You don’t need superpowers to be a superhero.
“I am a Superhero Expert” by Josh Stehle looks at autism from the point of view of a younger brother, who sees his older, autistic brother, Zach, as his best friend and personal superhero.
“[Zach] knows everything there is to know about superheroes, the studios who create them and the worlds they live in,” motivational speaker Josh Stehle, 21, told the Journal. “Stacks on stacks of comic books fill his bookshelves and surround his bed, and he never goes a day without reading his favorite issues.”
While Josh knows little about conventional superheroes, compared to his brother, the term “superhero” means more to him than just characters on a page.
“In many ways, I think that Zach is a superhero, not by his unique and amazing traits, but by the way he sees the world,” Stehle said. “Zach is the kindest person on earth, and he’s always trying to help people and make their days just a little bit better.”
This is in spite of the fact that Zach will never see most of the people he helps again and that they may be biased against Zach simply because he’s autistic.
Photo by Monica Pica, “Creative Stages, Photography by Monica”
“It doesn’t matter to Zach,” Stehle said. “He’s selfless. He just wants to make the world a better place … And isn’t that what superheroes do?”
“I am a Superhero Expert” provides an emotional glimpse into the challenges people with autism face, while highlighting the indescribable beauty they bring to the world.
Told through the eyes of bonded siblings who communicate through pop culture, this memoir offers a new perspective on how fictional tales about powerful heroes transcended the page and screen. They taught the Stehles about love, family and brotherhood.
Stehle wrote the first version of his book as a college application essay, and the idea stuck with him.
“It was only 600 words or so, but it laid the foundation.” Josh said.
The essay “worked.” Stehle, who attends West Chester University in Pennsylvania, originally intended to pursue a college, and eventually a professional, basketball career.
“Two years later, my dream of playing in the NBA came to a screeching halt when I realized that I was too slow, too unathletic and frankly, not good enough at basketball to ever make it,” he said.
As his time as an athlete was coming to an end, Josh realized he had a great idea for a book.
“I just felt like I had so much more to say,” he said.
When most people meet Josh, they don’t realize he’s Jewish.
“I am a 6’5”, blond-haired, green-eyed, former basketball player,” he said. “I don’t necessarily ‘look’ Jewish. Unfortunately, though, this means that people around me haven’t always edited their words.”
He has faced inadvertent antisemitism on multiple occasions. Josh is proud of who he is, and is not shy about speaking up.
“Being Jewish has made me more aware of similar mistreatment of a wide range of minority groups, including those on the autism spectrum. And it’s given me the confidence to write what I believe in.”
– Josh Stehle
“Being Jewish has made me more aware of similar mistreatment of a wide range of minority groups, including those on the autism spectrum,” Josh said. “And it’s given me the confidence to write what I believe in.”
When Josh was growing up, he associated being Jewish with going to Hebrew school and synagogue, and celebrating holidays.
“At the time, I was adamant that I absolutely did not need Hebrew school and instead should have been allowed to stay at home and sleep in,” he said. “My young mind was convinced that attending another day of school was, frankly, unnecessary. I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of Hebrew school until years later.”
For Josh, the Jewish holidays meant lots of food, good stories and that his grandparents were coming over.
“After losing my grandparents when I was only nine, our holiday celebrations were smaller,” he said. “But there was still the usual homemade challah, matzah ball soup and [the familiar] roasted chicken.”
As the years passed, these moments remained as the vehicle that brought his family together. “All of the holidays I’ve celebrated with my family, all of the synagogue services I attended with my community and even those Hebrew school days when I fell asleep at my desk reading worksheets and handouts have made me proud of who I am,” he said.
April is Autism Acceptance/Appreciation Month. Stehle hopes “I am a Superhero Expert” can contribute to spreading the message of autism awareness, inclusion and acceptance.
Follow @joshstehle on Instagram or @thestehle.bros on Instagram and TikTok.
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