A touching and poignant story about a boy, tormented by the nuns at his school, his classmates and parents alike, who takes refuge with his best (and only) friend Robert in the one thing he has left to believe in - Superman. The book takes the form of letters written to the Man of Steel, asking his help and telling him of his plan to be his partner when he too gets powers and can fly. The conclusion comes with a bittersweet and jarring rush, marred only by an ambiguous reference to fellatio, and a confusing reference to what must be the Vietnam War. A moving and powerful book that could have been better, absent the confusing asides. ( )