Becoming Superman - a review

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I find it hard to overestimate the positive effect J. Michael Straczynski (or jms) has had on me. My first introduction to him was in the TV series Babylon 5 in the 1990's while I was in graduate school. The series connected with me on many levels including the attention to correct physics, story telling with actual consequences for the characters, a respect for multiple philosophies of life, and a planned story arc (decades before Game of Thrones). In his own words, "As much as B5 was about exploration , wars, and the rise and fall of empires, at its center were issues of personal choice, the consequences that result from those choices, and our willingness to accept responsibility for those consequences." Since then I have followed him through World War Z, Thor, and Sense 8 as well as his excellent Screenwriting book but Babylon 5 is something I keep returning to. It's like returning home.

Reading his autobiography, Becoming Superman, I was again struck by the life lessons he communicates through his personal story. If there was a person set up to be a total failure it would be J. Michael Straczynski. His description of his childhood reads like a manual for how to not raise children. Each time the reader thinks it can't get any worse --- it does. It was was Straczynski's single-minded pursuit to be the opposite of his parents and be more like Superman that saved him from an almost inevitable disaster. Through his example, jms communicates clear positive messages. Be true to yourself, communicate only truth to others, stand up for the misfortunes of anyone, never compromise your principles even at personal expense and realize that you can choose differently than your past might set you up for.

I can't recommend this book more. It reads as a mystery novel, an inspirational self-help book, and a devotional reading to the process of writing and life all rolled into one.