Mixed-Race Superman

by Will Harris

Mixed-Race Superman is a reflection on the lives of two very different supermen: Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves.

In an era where a man endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan can sit in the White House, Will Harris argues that the mixed-race background of each gave them a shapelessness that was a form of resistance.

Drawing on his own personal experience and examining the way that these two men have been embedded in our collective consciousness, Harris asks what they can teach us about race and heroism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Race, Philosophy

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2018

About the author

Will Harris is a writer of mixed Anglo-Indonesian heritage, born and based in London. He has worked in schools, led workshops at the Southbank Centre and teaches for The Poetry School. He is an Assistant Editor at The Rialto and a fellow of The Complete Works III. Published in the Bloodaxe anthology Ten: Poets of the New Generation, he was featured in ES Magazine as part of the “new guard” of London poets. His poem ‘SAY’ was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2018, and he won a Poetry Fellowship from the Arts Foundation in 2019. His debut pamphlet of poems, All this is implied, published by HappenStance in 2017, was joint winner of the London Review Bookshop Pamphlet of the Year and shortlisted for the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award by the National Library of Scotland. Mixed-Race Superman, an essay, was published by Peninsula Press in 2018 and in an expanded edition by Melville House in the US in 2019. His first full poetry collection, RENDANG, is forthcoming from Granta in the UK in February 2020 and from Wesleyan University Press in the US later in the year.

Reviews

[massmarketbareback · Rating 4 out of 5]

more writing on the mixed experience please and thank you.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An essay about racial identity combining poetry, philosophy, sociology, history, film, literature, and the author's personal experiences for it's analysis. It is worth a read and presents many relevant ideas through the (public) personalities of Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves.

Though I found the choice of Reeves as one of the two main examples of a mixed-race superman intriguing, it felt very constructed and a bit forced, since Harris mixes up the public figure and the character and quotes of roles Reeves played in various films.

Though Harris is obviously aware and supportive of concepts like gender fluidity and an inclusive feminism, I was a bit disappointed that he discussed the very relevant points he makes along the lines of the superMAN concept. He tries to balance it here and there, but that doesn't change his choice to focus his attention on men, quoting mostly men and seeking literary and historic examples of men.

I would have preferred Mixed-Race Superman as a chapter in a book of a more diverse analysis of mixed-race identities. Harris does have enough relevant things to say, so I keep my hope up for more to come...

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essay written by an Indonesian/white British man, about mixed race ethnic identity and the myth of the superman, based on Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves. He also explores a lot of historical literature. It's an odd, but thoughtful essay that I'm still digesting.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting, but I found the comparison between Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves quite bizarre!

[Lizzy O'shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

every book from now on should use Keanu Reeves and all his movies as core texts thank you

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este livro em forma de ensaio reúne algumas reflexões de Will Harris, um estadunidense multirracial que usa os exemplos de Barack Obama e de Keanu Reeves para entender como, ao mesmo tempo, pessoas de "raças misturadas" são tidas como fracas e fortes. Harris vai buscar no histórico colonial teorias mitificadas que diziam que as raças híbridas enfraqueciam o teor humano e que tinham uma tendência a desaparecer do mundo por causa da fraqueza de suas misturas. Ele traz como contraponto as figuras do ex-presidente dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, e do superastro internacional Keanu Reeves, responsável por papéis de personagem estilo super-heróis como Neo, de Matrix, e John Wick. Os dois foram em anos recentes ovacionados pela crítica e pelo público e alçados a super-homens da vida real, bem diferente da "raça enfraquecia" das teorias coloniais. Um livro que tem um conteúdo bem interessante, mas a forma em estilo de texto e estrutura de capítulos bastante inortodoxa, que às vezes não faz sentido.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really readable, so interesting and both funny and sad. Will Harris is brilliant.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet read. An interesting look at 2 particular people, B. Obama and K. Reeves, and their 'superhero' personas.
Worth a read if you're wondering what it's like to be mixed race.

[Si Long Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes to mixed-race representation drawing from lived experience! This book is helping me find ways to articulate my own experiences, but I would like to see more from mixed-race women ✊

[Julie Locascio · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a white person, I found this a very insightful book about one man's personal psychological journey towards figuring out his mixed-race, mixed-cultural heritage. That said, I was not convinced that he came up with any universal truths, though he somewhat admits this. He struggles to identify patterns of behavior in other people to inform his own. The biggest bi-racial cultural influences for him were apparently Keanu Reeves and Barack Obama, and since I like them both a lot, I enjoyed the book. You might struggle with this book if you have not seen all the Keanu movies mentioned! And I was unconvinced by his basic belief that Keanu has chosen his films based on his own views of being bi-racial. (I think most actors, especially b-actors, simply accept the best scripts they are offered in a given year if they want to keep working.) For instance, the author finds hugh significance in the fact that many Keanu movie characters were named "John", a generic name. However, that is a screenwriter's choice, and there are plenty of non-Keanu movies out there with people named John! Bottom line: interesting autobiographical exercise, but you are far more likely to enjoy this book if you like Reeves and Obama.

[Saioa Olasagasti · Rating 1 out of 5]

liburu motx bat, ta jodeeer eskerrak pork menudo puto koñazo. bira i get it etzea aurkitzen zure identidaden, mixed zea en un mundo racista y dividido... jurau k i get it, ezta errexa bñ whatever, ze puta mierda da hau en ningun momento eztet ulertu ze koño zan bere konklusiyua, ze koño nahidun esan. irakurrietena izanda un bomito de 'bira zenbat dakiten jende hontaz, bira ze gauz importantek esanteituen ta indituen, bira bira ze listua nahizen ta ze hitz handik erabiltzeituten.... bale bñ ze koño esateyazu nei ZURE liburuakin????? kopi paste de otra jente liburu baten pegauta para hacerte el interesante. also intenta no mencionar a obama challenge, spoiler: imposible. puf k pesau tio k pesau. sin más ojala aurkitzetn liburu bat tema hontaz enfoque guai batekin pork k decepción.

[Cynthia D · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** This was received as an ARC through Edelweiss ***

I have to give the author props for originality on this novel, but had a really hard time getting into this book as a biracial person.

There was a lot of historical facts mixed in with the author's personal experiences and facts about Keanu Reeves and Obama -- while appreciated, I felt it to be lengthy and overly focused on Keanu Reeves (although this might be the point!). I was hoping for a read that more neatly tied together the theme, but it felt all over the place to read and was not enjoyable for me.

[Minnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as I tried to enjoy how the author managed to make political commentary poetic and beautiful, it was a very disorganized read full of assumptions and painting in broad strokes. The literary allusions seemed frequently out of place and thrown in for the sake of it, along with too many quotes. I appreciated the writings of Adrienne Rich and Audre Lorde cited here and there though, when most of the time the author quotes white men philosophers and writers like Nietzsche.

[Dawn Shanks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. As a mom to three bi-racial boys, I strive to learn more about how I can support them in the world they’re growing up in. There were a couple tokens of insights, but overall I was unable to follow his stream of thought. Seemed more to be his thoughts regarding the Matrix and Obama. Disappointed, but is small and a quick read.

[Kayleigh Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal essay written by, and written with a poetically refreshing voice.

(Do by and with imply the same thing?)

What I liked about this book is how accessible it is as an academic text. The sections are concise and relevant. Harris writes how there is an assumption that being mixed race means you are a divided soul and he challenges it.

He is of mixed Anglo-Indonesian heritage and entwines his personal story in a perfect balance of experience and knowledge. He deconstructs the concept of ‘Superman’ through the famous figures, Keanu Reeves and Barack Obama. Using Reeve’s filmic personas and Obama’s political position he highlights the institutionalisation of mixed-race stereotypes. Film, as an example of real life, has been dominated by the ‘Superman’ who is a white male and saves people. I can’t help but think of colonisation and its inverse effect.

All in all a great book to read if you’d like: to be intellectually challenged about racial politics in 21st century, to be moved by Harris’ exploration of masculinity or a reminder to go and watch the Matrix again.

[Liam Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I hate when I finish a book and want to give it lower than a 3. In reality, this book is both a 2.5 in one sense and a 3 in others. But this was quite frustrating. Essentially, Will Harris presents a short essay style book that seeks to define the Superhero as having a strong identity of self and saying that those of us with a multiracial identity live in a Paradox of self. The idea then is to discuss what self means and to arrive at a conclusion that self is an illusion anyway.

In theory, it's an interesting concept - not least because the superheros in question are not Superman or Iron-man but Keanu Reeves and Barrack Obama. Harris' writing is engaging and intelligent but you're left regularly in confusion as to the relevance of his points. Again, while wonderfully written, it is left to the reader to connect, at times, far reaching and speculative dots. Equally for a book about about race, there is a huge lack of diverse references. 90% of the book is allusions to Nietche.

Anyway, as ever, Reviews are subjective and Harris can write well, it's just the connections that's frustrated me.

[MonaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers no answers but did leave me feeling seen in a way no book really has. At one point, Harris says being mixed race is really just being in a constant state of confusion, something I could not agree more with. The experience of being mixed race is something I rarely, if ever, see reflected in media or just day to day life. It is so rarely acknowledged as existing even by the government. So to have a book that provides three varying perspectives, so eloquently and thoughtfully weaved together, is a gift.

There are so many ways to experience being mixed race, so many ways to embody it. Warring instincts, the battle of whether to choose, what to choose, knowing that usually the choice is made for you. Reading about these things in the pages of a book was so grounding. It was an acknowledgement of my own experiences, something I’d stopped hoping I would get.

This is the kind of book you take notes on, reread, and discuss with the people you care about. I cannot recommend it enough.

[Dora Prieto · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a culturally mixed person, I thought this was a beautifully written exploration of a very under-examined relevant topic. Will Harris uses the concept of the superhero to pull us into an exploration of two very different mixed characters: Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves. The work spans poetry, social analysis, literature, and history while pulling on the author's personal experiences.

I found the author's choice of superheroes compelling though I felt like the only conclusion I could draw from it was the choice to either be fluid or fixed (Keanu vs. Obama). Between these two archetypes, Will Harris provides some deep context for being mixed-race that allows choice and empowerment in deciding who it is that we are. However, for using the concept of fluidity so frequently, the author barely touches on the gendered setup of the Superhero, though he does mention feminism in passing. All in all, very thoughtful and influential.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to find this more interesting than I did.

While not British, I’m also a hapa that grew up in the 90s in a predominantly white context, where if people weren’t white they were clearly brown or black. So, the essay resonates - but I think mostly as it’s rare to read anything that approximates my own experiences; any familiarity is notable. I’m not sure this essay leads me to see anything more clearly, or equips me with anything new to navigate this inbetweenness. Perhaps it would be of value for those who are not mixed race, or haven’t spent the last 10 years analysing and reanalysing what this perspective reveals and obscures.. Perhaps Harris and I are so on the same page it’s as mundane as my shower thoughts (if I were an Obama/Keanu/Nietzsche aficionado)

(PS I’d love to read more from mixed authors on this experience, if anyone has recommendations)

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was given to me not long after the birth of my son and I finally got round to reading it this week. The essay is clever, taking Keanu Reeves and Barack Obama as examples of how famous, mixed race men navigate issues, contrasting with the author's own experiences, growing up in the UK. It's especially powerful to read in light of the recent election result and the rise of hard right politics, particularly in relation to race and identity. I'm not sure how well prepared I am to have hard conversations with my son when he's older, but at least books like these will help me think outside my own experience.

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

a short, thought provoking read that explored the intangible qualities of mixed racial backgrounds and their ability to wrench the cogs of our foundationally racial systems and mentalities. done with a lyricism that i love so much in poets writing prose, Harris provided interesting contexualization to the murky waters of mixed race dynamics, using exploration of keanu reeves and his dodging of intentional labeling as well as his ability to pass for white, along side of Obama and his multiethnic culture and reflections from his experiences, as well his careful manner of speech and intention.
though I didn't agree with the impact of obama's racial ambiguity in the world's perception of him and what he stood for, i believe this book is well worth the read.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is hard to describe, to pin down, it’s pretty fluid. Much like being mixed I suppose - maybe that’s the point.

I appreciated seeing similar experiences of being mixed race affirmed on the page, especially since it’s something I struggle with and yet is rarely talked about. I think the main takeaway is that there’s no one way to be mixed, to “know yourself” or be entirely firm in your mixed identity. There’s being mixed like Obama, there’s being mixed like Keanu, and there’s everything in between. And that’s okay.

[d · Rating 5 out of 5]

“to me at least, this is the lesson of the Mixed-Race Superman: we are too few or too many, but never singular”

“From one perspective, the past looks like a series of static images; from another, like a flowing stream. Both perspectives are grounded in the same fear: that the past is really made up of nothing at all. The self that we hope to know and the narratives arising from that desire are an illusion.”

[SSC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful essay on what it means to be multiracial, and makes you want to watch the whole Keanu Reeves’ back catalogue. It is far reaching in its subtopics, and confuses the definition of saints, but I enjoyed the Obama/Keanu mixed race hero as a concept - the generic bits on race relations or inequality less so.

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many points in here worth pulling out and highlighting. My favourite though is Harris's re-reading of The Matrix, a film with a mixed race and a black lead actor, directed by two trans women, that has been co-opted by the alt-right and neonazis. It well deserves this deft reading, illuminating out it's allusions to Buddhism and finding analogies with the 'mixed' identity.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great essay on race, identity, history and self. Will Harris gives great insight and accessible references and uses the figures of Barack Obama and Keanu Reeves as pivot points for exploration and association- would recommend.

[Darren Stallard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful little book. If you are unsure of where we are, where we are going, or where we should be, with regard to our ideas of what race, and gender, mean in society, this is a great place to start.

[Frank Karioris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wished for more. But maybe thats asking for superman; when I should just ask for a person.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharply intelligent yet written in accessibly pellucid prose. Both affecting and intellectually engaging. Highly, highly recommended

[Chunyang Ding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, touching self-analysis, surprising moments of brevity.