All the Answers
Graphic novelist Michael Kupperman’s memoir explores his relationship with his distant, secretive father. Never one to discuss the past, when his father is diagnosed with dementia, the author realizes time is limited to ask the questions he has never had answered.
A math prodigy, Joel Kupperman literally had all of the answers as a child. His mother wrote to the producers of the radio game show, Quiz Kids, about her five-year-old, and he quickly became a regular on the program. He was so popular that he went on a war bond tour during WWII, starred in a movie, and was photographed with countless celebrities. The attention was overwhelming and confusing to young Joel, who came to resent his fierce stage mom. Forced to stay on the show even after he graduated high school, he became socially awkward. He eventually stepped out of the public eye forever, married, had a family, and became a philosophy professor. He refused to speak about his time on Quiz Kids, but the ramifications of his unconventional childhood remained, and he became physically and emotionally distant to his wife and son.
Not just an examination of the father-son relationship, the novel’s scrutiny of celebrity culture in the pre-television age is fascinating. Kupperman also probes how Quiz Kids was used as propaganda during the war. It capitalized on the popularity of its cute, precocious, Jewish contestant to encourage Americans’ sympathy for the plight of Jews in Europe. While well-intentioned, this was quite a heavy burden for a young boy to carry.
The illustrations are dark and moody, which aids in creating the tension the author feels. I was left wanting to know more and was pleased to see a list of sources for further reading included. This is definitely a book I won’t soon forget.
