Lehrer’s ‘Super’ a super little book

Jim Lehrer’s “Super” is a slim little novel, but it’s packed with old-fashioned enjoyment.

Lehrer — yes, the Lehrer of “PBS Newshour” — takes us to another era of transportation aboard the Super, the nickname for the Santa Fe Railway’s Super Chief, which traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The Super was an illustrious train, and on this trip it’s packed with illustrious passengers, including former President Harry Truman, Clark Gable, a Midwestern millionaire, a Hollywood producer and a raft of the railway’s executives, who come aboard to ensure that Truman has a smooth trip (Gable spends too much time in his compartment with various women to concern them much).

It sure is a picture of another time: Truman is traveling without security, Gable is King Clark and the millionaire fears he’s dying and wants to make just one more trip aboard the Super, the epitome of luxurious travel.
 
There’s also a disheveled, mysterious man (with – go figure — a Nevada connection), a mysterious death and, well, enough plot twists to keep things interesting.

The book is dedicated “to the train people” and yes, railroad aficionados are sure to enjoy it, but so will anyone with an interest in the history of our country.