James Vance
Kings in Disguise (1990)
Author: James Vance
Genre: Graphic Novel (Historical Fiction)
Plot Summary:
Movie-loving Freddie Bloch is a twelve year old boy living in California during the Great Depression. His mother has died, and his father has lost his job. When his father suddenly disappears, leaving a note that he has gone to Detroit in the search for work, Freddie's older brother Al is left to take care of both of them. When Al is arrested after trying to rob a man in an attempt to get money for food, Freddie is suddenly left homeless. Unsure of where to go, Freddie jumps onto a train with a vague idea that he should go to Detroit to find his father. On the train, Freddie meets Sam, otherwise known as the "King of Spain." Sam feels some compassion towards Freddie and feels a need for companionship, so he agrees to help Freddie get to Detroit to find his father and begins to teach Freddie what he needs to know about being a hobo. As they travel Sam and Freddie build a strong friendship and Freddie learns more about the human plight. He meets people from many walks of life, and learns lessons of compassion and hatred. SPOILER: When they finally reach Detroit, Freddie learns that it is virtually impossible to find his father. He attends a Communist rally at the Ford plant in the hopes of finding his father there, but when the gathering turns into an anti-Communist riot, Sam gets injured rescuing Freddie. With the help of many people, including Jesse James and the inhabitants of a hobo camp called Bugtown, Freddie manages to take Sam back to his home before he dies. Alone again, Freddie hops another train with the hopes of finding a new dream and a new place to belong.
Geographical Setting: Railroads and homeless shelters across the U.S. Marian, California; Detroit, Michigan; and a hobo camp called Bugtown are specifically mentioned.
Time Period: 1932, Height of the Great Depression
Appeal Characteristics:
Kings in Disguise is a well-written historical graphic novel about the transient lives of hoboes during the Great Depression. Although the novel deals with tough issues such as homelessness, Communism, hatred, losing one's faith, and the general hardships of life, it keeps an upbeat attitude by looking at it all through the eyes of a twelve year old boy who looks upon his forced life as a hobo as an adventure. The pace of the novel remains fairly quick and even, although it does slow down a bit as Freddie and Sam travel from one adventure to the next. These travel passages are used by the author to make Freddie think about all he has experienced, which gives the narration of the novel a rather philosophical and lyrical tone. Freddie himself is a well-fleshed-out character, and the reader sympathizes with this boy who had to learn so much about the world so soon. Although the novel could be depressing, it is Freddie's willingness to look for the good in people that keeps the storyline upbeat. The friendship between Freddie and Sam, despite the age difference, is also believable. Part of this is because of the literary style of the narration, but much of it is portrayed through facial expressions and guestures found in the illustrations. The illustrations themselves are extremely detailed, even though they are only in black and white, and many parts of the novel are depicted through pictures alone instead of in words.
Read-alikes: Those who enjoyed Kings in Disguise because of its younger main character may also enjoy The Castaways by Rob Vollmar and Pablo G. Callejo. The Castaways is another graphic novel set during the Depression that focuses on a thirteen year old boy who hops a train with mere pennies in his pocket and learns the life of a hobo. Like Freddie Bloch, this character makes friends with a hobo and learns lessons about the hardships of mankind. The artistic styles of the novels are also similar, with The Castaways being inked in black, white, and blue. Those who want to read a coming-of-age story set during the Depression in general may enjoy To the Heart of the Storm by Will Eisner, a historical graphic novel based on the author's childhood. Again, both graphic novels include adolescent characters who learn about the hardships of life. While Freddie Bloch learns about hatred of hoboes and Communists, Will Eisner learns about Anti-Semitism. For a completely different view of the same time period, readers may also try Berlin: City of Stones by Jason Lutes. Berlin is also a historical graphic novel with a stark black and white illustration style much like that of Kings in Disguise. The story is set in pre-World War II Germany, and also deals with the issue of Communism. The novel does contain adult characters, however, and thus it does discuss some adult themes not discussed in Kings in Disguise. The graphic novel collection James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems by James Sturm may be a good suggestion for those who enjoyed the discussion of the American Dream as found in Kings in Disguise. Each novel discusses a different view of American Dream. Of the three stories, The Golem's Mighty Swing is the most popular, and may be recommended as the first one to be read. Although the artwork in this graphic novel collection is simpler than that used in Kings in Disguise, it is still a simple black and white which shouldn't distract readers from the story. For those readers willing to try a different genre that discusses the same themes as Kings in Disguise, Riding the Rails by Errol Lincoln Uys (pronounced "Ace") is a possible suggestion. This nonfiction title may be a good crossover since it is a partial photoessay, which may be a comfortable medium for those who enjoy graphic novels. Like Kings in Disguise, this book includes the personal stories of many teenagers who left home for a variety of reasons and lived as hoboes during the Depression, frequently riding trains in search for jobs, food, adventure, and a place of belonging.
Red Flags: Discussion of hard issues such as homelessness, drug use, depression, Communism, hatred, the trials of the Great Depression, and losing one's faith; Violence in the form of riots, gangs, shootings, fist fights, an explosion, and people threatening others with weapons; Swearing.
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