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Supermen
Supermen is book one of For America, a two-family saga of suspense and mystery. Set in the long aftermath of WW II, the novel dramatically explores the failure of traditional beliefs and political systems and the rise and fall of counter cultures and sects. Folk music, hippie and "Jesus Freak" communes, the Manson family, the People’s Temple, Biblical prophecy, and spiritualist cults all participate in the story.
In Supermen, Otis Otterbach, the narrator, born the day the atom bomb destroys Hiroshima, is mentored by his grandma, a poet and painter who teaches him to believe in the implausible, and his father who coaches him in baseball so well, he becomes a big-league pitching prospect. But wicked conflicts visit in the person of Cynthia Jones, mother of Casey, Otis’s best friend and catcher. Either paranoid, prophetic, or both, Cynthia believes that Henry Tucker, adopted son of her sister, will use his prodigious scientific mind and occult knowledge to abet the downfall of western civilization.
She calls Tucker the Enemy. And after she learns that Otis is descended from President James A. Garfield, whom she argues would have become even greater than Lincoln had he not been assasinated, she chooses both Otis and Casey to stop the Enemy and thereby save America
In Supermen, Otis Otterbach, the narrator, born the day the atom bomb destroys Hiroshima, is mentored by his grandma, a poet and painter who teaches him to believe in the implausible, and his father who coaches him in baseball so well, he becomes a big-league pitching prospect. But wicked conflicts visit in the person of Cynthia Jones, mother of Casey, Otis’s best friend and catcher. Either paranoid, prophetic, or both, Cynthia believes that Henry Tucker, adopted son of her sister, will use his prodigious scientific mind and occult knowledge to abet the downfall of western civilization.
She calls Tucker the Enemy. And after she learns that Otis is descended from President James A. Garfield, whom she argues would have become even greater than Lincoln had he not been assasinated, she chooses both Otis and Casey to stop the Enemy and thereby save America
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 4, 2019
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Ken Kuhlken
29 books43 followersKen Kuhlken's stories have appeared in ESQUIRE and numerous other magazines, been honorably mentioned in BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, and earned a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.
His novels include MIDHEAVEN, finalist for the Ernest Hemingway Award for best first fiction book, and the Hickey family mysteries: THE BIGGEST LIAR IN LOS ANGELES; THE GOOD KNOW NOTHING; THE VENUS DEAL; THE LOUD ADIOS, Private Eye Writers of America Press Best First PI Novel; THE ANGEL GANG; THE DO-RE-MI, finalist for the Shamus Best Novel Award; THE VAGABOND VIRGINS; THE VERY LEAST; and THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.
Hisfive-book saga FOR AMERICA, is together a long, long novel and an incantation, a work of magic created to postpone the end of the world for at least a thousand years.
His work in progress is a YA mystery.
His WRITING AND THE SPIRIT advises artists seeking inspiration. He guides readers on a trip to the Kingdom of Heaven in READING BROTHER LAWRENCE.
Also, he reads a lot, plays golf, watches and coaches baseball and softball, teaches at Perelandra College, and hangs out with his daughter when she comes home from her excellent college back east.
His novels include MIDHEAVEN, finalist for the Ernest Hemingway Award for best first fiction book, and the Hickey family mysteries: THE BIGGEST LIAR IN LOS ANGELES; THE GOOD KNOW NOTHING; THE VENUS DEAL; THE LOUD ADIOS, Private Eye Writers of America Press Best First PI Novel; THE ANGEL GANG; THE DO-RE-MI, finalist for the Shamus Best Novel Award; THE VAGABOND VIRGINS; THE VERY LEAST; and THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.
Hisfive-book saga FOR AMERICA, is together a long, long novel and an incantation, a work of magic created to postpone the end of the world for at least a thousand years.
His work in progress is a YA mystery.
His WRITING AND THE SPIRIT advises artists seeking inspiration. He guides readers on a trip to the Kingdom of Heaven in READING BROTHER LAWRENCE.
Also, he reads a lot, plays golf, watches and coaches baseball and softball, teaches at Perelandra College, and hangs out with his daughter when she comes home from her excellent college back east.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 18, 2022
Super confusing book. Started out as a pretty good story about little league. Then it switched to a coming of age story about sexual fantasies, etc.
Finally it went back to baseball again.
I gave the extra star because it was free otherwise this would’ve been a one star special.
Finally it went back to baseball again.
I gave the extra star because it was free otherwise this would’ve been a one star special.
March 22, 2020
I’ve read the “great American novels,” MOBY DICK and HUCKLEBERRY FINN, but reading Ken Kuhlken’s SUPERMEN was by far a more rewarding experience for me. I felt more like I was living the story, rather than just reading. It helped, I must admit, that I lived in the same town where the author spent his childhood years, and it made everything familiar and identifiable. His baseball and Little League experiences were MY experiences, right down to remembering the amazing and ambidextrous Mexican Little Leaguer, Angel Macias, and his perfect game in the 1957 Little League World Series. Ken Kuhlken has written the coming-of-age novel that I dare to compare to Salinger’s CATCHER IN THE RYE, except SUPERMEN'S characters are much more endearing for me. I never wanted to be Holden Caulfield, but Otis Otterbach? You betcha! I am on to the next installment in Kuhlken’s For America series, THIS ROUGH BEAST, and am eagerly anticipating the next adventure. (Sorry for the All-caps titles, but I found the formatting of type in this venue to be awkward and difficult.)
May 24, 2022
This was a fun read.
Supermen read like a stream of consciousness from Otis Otterbach. It's a great coming of age novel, but it subtly shows the attention span of youth which kept the story alive, and made it a quick read. You'll definitely have fun reading this one.
Supermen read like a stream of consciousness from Otis Otterbach. It's a great coming of age novel, but it subtly shows the attention span of youth which kept the story alive, and made it a quick read. You'll definitely have fun reading this one.
June 14, 2022
TW: Sexual abuse of a minor.
Supermen is a coming of age story about a young boy named Otis and his best friend Casey. Both Otis and Casey are great baseball players so the story takes you through their journeys, both in baseball and personal, from little league to college. This book is a very easy read and has a unique writing style. Another review I read said it perfect, as the style plays off the short attention span of a child. While this can be a positive and negative, depending on what you prefer. The author never spends too long of a time on any given topic, which is nice, but can also be a negative as it seems to jump around so fast.
The biggest negative for me is the part of the story where Otis gets a 12-year-old drunk and then proceeds to lay naked with her until they fall asleep. It seemed the main character had enough hardships in the story to overcome, that this one did not need to be added. While I was rooting for Otis up until that point, after that it made it hard for me to like him.
Supermen is a coming of age story about a young boy named Otis and his best friend Casey. Both Otis and Casey are great baseball players so the story takes you through their journeys, both in baseball and personal, from little league to college. This book is a very easy read and has a unique writing style. Another review I read said it perfect, as the style plays off the short attention span of a child. While this can be a positive and negative, depending on what you prefer. The author never spends too long of a time on any given topic, which is nice, but can also be a negative as it seems to jump around so fast.
The biggest negative for me is the part of the story where Otis gets a 12-year-old drunk and then proceeds to lay naked with her until they fall asleep. It seemed the main character had enough hardships in the story to overcome, that this one did not need to be added. While I was rooting for Otis up until that point, after that it made it hard for me to like him.
May 11, 2022
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, BooksGoSocial and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Well done with a perspective that unique to this author. The story is almost lyrical.
Well done with a perspective that unique to this author. The story is almost lyrical.
June 23, 2022
While the writing is pretty good here, I didn't really want to read a story that includes sexual abuse of a minor. I wish I'd know before requesting a review copy. The writing made up for my issues with some of the subject matter.
Thanks very much for the free review copy!!
Thanks very much for the free review copy!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews