Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds (review)

Sixteen-year-old Miles Morales has a scholarship to a posh boarding school a subway ride away from his home in Brooklyn, a faithful Korean American roommate/sidekick named Ganke, and a huge secret: he's Spiderman. His uncle Aaron's thievery was the source of the spider that bit Miles, and Miles is the reason Aaron is dead. While that backstory haunts him, he's currently dealing with a creepy history class, where a sinister teacher named Chamberlain baits his African-American students with pro-slavery and pro-incarceration propaganda. Ganke, meanwhile, is trying to get Miles to use his special abilities to make money, and Miles' crush has him caught in a sticky web of teen angst. What's a teenaged superhero to do? Superhero protagonist or no, this is less an action story than a tale of ethics and activism. The villains turn out to be a cadre of old white dudes, all named Chamberlain, who have been luring young black men into criminality for the past century, and while Miles does take out their leader in the usual way of comic-book battles, the challenge to stay strong against forces that expect urban black teens to conform to violent criminal stereotypes remains. Spiderman has always had more than his share of guilt, insecurities, financial temptations, and romantic angst, and this diverse twist on Marvel's teen superhero is both faithful and impressively original; Reynolds' masterful depiction of Miles' everyday life and the challenges he sees in his neighborhood gives the tale unexpected currency and depth.