Just Call Me Superhero - by Alina Bronsky (Paperback)

About the Book

Seventeen-year-old Marek feels alienated from the disabled kids in the support group he attends because of the physical disfigurement he suffered from an encounter with a dog, except for a beautiful girl in a wheelchair named Janne.

Book Synopsis

The acclaimed author of Broken Glass Park brings her "warmth, humor and sharp observational eye" to a disfigured teenager's coming of age in Berlin (Kirkus Reviews).

Once a handsome teenager, seventeen-year-old Marek is left badly disfigured after a Rottweiler attack. Now his mother sends him to a support group for young people with physical disabilities--what he calls "the cripple group"--led by an eccentric older man only known as "the guru". Angry at the world and dismissive of the group, Marek sees no connection between their misfortunes and his own. Then a family crisis forces Marek to face his demons, and he finds himself in dire need of support. But the distance he has put between himself and the guru's misshapen acolytes may well be too great to bridge.
Just Call Me Superhero cements Alina Bronsky's reputation as one of Germany's most compelling and stylish young authors. An atmospheric evocation of modern Berlin, a vivid portrait of youth under pressure, and a moving story about learning to love, this new novel from the author of Broken Glass Park and Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine is an irreverent look at the sometimes-difficult work of self-acceptance.

Review Quotes

Praise for Just Call Me Superhero

"Bronsky's warmth, humor and sharp observational eye combine to make this coming-of-age tale a rich, affecting read."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Russian-born writer Alina Bronsky (Broken Glass Park) has a gift for transforming an awkward moment into a jewel of revelation that makes her story rich in genuine character comedy."
--Shelf Awareness

"A painful, tender, very funny bildungsroman void of sentimentality, Bronsky's book captures contemporary European adolescence in one delicious swoop. Adults and teens should enjoy it equally."
--BookPage

Praise for Alina Bronsky

"Bronsky's great gift is humor."
--The Los Angeles Times

"Mordantly funny."
--The San Francisco Chronicle

"A masterful study in delusion."
--The Financial Times

"A very funny and a very dark black comedy."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"[Rosa from The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine is] one of the most fascinating women in the world."
--The Millions

"What begins as a cruel comic romp ends as a surprisingly winning story of hardship and resilience."
--The New Yorker

"Bronsky lands another hit with this hilarious, disturbing, and always irreverent blitz."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"I plan to . . . read whatever comes next from this important new literary voice."
--Ms. Magazine

"Bronsky's lean writing style . . . propels the reader from page to page."
--Shelf Awareness

"Alina Bronsky writes with a gritty authenticity and unputdownable propulsion."
--Vogue

Praise for Just Call Me Superhero
-Bronsky's great gift is humor.-
--The Los Angeles Times
-Bronsky instinctively understands that the way to a reader's heart is through great characters.-
--Library Journal
-Bronsky's warmth, humor and sharp observational eye combine to make this coming-of-age tale a rich, affecting read.-
--Kirkus Reviews on Just Call Me Superhero
-Bronsky writes with a gritty authenticiy and unputdownable propulsion.-
--Vogue
-Broken Glass Park is a sharp and funny first novel.-
--The Minneapolis Star Tribune
-[The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine] is a masterful study in delusion.-
--The Financial Times
-Rose [from The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine] is one of the most fascinating young women in the world.-
--The Millions
-What begins as a cruel comic romp ends as a surprisingly winning story of hardship and resilience.-
--The New Yorker
-What a literary creation! Bronsky's lean writing style propels the reader from page to page.-
--Shelf Awareness

"Bronsky lands another hit with this hilarious, disturbing, and always irreverent blitz." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)
"Bronsky's great gift is humor." -- Los Angeles Times
"What begins as a cruel comic romp ends as a surprisingly winning story of hardship and resilience." -- The New Yorker
"A masterful study in delusion." -- The Financial Times

About the Author

Alina Bronsky's first book, Broken Glass Park, was described as "the most astonishing debut in years" by the German daily, Nürnberger Nachrichten, and as "riveting debut" by Publishers Weekly (starred review). Her second book, The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine, was named a Favorite Read of the Year by both the Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Bronsky's writing is "potent and vital" said the Financial Times and The Daily Beast wrote that sie is "an exciting new voice in the literary world." Born in Russia, Bronsky now lives in Berlin with her family.

In addition to having translated Alina Bronsky's previous novels, Tim Mohr has translated such authors as Wolfgang Herrndorf, Stefanie de Velasco, and Charlotte Roche. He has also collaborated on memoirs by musicians Paul Stanley, Gil Scott-Heron, and Duff McKagan. His own writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Playboy, among other publications. Prior to starting his writing career he earned his living as a club DJ in Berlin, Germany.