The Secret to Superhuman Strength
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- Create Date：2021-05-11 02:31:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alison Bechdel
- ISBN：0544387651
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Summary
From the author of Fun Home， a profound graphic memoir of Bechdel's lifelong love affair with exercise， set against a hilarious chronicle of fitness fads in our times
Comics and cultural superstar Alison Bechdel delivers a deeply layered story of her fascination， from childhood to adulthood， with every fitness craze to come down the pike: from Jack LaLanne in the 60s （"Outlandish jumpsuit！ Cantaloupe-sized guns！"） to the existential oddness of present-day spin class。 Readers will see their athletic or semi-active pasts flash before their eyes through an ever-evolving panoply of running shoes， bicycles， skis， and sundry other gear。 But the more Bechdel tries to improve herself， the more her self appears to be the thing in her way。 She turns for enlightenment to Eastern philosophers and literary figures， including Beat writer Jack Kerouac， whose search for self-transcendence in the great outdoors appears in moving conversation with the author’s own。 This gifted artist and not-getting-any-younger exerciser comes to a soulful conclusion。 The secret to superhuman strength lies not in six-pack abs， but in something much less clearly defined: facing her own non-transcendent but all-important interdependence with others。
A heartrendingly comic chronicle for our times。
Comics and cultural superstar Alison Bechdel delivers a deeply layered story of her fascination， from childhood to adulthood， with every fitness craze to come down the pike: from Jack LaLanne in the 60s （"Outlandish jumpsuit！ Cantaloupe-sized guns！"） to the existential oddness of present-day spin class。 Readers will see their athletic or semi-active pasts flash before their eyes through an ever-evolving panoply of running shoes， bicycles， skis， and sundry other gear。 But the more Bechdel tries to improve herself， the more her self appears to be the thing in her way。 She turns for enlightenment to Eastern philosophers and literary figures， including Beat writer Jack Kerouac， whose search for self-transcendence in the great outdoors appears in moving conversation with the author’s own。 This gifted artist and not-getting-any-younger exerciser comes to a soulful conclusion。 The secret to superhuman strength lies not in six-pack abs， but in something much less clearly defined: facing her own non-transcendent but all-important interdependence with others。
A heartrendingly comic chronicle for our times。
Reviews
Verónica Muñiz-Soto
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The secret to Alison Bechdel's writing is her sensitivity to tackle mundane themes in the most touching and sensible ways， to make everything feel like a profound meditation on her study subject。 As with her other memoirs， this one won't let you down。 Her physical journey becomes a journey of the soul， of finding ulterior meaning in the most rudimentary acts of being human: moving your body with the purpose of fulfilling a higher call， to look for immortality in the face of the unavoidable decay The secret to Alison Bechdel's writing is her sensitivity to tackle mundane themes in the most touching and sensible ways， to make everything feel like a profound meditation on her study subject。 As with her other memoirs， this one won't let you down。 Her physical journey becomes a journey of the soul， of finding ulterior meaning in the most rudimentary acts of being human: moving your body with the purpose of fulfilling a higher call， to look for immortality in the face of the unavoidable decay of the body。 This is one of the most lucid and engaging reads in a while。 。。。more
Laura
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I loved this book！ Bechdel examines her life through her relationship with work and exercise， breaking it down into the decades of her age。 I preferred it to Fun Home！
Ann Fisher
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I still think of Alison Bechdel as the starving artist who let my sister run Dykes to Watch Out For in her little lesbian newsletter for $25 a year， so I bought the book in that spirit （and also because my sister is coming to visit and I knew she'd want to read it）。 I'd also rate my interest in fitness and various fitness trends as somewhere between 0 and 1 on a ten point scale。 All this is to say I didn't have high expectations。 But I was delighted by this book。 Her drawings are always marvelou I still think of Alison Bechdel as the starving artist who let my sister run Dykes to Watch Out For in her little lesbian newsletter for $25 a year， so I bought the book in that spirit （and also because my sister is coming to visit and I knew she'd want to read it）。 I'd also rate my interest in fitness and various fitness trends as somewhere between 0 and 1 on a ten point scale。 All this is to say I didn't have high expectations。 But I was delighted by this book。 Her drawings are always marvelous （I particularly liked the recurring scenes of sticking her head under a waterfall） but it's the story that drew me in。 I had not anticipated so much （or， in fact any） Wordsworth， Coleridge， Kerouac， and， especially， Margaret Fuller， so it was delightful to get glimpses of their lives and struggles as well。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength is an engaging and accessible stream-of-consciousness philosophical memoir by Alison Bechdel。 Released 4th May 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt， it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats。 I've been a fan of the author's work for decades and really looked forward to this latest slice-of-life intimate and casual look into her lifelong interest in personal strength， training， and physical fitnes Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength is an engaging and accessible stream-of-consciousness philosophical memoir by Alison Bechdel。 Released 4th May 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt， it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats。 I've been a fan of the author's work for decades and really looked forward to this latest slice-of-life intimate and casual look into her lifelong interest in personal strength， training， and physical fitness as it's impacted （mostly） American life in the last 6 decades （with brief forays into previous centuries）。 As always， her personal internal reflection and laser focus are interesting and relevant。The author and I are of an age （she's a couple of years older）， but the commercials， programs， and attitudes from media and the lifestyles she highlights are -absolutely- spot on。 There's a palpable honesty in her work in general and this one is no exception。 The artwork is spare， subtle， and expressive; much like her work on Fun Home and DTWOF。 The points she makes discussing fitness are salient and interesting， but it's the side points， the observations she makes about human nature and life in general which are really illuminating。 This would be a good selection for library acquisition， fans of modern memoir/culture commentary， and I can also see it being an appropriate choice for inclusion as support literature for subjects such as gender studies， American culture， sociology， and similar。 Five stars。 She has a lot of relevant things to say and does so in an engaging and honest manner。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Edward Champion
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Ha！ I figured that this was going to be a book that polarized people。 But I think that some of the other reviewers here have missed the point。 The art here has been deliberately scaled back to DYKES style -- almost a Transcendentalist act itself （though not without those little details such as bottles of water popping up ever so slightly on the edges just after you pointed out how nobody imbibed water bottles in the '80s） -- in an attempt to offer a more minimalist chronicle of Bechdel's own spi Ha！ I figured that this was going to be a book that polarized people。 But I think that some of the other reviewers here have missed the point。 The art here has been deliberately scaled back to DYKES style -- almost a Transcendentalist act itself （though not without those little details such as bottles of water popping up ever so slightly on the edges just after you pointed out how nobody imbibed water bottles in the '80s） -- in an attempt to offer a more minimalist chronicle of Bechdel's own spiritual journey， neatly organized by decades。 Of course， this all became complicated anyway with the asides on Emerson， Fuller， et al。 Because that's the way Bechdel's mind works。 Of the three memoirs Bechdel has produced so far， this one seems to be the one she is most willingly to accept life with all of its curveballs and involutions。 That seems to have gone unremarked by most reviewers and self-professed literary hotshots。 Jack Kerouac， of course， could only find a greater spiritualism through his art， but never in his life。 And I think Bechdel sees Kerouac （much like her own father） as a cautionary tale。 When you're as self-aware as she is， it can sometimes get in the way of living。 When Kerouac climbed the Matterhorn with Gary Snyder， that they had this exchange （contained in THE DHARMA BUMS）:"Dammit that yodel of triumph of yours was the most beautiful thing I ever heard in my life。 I wish I had a tape recorder to take it down。""These things aren't made to be heard by the people below。"In other words， how in the hell can you even begin to make sense of the spiritual journey when it's not even meant to be heard？ If you approach this memoir in this way， I think you'll enjoy its considerable subtleties。 。。。more
Sally Kenney
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I devoured this book and now I need to reread and savor every drawing。 Like Bill Bryson's book on Des Moines， it captured so much of my own experience: Minneapolis， Jack LaLane， Jane Fonda。 So wonderful。 I devoured this book and now I need to reread and savor every drawing。 Like Bill Bryson's book on Des Moines， it captured so much of my own experience: Minneapolis， Jack LaLane， Jane Fonda。 So wonderful。 。。。more
Michelle Stie
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Going to re-read this one。 Very moving， uncomfortable， funny。。。
Janet
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It's a wonderful book。 It's memoir， I guess？ She weaves together her lifelong exercise obsession， the Romantic poets， the Transcendentalists， Jack Kerouac， and Buddhism。 And describes her love affair with L。L。 Bean， and her abandonment of them for Patagonia。 It's complicated！ It's a wonderful book。 It's memoir， I guess？ She weaves together her lifelong exercise obsession， the Romantic poets， the Transcendentalists， Jack Kerouac， and Buddhism。 And describes her love affair with L。L。 Bean， and her abandonment of them for Patagonia。 It's complicated！ 。。。more
Abigail
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I think this came out at the perfect time。 It's about so many things--exercise， relationships， the search for transcendence， the messiness of the self。 I really liked how it fit in with her previous work， as well as with the changing background of current events。 And it's just gorgeous to look at。 I think this came out at the perfect time。 It's about so many things--exercise， relationships， the search for transcendence， the messiness of the self。 I really liked how it fit in with her previous work， as well as with the changing background of current events。 And it's just gorgeous to look at。 。。。more
Sara
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Wow！ I loved this book so much more than I expected。 It started out so lightly but then went very deep。 I’ve read a bit of the Dykes cartoon， and I enjoyed and admired Fun Home， but it didn’t seem to be speaking to me。 This book， though also very personal， felt much more expansive。 Do we not all grapple with the same questions: How do we get through life？ Is there a way to do it better that everyone else has discovered？ How can I get over myself and BE myself？ There is a lot to think about。 But Wow！ I loved this book so much more than I expected。 It started out so lightly but then went very deep。 I’ve read a bit of the Dykes cartoon， and I enjoyed and admired Fun Home， but it didn’t seem to be speaking to me。 This book， though also very personal， felt much more expansive。 Do we not all grapple with the same questions: How do we get through life？ Is there a way to do it better that everyone else has discovered？ How can I get over myself and BE myself？ There is a lot to think about。 But the book also had laugh-out-loud funny moments， and it is a visual treat。 I really liked how the rigid and precise comic strip storytelling was interspersed with looser watercolor scenes。 10 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Zibby Owens
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"The Secret to Superhuman Strength" is a memoir about the author's life as an exercise enthusiast， as someone who pursued fitness in many different ways throughout her life。 However， there isn't really a weight-loss component because the author purposely tries to unlink and disconnect exercise from the idea of losing weight。 She explains that exercise should be pleasurable and a positive， fun experience for people。 The book is both a cultural commentary on the exercise industry and a personal jo "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" is a memoir about the author's life as an exercise enthusiast， as someone who pursued fitness in many different ways throughout her life。 However， there isn't really a weight-loss component because the author purposely tries to unlink and disconnect exercise from the idea of losing weight。 She explains that exercise should be pleasurable and a positive， fun experience for people。 The book is both a cultural commentary on the exercise industry and a personal journey in photos。 The author goes from watching Jack LaLanne on TV to getting her first TV in the John FK assassination days to repelling up on a rock-climbing wall。 I love how the author finds all sorts of different ways to see the world through how she sees her body and her exercise routines， including processing her grief and loss。 There's a lot of introspection in the book that's overlaid with working out。 The book also has many illustrations that align with the author's life。 Some of the cartoons are in color， but some of the pages are in black and white， reflecting the changes that are happening in her life at the time。To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at:https://zibbyowens。com/transcript/ali。。。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
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I loved Fun Home by this author， so I snatched up The Secret to Superhuman Strength posthaste without reading the book synopsis。 Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was about my arch nemesis， exercise。 But it is actually a look at how exercise fads have changed over the years and much more。 I’ll just call it a historical memoir and never mention the E-word again！“We are all careening at speed toward that granite slab。”Did I mention that the book is also about accepting aging？ Yes， it ha I loved Fun Home by this author， so I snatched up The Secret to Superhuman Strength posthaste without reading the book synopsis。 Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was about my arch nemesis， exercise。 But it is actually a look at how exercise fads have changed over the years and much more。 I’ll just call it a historical memoir and never mention the E-word again！“We are all careening at speed toward that granite slab。”Did I mention that the book is also about accepting aging？ Yes， it has that too。 As with Fun Home， there are multiple layers of plot that would be surprising in a prose novel let alone a graphic memoir。 Also， the Romantic poets are frequently mentioned as well as other famous， and long dead， authors。The fact that this book’s author and I were born within the same year makes the history much more interesting to me than， say， my Millennial daughter。 Most of the short vignettes were familiar from remembering my parents crying at the Kennedy assignation to the Aids crisis。Forget about me。 What about you？ Will you enjoy this book？ I have kind of mixed feelings about The Secret to Superhuman Strength。 I think it will appeal to others that have seen their fitness journey evolve over the years。 It would also be suitable for readers looking for a completely different memoir about finding spiritual strength in a confusing world。 3。5 stars rounded up to 4 stars！Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Paula Lyle
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This is a fun history of every fitness trend for the last few decades told through the storytelling gifts of a woman who lived through them。 I can't even imagine how hard she worked through all this。 I loved her journey and the openness with which she tells it。 This is another winner for Ms Bechdel。I received an eARC through NetGalley。 This is a fun history of every fitness trend for the last few decades told through the storytelling gifts of a woman who lived through them。 I can't even imagine how hard she worked through all this。 I loved her journey and the openness with which she tells it。 This is another winner for Ms Bechdel。I received an eARC through NetGalley。 。。。more
Kassie King
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No one is quite as good at digging deep， muddling through the "what-does-it-all-mean-ness" of life and coming out of it with an original and profound take on intensely personal， yet universal lived experiences。 She's done it before with family， but this time Bechdel does a deep dive into her relationship with fitness， though that is purely a springboard for the deeper dive into a higher understanding of the self as part of the whole。 This graphic novel is for everyone who has a body， a mind， is No one is quite as good at digging deep， muddling through the "what-does-it-all-mean-ness" of life and coming out of it with an original and profound take on intensely personal， yet universal lived experiences。 She's done it before with family， but this time Bechdel does a deep dive into her relationship with fitness， though that is purely a springboard for the deeper dive into a higher understanding of the self as part of the whole。 This graphic novel is for everyone who has a body， a mind， is a part of a society， and is looking to connect the dots between all of those things。 。。。more
Sarah
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This book is a look at Bechdel's through the lens of the body。 She talks about not just physical activity， but transcendentalism， romanticism， and Buddhism in her journey to to figure out life and living through the years。 It's a fascinating and beautiful journey。 This book is a look at Bechdel's through the lens of the body。 She talks about not just physical activity， but transcendentalism， romanticism， and Buddhism in her journey to to figure out life and living through the years。 It's a fascinating and beautiful journey。 。。。more
Poptart19 （ren）
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3。5 stars Meditations on pushing physical limits， aging， gender， relationships， & searching for transcendence。 I picked this up because I love Alison Bechdel’s other work！ I enjoyed this， & the art is great， but it’s more rambling & less focused than her other memoirs。 [What I liked:]•There are so many great details in the art that enhance the text， like every good graphic novel should have。 The full-page spreads of maps， in particular， are wonderful！ And I definitely appreciate that the histor 3。5 stars Meditations on pushing physical limits， aging， gender， relationships， & searching for transcendence。 I picked this up because I love Alison Bechdel’s other work！ I enjoyed this， & the art is great， but it’s more rambling & less focused than her other memoirs。 [What I liked:]•There are so many great details in the art that enhance the text， like every good graphic novel should have。 The full-page spreads of maps， in particular， are wonderful！ And I definitely appreciate that the historical fashion was depicted relatively accurately！•I can definitely identify with a lot of Bechdel’s experiences， especially the creative frustrations， the empowerment & also detriments of physically pushing myself to the limit， insomnia， the frustration of trying to define your identity & feeling like you’re getting nowhere， & the frenzying trap of workaholism。 A lot of things about this book resonated with me。•The narrative is a chronological， decade-by-decade collection of autobiographical anecdotes about Bechdel’s childhood love of nature & physical recreation， and her push to find meaning & transcendence through pushing herself physically & artistically。 That base is supplemented with a meta-layer that follows the artistic & philosophical evolutions of Jack Kerouac， Margaret Fuller， Ralph Waldo Emerson， Samuel Taylor Coleridge， & William Wordsworth， comparing her own experiences with relationships， creative work， love of nature， & life-long searching for transcendence/joy/enlightenment。 It gets very philosophical at times， mainly on the topics of Zen Buddhism & 19th C transcendentalism。 I actually really enjoyed learning about Margaret Fuller & Kerouac; I think seeing how Bechdel connected with their stories added depth to her own。•Bechdel is right about the same age as my parents， so reading the details of her childhood is oddly nostalgic for me in that her memories parallel a lot of what my parents have told me about their own growing up experiences。 Her comments & feelings about living through the last decade （looming climate change， volatile US politics， social justice issues， etc。） I was able to connect with personally。[What I didn’t like as much:]•It took a good 30% of the book in before I really understood what the central themes were， where the narrative was going。•I get that it’s Bechdel’s real life experience， but the last 30% of the book felt repetitive—frustration with the creative process， trying to find transcendence & getting frustrated when it doesn’t come—the same thoughts & feelings rehashed year after year。 Sometimes the pacing dragged。CW: suicide， terminal illness， substance abuse， physical assault， infidelity[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for the book！] 。。。more
Kimi Loughlin
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This graphic novel really grew on me。 My relationship with it was kind of a roller coaster as it was a new Alison Bechdel so I immediately excited but then the title seemed strange。。。 and then I heard Bechdel and some other booksellers speak about it and how it was about a lifelong relationship to exercise in conjunction with mental health and self discovery and I was IN！ I really like how Bechdel pulled it all together。 My favorite part was her own personal journey with exercise and all the fad This graphic novel really grew on me。 My relationship with it was kind of a roller coaster as it was a new Alison Bechdel so I immediately excited but then the title seemed strange。。。 and then I heard Bechdel and some other booksellers speak about it and how it was about a lifelong relationship to exercise in conjunction with mental health and self discovery and I was IN！ I really like how Bechdel pulled it all together。 My favorite part was her own personal journey with exercise and all the fads that she gets *really* into。 It was really inspiring and made me want to immediately bike long distances， alpine ski， and hike。 Another favorite part was the historical context Bechdel gave to exercise fads in general。 Though I have a lot of elders in my life， none have really related their own exercise and sport experiences in the context of history。 And because this was a graphic novel， Bechdel is able to show her experience alongside some historical references without really drawing away from the text。 For example that she started running when she was younger during a time that it wasn't that popular。 She ran in just her regular clothes and shoes， no special equipment needed so it was funny how such a market was created out of it （though she does describe the changing athleisure and how it has vastly improved）。 However， there was one item she did need that didn't EXIST yet which was a sports bra！ It was still a few years away and was invented by two women who sewed jock straps together to create the jogbra。 I kind of balked at how recent this invention felt when in context of an actual person's life versus just seeing the date。 I also loved Bechdel's examination of her own mental health and work/life balance and how it affects her relationships。 We've read about Bechdel's life before but this new graphic novel felt even more raw and introspective。 I especially loved that her partner Holly helped color it during the pandemic so it feels even more personally connected to Bechdel's life。 While I was intrigued with Bechdel's connecting of exercise and outdoor exploration with the historical figures of Wordsworth， Kerouac， Thoreau， and Margaret Fuller， it was ultimately not my cup of tea。 I think I would have enjoyed it more had the entire novel been about these figures but since I enjoyed Bechdel's personal story so much more， they were just sections I sped read through as I eagerly awaited the next decade of Bechdel's life。 Overall， I really really enjoyed this graphic novel。 It captured my attention a whole lot more than the title lead me to believe and is so relatable to anyone's life （who hasn't had a tumultuous relationship with exercise？）。 Bechdel pontificates why we need another fitness book by a white lady， but this book is so different than that。 It's a vulnerable memoir that focuses on exercise and mental health。 And the visualness of the graphic novel truly adds to it more so than any other format。。 Bechdel is truly the only one who could write this book！ 。。。more
Taylor Griggs
，
Really liked this， even though it gets a little rushed at the end。 Thanks to the publishers for giving me an ARC， I definitely recommend this book。
Viola
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See https://dykestowatchoutfor。com/get-wet/“The Bechdel Test” The RuleAugust 16th， 2005 | This is Cathy writing， not Alison， despite what the author tag says。Julie from Portland， OR， kindly emailed us to let us know that lefty blogs like Pandagon have been discussing the Mo Movie Measure a film-going concept that originated in an early DTWOF strip， circa 1985。 We were excited to hear that someone still remembers this 20-year-old chestnut。But alas， the principle is misnamed。 It appears in “The Ru See https://dykestowatchoutfor。com/get-wet/“The Bechdel Test” The RuleAugust 16th， 2005 | This is Cathy writing， not Alison， despite what the author tag says。Julie from Portland， OR， kindly emailed us to let us know that lefty blogs like Pandagon have been discussing the Mo Movie Measure a film-going concept that originated in an early DTWOF strip， circa 1985。 We were excited to hear that someone still remembers this 20-year-old chestnut。But alas， the principle is misnamed。 It appears in “The Rule，” a strip found on page 22 of the original DTWOF collection。 Mo actually doesn’t appear in DTWOF until two years later。 Her first strip can be found half-way through More DTWOF。 Alison would also like to add that she can’t claim credit for the actual “rule。” She stole it from a friend， Liz Wallace， whose name is on the marquee in the comic strip， reprinted below。https://dykestowatchoutfor。com/the-rule/See also https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Matilda。。。Matilda effectThe Matilda effect is a bias against acknowledging the achievements of those women scientists whose work is attributed to their male colleagues。 This effect was first described by suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage （1826–98） in her essay， "Woman as Inventor" （first published as a tract in 1870 and in the North American Review in 1883）。 The term "Matilda effect" was coined in 1993 by science historian Margaret W。 Rossiter。[1]Matilda effectRossiter provides several examples of this effect。 Trotula （Trota of Salerno）， a 12th-century Italian woman physician， wrote books which， after her death， were attributed to male authors。 Nineteenth- and twentieth-century cases illustrating the Matilda effect include those of Nettie Stevens，[2] Lise Meitner， Marietta Blau， Rosalind Franklin， and Jocelyn Bell Burnell。The Matilda effect was compared to the Matthew effect， whereby an eminent scientist often gets more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher， even if their work is shared or similar。[3][4]ResearchtIn 2012， two female researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen showed that in the Netherlands the sex of professorship candidates influences the evaluation made of them。[5]Similar cases are described by two Italian female researchers in a study[6] corroborated further by a Spanish study。[7] On the other hand， several studies found no difference between citations and impact of publications of male authors and those of female authors。[8][9][10]Swiss researchers have indicated that mass media ask male scientists more often to contribute on shows than they do their female fellow scientists。[11]According to one U。S。 study， "although overt gender discrimination generally continues to decline in American society，" "women continue to be disadvantaged with respect to the receipt of scientific awards and prizes， particularly for research。"[12]ExamplestExamples of women subjected to the Matilda effect:Trotula （Trota of Salerno， 12th century） – Italian physician， author of works which， after her death， were attributed to men authors。 Hostility toward women as teachers and healers led to denial of her very existence。 At first her work was credited to her husband and son but as information got passed on， monks confused her name for that of a man。 She is not mentioned in the "Dictionary of Scientific Biography"[13]Nettie Stevens （1861–1912） – discoverer of the XY sex-determination system。 Her crucial studies of mealworms revealed for the first time that an organism's sex is determined by its chromosomes rather than by environmental or other factors。 Stevens greatly influenced the scientific community's transition to this new line of inquiry: chromosomal sex determination。[14] However， Thomas Hunt Morgan， a distinguished geneticist at the time， is generally credited with this discovery。[15] Despite her extensive work in the field of genetics， Stevens' contributions to Morgan's work are often disregarded。[16]Mary Whiton Calkins （1863–1930） – Harvard University discovered that stimuli that were paired with other vivid stimuli would be recalled more easily。 She also discovered that duration of exposure led to better recall。 These findings， along with her paired-associations method， would later be used by Georg Elias Müller and Edward B。 Titchener， without any credit being given to Calkins。Gerty Cori （1896–1957） – Nobel-laureate biochemist， worked for years as her husband's assistant， despite having equal qualification as him for a professorial position。Rosalind Franklin （1920–58） – now recognized as an important contributor to the 1953 discovery of DNA structure。 At the time of the discovery by Francis Crick and James Watson， for which the two men received a 1962 Nobel Prize， her work was not properly credited （though Watson described the crucial importance of her contribution， in his 1968 book The Double Helix）。Marthe Gautier （born 1925） – now recognized for her important role in the discovery of the chromosomal abnormality that causes Down syndrome， a discovery previously attributed exclusively to Jérôme Lejeune。Marian Diamond （born 1926） – working at the University of California， Berkeley， experimentally discovered the phenomenon of brain plasticity， which ran contrary to previous neurological dogma。 When her seminal 1964 paper[17] was about to be published， she discovered that the names of her two secondary co-authors， David Krech and Mark Rosenzweig， had been placed before her name （which， additionally， had been placed in parentheses）。 She protested that she had done the essential work described in the paper， and her name was then put in first place （without parentheses）。 The incident is described in a 2016 documentary film， My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr。 Marian Diamond。[18]Harriet Zuckerman （born 1937） – as a result of the Matilda effect， Zuckerman was also credited by husband Robert K。 Merton as co-author of the concept of the Matthew effect。[19][non sequitur]Programmers of ENIAC （dedicated 1946） – several women made substantial contributions to the project， including Adele Goldstine， Kay McNulty， Betty Jennings， Betty Snyder， Marlyn Wescoff， Fran Bilas and Ruth Lichterman， but histories of ENIAC have typically not addressed these contributions， and have at times focused on hardware accomplishments rather than software accomplishments。[20]Examples of men scientists favored over women scientists for Nobel Prizes:In 1934， the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to George Whipple， George Richards Minot， and William P。 Murphy。 They felt their female co-worker， Frieda Robscheit-Robbins， was excluded on grounds of her sex。 Whipple however shared the prize money with her as he felt she deserved the Nobel as well， since she was co-author of almost all of Whipple's publications。In 1944 the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to Otto Hahn as the sole recipient。 Lise Meitner had worked with Hahn and had laid the theoretical foundations for nuclear fission（she coined the term "nuclear fission"）。 Meitner was not recognized by the Nobel Prize Committee， partly due to her gender and partly due to her persecuted Jewish identity in Nazi Germany。 She was affected by the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service， which prohibited Jews from holding government-related positions， including in research。 Initially， her Austrian citizenship shielded her from persecution， but she fled Germany after Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938。[21]In 1950， Cecil Powell received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and for the resulting discovery of the pion （pi-meson）。 Marietta Blau did pioneering work in this field。 Erwin Schrödinger had nominated her for the prize along with Hertha Wambacher， but both were excluded。[22]In 1956， two American physicists Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang， predicted the violation of the parity law in weak interactions and suggested a possible experiment to verify it。 In 1957， Chien-Shiung Wu performed the necessary experiment in collaboration with National Institute of Standards and Technology and showed the parity violation in the case of beta decay。 The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957 was awarded to the male physicists and Wu was omitted。 She received the Wolf Prize in 1987 in recognition for her work。[23]In 1958， Joshua Lederberg shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George Beadle and Edward Tatum。 Microbiologists Joshua Lederberg and his wife Esther Lederberg， along with Beadle and Tatum， developed replica plating， a method of transferring bacterial colonies from one petri dish to another， which is vital to current understanding of antibiotic resistance。[15] However， Esther Lederberg was not recognized for her vital work on this research project; her contribution was paramount to the successful implementation of the theory。[24] Furthermore， she did not receive recognition for her discovery of the lambda phage or for her studies on the F fertility factor that created a foundation for future genetic and bacterial research。[15][25]In the late 1960s， Jocelyn Bell Burnell （born 1943） discovered the first radio pulsar。 For this discovery， in 1974 a Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to her supervisor Antony Hewish and to Martin Ryle， citing Hewish and Ryle for their pioneering work in radio-astrophysics。 Jocelyn Burnell was left out。 A Ph。D。 student at the time of her discovery， she felt the intellectual effort had been mostly her supervisor's; but her omission from the Nobel Prize was criticized by several prominent astronomers， including Fred Hoyle。 Iosif Shklovsky， recipient of the 1972 Bruce Medal， at the 1970 International Astronomical Union's General Assembly。OthertBen Barres （1954–2017）， a neurobiologist at Stanford University Medical School who transitioned from being culturally perceived as a woman to being seen as a man， spoke of his scientific achievements having been perceived differently， depending on what others perceived his sex to be at the time。[26] This offers one account of biases experienced from different identities， as perceived by one individual。 。。。more
Skip
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I’m a big fan of Fun Home and graphic novels in general so I was really happy to see that Bechdel had a new book coming up。 Unfortunately The Secret to Superhuman Strength didn’t live up to my expectations and as I write this I haven’t actually managed to finish it - a rarity for me with a graphic novel。Spanning the whole of her life， Bechdel explores the various exercise crazes she has attempted throughout her life。 It’s a bit of a tenuous theme， but probably relevant in today’s society。 My ina I’m a big fan of Fun Home and graphic novels in general so I was really happy to see that Bechdel had a new book coming up。 Unfortunately The Secret to Superhuman Strength didn’t live up to my expectations and as I write this I haven’t actually managed to finish it - a rarity for me with a graphic novel。Spanning the whole of her life， Bechdel explores the various exercise crazes she has attempted throughout her life。 It’s a bit of a tenuous theme， but probably relevant in today’s society。 My inability to connect may be more down to me personally than anything else， but it’s full of historical references about literature， poetry and the like that mean very little to me， if anything and these interruptions into the narrative made it really difficult for me to keep track of what was being depicted。I’m still giving this a star rating as I enjoyed the artwork in as far as I got - and I may end up picking this up in the future， but for now， it’s a disappointing read for me。I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
James
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Alison Bechdel examines her life through the perspective of physical fitness as she explores popular fitness crazes through each decade and her own dedication and desire for fitness。 Along the way， she explores history， literature， philosophy， Buddhism， sexuality， her own creativity and her struggles with interdependence on others。 Bechdel's fans will not be disappointed。 Highly recommended。[I received an advanced e-galley of this memoir from #Netgalley。] Alison Bechdel examines her life through the perspective of physical fitness as she explores popular fitness crazes through each decade and her own dedication and desire for fitness。 Along the way， she explores history， literature， philosophy， Buddhism， sexuality， her own creativity and her struggles with interdependence on others。 Bechdel's fans will not be disappointed。 Highly recommended。[I received an advanced e-galley of this memoir from #Netgalley。] 。。。more
Kim
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I have long been a fan of Alison Bechdel and her work， so I was excited to be able to read an advanced copy of #TheSecrettoSuperhumanStrength。 One might say that to fully connect with this book， you should read Are You My Mother and Fun Home。 The three create a more comprehensive story and fill in the various overlapping pieces of Bechdel's life because Superhuman Strength touches on time periods of the previous two books。 That being said， this can absolutely be a stand-alone read。 It is so comp I have long been a fan of Alison Bechdel and her work， so I was excited to be able to read an advanced copy of #TheSecrettoSuperhumanStrength。 One might say that to fully connect with this book， you should read Are You My Mother and Fun Home。 The three create a more comprehensive story and fill in the various overlapping pieces of Bechdel's life because Superhuman Strength touches on time periods of the previous two books。 That being said， this can absolutely be a stand-alone read。 It is so complex in its subject matter: not only Bechdel's life through the lens of the various fitness trends and exercises but also history， literature， religion， politics， relationships， nature， and more--literally dozens of themes are all intertwined in this book。 Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy。 。。。more
Ayelet Reiter
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MacArthur or not， Alison Bechdel is clearly a genius， and this book only further affirms that。 Unfortunately， it's just not very compelling。 When it comes to balancing history and mounds of information with emotion and poignant moments， Bechdel did an amazing job at Fun Home， a pretty good one with Are You My Mother？ and just a decent one here。 Of course， I'm possibly grading this to an impossible standard， but that is at least slightly what I expected。 There were some great， resonant moments bu MacArthur or not， Alison Bechdel is clearly a genius， and this book only further affirms that。 Unfortunately， it's just not very compelling。 When it comes to balancing history and mounds of information with emotion and poignant moments， Bechdel did an amazing job at Fun Home， a pretty good one with Are You My Mother？ and just a decent one here。 Of course， I'm possibly grading this to an impossible standard， but that is at least slightly what I expected。 There were some great， resonant moments but overall it felt like a bit of a slog and took me much longer to get through than most graphic works。 。。。more
Roxana
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The Secret to Superhuman Strength is a fascinating， light-hearted yet deeply intellectual exploration of a thousand topics， with a shared core - the pursuit of physical fitness， in its myriad forms， self improvement by way of physical activity， inner transformation through a focus on the body - the relationship between body and mind， between physical and psychological self。 Not to mention the relationship between the Earth and those who inhabit it， between the universe and those who inhabit it， The Secret to Superhuman Strength is a fascinating， light-hearted yet deeply intellectual exploration of a thousand topics， with a shared core - the pursuit of physical fitness， in its myriad forms， self improvement by way of physical activity， inner transformation through a focus on the body - the relationship between body and mind， between physical and psychological self。 Not to mention the relationship between the Earth and those who inhabit it， between the universe and those who inhabit it， between the soul and those who contain it - okay， there's a lot going on here。 This graphic memoir smoothly intertwines Alison Bechdel's personal experience with historical and cultural context。 Bechdel's artistic style is evocative， expressive but simple， a little whimsical and fun at times， and at others deeply profound and emotional， all perfectly matching the philosophical-yet-flippant text。 Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advance review copy！ 。。。more
Jenna Freedman
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Thanks， NetGalley for the ARC。 I didn't finish The Secret TO Superhuman Strength。 It was cerebral like Are You My Mother， rather than intimate like Fun Home。 There were moments in the first 50 pages， like young Alison's relationship with her masculinity， despite having little interest in team sports。 Of course the art is worth looking at， but it was mostly emotionally distant。 Thanks， NetGalley for the ARC。 I didn't finish The Secret TO Superhuman Strength。 It was cerebral like Are You My Mother， rather than intimate like Fun Home。 There were moments in the first 50 pages， like young Alison's relationship with her masculinity， despite having little interest in team sports。 Of course the art is worth looking at， but it was mostly emotionally distant。 。。。more
Rehema
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a new alison bechdel book？？？？ count me IIIINNNN！！！！
Lori
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Thanks NetGalley for the ARC。 This was a bit of a disappointment。 It was disjointed and felt like several different threads that didn’t quite work for me。
Ula
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Yet another marvelous book by Alison Bechdel。 As her previous ones， it is a deeply personal memoir blended with very original rumination on philosophy， literature， aging， family， and so much more。 It definitively isn’t a “light， fun exercise book” that she began to work on p， but it is for the best - and it shouldn’t be a surprise to any admirer of her style。 Thanks to the publisher， Houghton Mifflin Harcourt， and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。
Sarah
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Recommended by Alex Jung on Pop Culture Happy Hour （found at the 22:00 minute mark。。。 he had me at "existentialism and muscles"）: https://www。npr。org/2021/03/11/976029。。。 Recommended by Alex Jung on Pop Culture Happy Hour （found at the 22:00 minute mark。。。 he had me at "existentialism and muscles"）: https://www。npr。org/2021/03/11/976029。。。 。。。more
Vansa
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