B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
His true life story turns out to be as gripping and inspiring as any of his fiction.
The Washington Post
Part Hollywood how-to, part Frank McCourt-style reflection on emotional neglect and poverty, “Becoming Superman” is an enveloping look back at a unique career.
B&N Sci-Fi &Fantasy Blog
His true life story turns out to be as gripping and inspiring as any of his fiction.
OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile
If you’re going to reveal your life story, it’s good to have a friend and fellow “Babylon 5” cast member perform it. Peter Jurasik, known to “Babylon 5” fans as the sleazy alien Londo Mollari, narrates the startling life of the series creator, J. Michael Straczynski, and his victories over a monstrous father, an abusive family, and, seemingly, an entire world out to destroy him. Jurasik soberly recounts his friend's life, a fascinating, almost unbelievable, tale of courage and determination. In all the comic books, movies, and television shows he wrote, Straczynski never created a villain more evil that his own father, a con man who collaborated with Nazis, beat his wife, and cheated everyone, according to his son. Yet, Straczynski conquered extreme poverty, abuse, and crippling psychological problems and succeeded in numerous fields. M.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-04-28
A hugely successful writer for TV, movies, and comics makes his debut as a memoirist with a stunning chronicle of survival.
Straczynski grew up in a destructive family, subjected to "the worst kinds of physical, psychological, and emotional torture" by an alcoholic, violently abusive father, a lifelong admirer of Nazis; a depressed mother, repeatedly institutionalized, who once dropped her young son from a roof; and a grandmother who tried to sexually abuse him. The family was rootless, moving 21 times in 19 years, often fleeing in the middle of the night and "roaring cross-country in an alcohol-fueled haze of drunken violence" to take up residence somewhere else. In one unheated apartment, ill with pneumonia, the author slept in front of an open oven door all night for warmth. He suffered corporal punishment at a Catholic school run by angry nuns and was victimized by bullies elsewhere. Comics, and especially Superman, provided Straczynski with escape and hope. Morally upright, patient, gentle, and powerful, the valiant hero became his model. A bright spot in his dismal childhood occurred in his senior year of high school, when two teachers saw his potential and invested "time, effort, and belief" in him, praising his writing and encouraging him. The author recounts his rocky start as a writer, sending short stories to magazines and collecting rejection slips; getting a gig as a humor columnist for a college newspaper; taking creative writing classes; and submitting reviews, feature articles, screenplays for sitcom pilots, and scripts. He wrote tirelessly and obsessively, not eating or sleeping, until finally some of his efforts bore fruit. Successes, which seemed like miracles, often were followed with spectacular failures. Although he encourages young writers to work hard and follow their passion, the viciously competitive and capricious entertainment industry, as he portrays it, is not for the faint-hearted. Besides recalling professional challenges, Straczynski admits personal struggles resulting from emotional wounds: "social awkwardness" and "compulsive self-reliance" that made him unable to form lasting relationships.
Candid, often sordid, and definitely a page-turner.
