Secret Identities Asian Amer Superhero AnthologyMedia Release -- As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month nears its midpoint, the editors of SECRET IDENTITIES, the groundbreaking Asian American superhero anthology, have released the first of six free downloadable Teacher Guides designed to provide educators with a simple way to integrate discussion of critical Asian American issues into the classroom, using the stories of SECRET IDENTITIES as an entry point to raising historical and cultural topics related to the dynamic but often overlooked Asian American community.

The first Guide—covering Section One of SECRET IDENTITIES, a chapter themed around the legacy of World War II titled "War and Remembrance"—is now available for download at the official SECRET IDENTITIES website here: http://www.secretidentities.org/Site/Teacher_Guide_1a.html

Over the next five weeks, a new Teacher Guide will be posted to the SECRET IDENTITIES website. These guides include valuable historical context, provocative discussion questions and bibliographies of further resources, as well as in-depth lesson plans for educators seeking a more complete addition to their curricula. Each guide focuses on the issues and events that inspired the stories in the chapter it covers. For example:

* The building of the Transcontinental Railroad (Driving Steel)

* The Japanese American internment during WWII (9066)

* The all-Nisei 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat team (Heroes Without a Country)

* The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (The Hibakusha)

* The arrival of Islam in America (No Exit)

* The incarceration of Dr. Wen Ho Lee (Peril)

* Immigration, media representation, racial stereotypes, and more.

"We’ve always been firm believers in the power of graphic novels to untangle complex issues," says Keith Chow, SECRET IDENTITIES education and outreach director. “These guides provide an engaging way for educators to illuminate the Asian American experience, using a student-friendly, readily accessible medium.”

EXAMINATION COPIES

For professors considering the use of SECRET IDENTITIES in the classroom, The New Press is happy to provide books for consideration. The New Press’ examination copy policy is as follows:

Paperback titles are available for examination for a $5 fee per book.

Requests are limited to three titles per professor.

Requests must be mailed on school letterhead or accompanied by a business card and include all relevant course information.

Please allow up to four weeks for delivery.

DESK COPIES

The New Press provides complimentary copies of books assigned as required or recommended reading. Requests must be mailed in on school letterhead and include the course title and estimated enrollment. If letterhead is unavailable, business cards with this information are also acceptable.

The New Press
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New York, NY 10013
www.thenewpress.com

ABOUT SECRET IDENTITIES:

SECRET IDENTITIES: THE ASIAN AMERICAN SUPERHERO ANTHOLOGY, from leading independent publisher The New Press, is available in bookstores and comic book specialty retailers everywhere. A regularly updated website (secretidentities.org) and blog (secretidentitiesbook.blogspot.com) feature weekly video teasers and exclusive behind-the-scenes news, interviews and character art from the book.

Among SECRET IDENTITIES' creators are: Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Bernard Chang (Wonder Woman), Greg Pak (The Hulk), Sonny Liew (Liquid City), Billy Tan (Secret Invasion), Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics), Cliff Chiang (Green Arrow/Black Canary), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight), Greg LaRocque (The Flash), Christine Norrie (Black Canary Wedding Special), Tak Toyoshima (Secret Asian Man) and Francis Tsai (Heroes for Hire)—as well as new and established creators from film (directors Michael Kang, Ted Chung; actors Sung Kang, Leonardo Nam, Dustin T. Nguyen, Kelly Hu), television (Survivor's Yul Kwon, Gilmore Girls' Keiko Agena) and literature (author Jamie Ford, playwright Clarence Coo).