The Secret to Superhuman Strength
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-03 01:16:00
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Alison Bechdel
- ISBN：0544387651
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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
Rachel
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Exercise and self discovery， two of my favorite things
Andrea
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I am starting to be in awe of how many different ways Alison Bechdel can find to tell her life story。 This one focuses on her relationship with her body and physical fitness and achievement。 I love her wry commentary on fitness crazes， equipment， and fads and how obsessed people （including Bechdel！） become with having the latest and the greatest。 Although more than once Bechdel dismisses the latest and greatest， only to wonder what she was thinking， later on。 Bechdel makes me wince and also laug I am starting to be in awe of how many different ways Alison Bechdel can find to tell her life story。 This one focuses on her relationship with her body and physical fitness and achievement。 I love her wry commentary on fitness crazes， equipment， and fads and how obsessed people （including Bechdel！） become with having the latest and the greatest。 Although more than once Bechdel dismisses the latest and greatest， only to wonder what she was thinking， later on。 Bechdel makes me wince and also laugh with her insights into human nature。 I always enjoy her work。 。。。more
Rosemary
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Delightful book。
Lori
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Alison explores her lifelong obsession with exercise which is really an exploration of herself。 I enjoyed parts， but a lot of the long literary diversions， though clever， lost me and by the end， it was a bit too rambling for my taste。
Kat Heatherington
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Brilliant as ever。 I started this thinking it was going to be a trivial， perhaps somewhat silly reminisce through Bechdel's participation in various fitness fads， as that's what reviews seemed to say。 I'm delighted to report that the fitness angle is merely a frame through which Bechdel directs her incisive， exploratory gaze towards what it means to be human， via a thoughtful exploration of the parallels between the Romantics， the Transcendentalists， the Beat poets， and the present day。 The inte Brilliant as ever。 I started this thinking it was going to be a trivial， perhaps somewhat silly reminisce through Bechdel's participation in various fitness fads， as that's what reviews seemed to say。 I'm delighted to report that the fitness angle is merely a frame through which Bechdel directs her incisive， exploratory gaze towards what it means to be human， via a thoughtful exploration of the parallels between the Romantics， the Transcendentalists， the Beat poets， and the present day。 The interwoven layers of story and meditation on the meaning of life loop back and forth through the epistemology of the body itself。 。。。more
Scott Flanary
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This is brilliant。 Alison Bechdel frames our existence through the lens of fitness pursuits。 While a few bits concerning transcendentalism were over my head， the thesis of this work moved me。 Bechdel’s approach to relationships also hit close to home， and I value the pages where she spends time revealing what works for her and what doesn’t。 A must read。
Deborah
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While there were times this book felt tedious midway through and up to the end I was stunned by its brilliance。 The different layouts used and chapter heading drawings were a great visual adventure。
Lee Ann
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Not quite 3 stars。 I was familiar with the Bechdel test， but didn't read anything by Alison Bechdel until Fun Home。 I liked Fun Home and also read Are You My Mother， which I didn't like as much。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength also seems less cohesive than Fun Home。 There are some things that made me laugh， especially her early childhood reminiscences of Charles Atlas ads in comic books， Jack Lalane on TV， and the popularity of LL Bean。 But much of it was about physical and spiritual health an Not quite 3 stars。 I was familiar with the Bechdel test， but didn't read anything by Alison Bechdel until Fun Home。 I liked Fun Home and also read Are You My Mother， which I didn't like as much。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength also seems less cohesive than Fun Home。 There are some things that made me laugh， especially her early childhood reminiscences of Charles Atlas ads in comic books， Jack Lalane on TV， and the popularity of LL Bean。 But much of it was about physical and spiritual health and not as relatable for me。 。。。more
Jennifer
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If you liked Bechdel’s first two graphic memoirs， you will also enjoy this one， which， for a change， does not include all the heavy psychology of the first two。 The title does not relate to the actual theme which will be of no surprise to the middle-aged。
Jennie
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Bechdel brilliantly ties together her own attempts at physical & psychological self-improvement and throws in literary analysis and inquiries into Buddhism， Hinduism， and political activism， all with her usual clever and self-deprecating insight。
Moonglum
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If you were born in the late 1950s or early 1960s， at least a little bit of this book is the story of your life。 It's also about poetry， mortality， history， love， loss learning， and being human。 If you were born in the late 1950s or early 1960s， at least a little bit of this book is the story of your life。 It's also about poetry， mortality， history， love， loss learning， and being human。 。。。more
Chris
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Good。 Filled with a lot of philosophy and meaning of life questions。
Edward Wayland
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Up until now I’ve always turned my nose up at “graphic novels。” Comic books， in my mind， fit only for the semiliterate。 But when this book got rave reviews， including from Times critic Parhul Sehgal， I thought I must be missing something。 And I was。 There’s a way the drawings complement the text that it’s hard to imagine her achieving with text alone。 Like you’re not just reading a memoir， but seeing the memories as the author remembers them。 Details a text-only version would struggle to incorpo Up until now I’ve always turned my nose up at “graphic novels。” Comic books， in my mind， fit only for the semiliterate。 But when this book got rave reviews， including from Times critic Parhul Sehgal， I thought I must be missing something。 And I was。 There’s a way the drawings complement the text that it’s hard to imagine her achieving with text alone。 Like you’re not just reading a memoir， but seeing the memories as the author remembers them。 Details a text-only version would struggle to incorporate are there to be seen。 Like the constant presence of a loved pet， for example。 And it’s a pretty thought provoking memoir。 Not just about — or even primarily about — fitness。 It’s more about aging and coming to terms with it。 Coming to terms with loss。 It was Thought provoking and a pleasure to read。 。。。more
Jeanine BW
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Alison Bechdel’s best work to date。 This latest memoir looks at her journey to self awareness （and acceptance） through the lens of her lifetime relationship with exercise。 Utterly relatable。 Enjoyable to read。 Highly recommend。
Karen
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Genius as always。
Mirrordance
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Non particolarmente entusiasmante。 Alison Bechdel racconta 60 anni di rapporto conflittuale con le attività sportive in una nuova graphic novel che sperimenta anche il colore。Non mi hanno prso nè la trama nè il disegno e men che meno le nuove colorazioni。 Diciamo che sono rimasta ferma alle strisce dei primi tempi （DTWOF） ed alla sua prima graphic novel Fun Home。
Dr。 Pepper Ex-Fan
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I will not comment on some of the liberal white things she's （inadvertently？） revealed she's guilty of in this memoir。 I do want to say I had no idea a writer/cartoonist could lead such an active life。 I will not comment on some of the liberal white things she's （inadvertently？） revealed she's guilty of in this memoir。 I do want to say I had no idea a writer/cartoonist could lead such an active life。 。。。more
Sarah
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Every page was a delight。
T。 M。 Kuta
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Unexpectedly exactly what I needed to read at this time in my life。 Exactly what I'd expect out of a Bechdel book。 Can't wait to read it again！ Unexpectedly exactly what I needed to read at this time in my life。 Exactly what I'd expect out of a Bechdel book。 Can't wait to read it again！ 。。。more
Siobhan Burns
，
Something about Bechdel’s comics and novels just slots perfectly into my brain grooves。 This one is less a straightforward memoir — it has compelling philosophical aspects that were very in line with life questions I’ve been mulling over。 And it also made me want to start running again！！
Tammy
，
Oh my god， this book。 When I briefly encountered and mutually awkwarded at Alison Bechdel at Politics and Prose after the publication of Are You My Mother？， I thought I saw in her eyes the anguish of one made uncomfortable by the process of engaging with strangers and touring a book。 Perhaps I also saw the striving， longing， and searching she describes in this beautiful exploration of her self， mind and body， and her world。 I hope she really has found what she captures in its perfect ending。 Alw Oh my god， this book。 When I briefly encountered and mutually awkwarded at Alison Bechdel at Politics and Prose after the publication of Are You My Mother？， I thought I saw in her eyes the anguish of one made uncomfortable by the process of engaging with strangers and touring a book。 Perhaps I also saw the striving， longing， and searching she describes in this beautiful exploration of her self， mind and body， and her world。 I hope she really has found what she captures in its perfect ending。 Always a fan of the brilliant lesbian art， I realized while reading Secret just how much I love and live for Bechdel’s prose。 The pace and the language speak to me so deeply that it’s difficult to explain the connection。 It has been a long ten years without DTWOF and since Mother; I’m so so grateful she has come back into my life， my brain， my soul with such a powerful work that is both about how much gear she has accumulated and how much peace she has sought in her time on this planet。 Infinite stars。 。。。more
Jennifer Cudney
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GREAT book。 Not used to reading graphic novels， so I enjoyed the format。
Ryan Trepanier
，
This another one that I'm DNFing nearly 75% into it。 I kept waiting for it to pull me win， waiting for it for it to pique my interest， but it really never did。 I'm not necessarily a huge Bechdel fan， so I didn't really expect much going in。This one is not for me。 I don't really like her style and while I appreciate this is her journey， it's not particularly interesting to me。If you like Bechdel， you'll probably like this。 But I don't think this is going to pull many newcomers in。 This another one that I'm DNFing nearly 75% into it。 I kept waiting for it to pull me win， waiting for it for it to pique my interest， but it really never did。 I'm not necessarily a huge Bechdel fan， so I didn't really expect much going in。This one is not for me。 I don't really like her style and while I appreciate this is her journey， it's not particularly interesting to me。If you like Bechdel， you'll probably like this。 But I don't think this is going to pull many newcomers in。 。。。more
Karen
，
I enjoyed reading a book that was about Alison herself， that tied together the bits of her life that I knew about from Fun Home， from her blog， and from meeting her once briefly。 In what has become her signature style， she weaves together a lot of concepts and literary references along with the story， but it doesn't feel overstuffed or over my head。 For me the reading experience was a mix of fan-girling/learning about the author's life， a reminder of why it feels good to exercise， wonderful draw I enjoyed reading a book that was about Alison herself， that tied together the bits of her life that I knew about from Fun Home， from her blog， and from meeting her once briefly。 In what has become her signature style， she weaves together a lot of concepts and literary references along with the story， but it doesn't feel overstuffed or over my head。 For me the reading experience was a mix of fan-girling/learning about the author's life， a reminder of why it feels good to exercise， wonderful drawings， and reflections on the self and Buddhism。 。。。more
m_miriam
，
As always， I found Bechdel's train of thought interesting and appreciated the historical and literary parallels that she highlights in this book， but I also found the story lacked a strong emotional resonance for me because although I appreciate Bechdel's emotional detachment， it makes it difficult for me to connect with her story。 Additionally， I found the omission of any discussion regarding weight and body image to be rather tone deaf and shortsighted。 As always， I found Bechdel's train of thought interesting and appreciated the historical and literary parallels that she highlights in this book， but I also found the story lacked a strong emotional resonance for me because although I appreciate Bechdel's emotional detachment， it makes it difficult for me to connect with her story。 Additionally， I found the omission of any discussion regarding weight and body image to be rather tone deaf and shortsighted。 。。。more
Tori
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Beautiful， moving， and profound。 （And honestly， quite affordable therapy 。。。 ）
Petra Hallberg
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I am never disappointed by a book of Alison Bechdel， discovered her comic decades ago in Diva and was happy to find the entire Dykes to Watch out for。 Everything she draws/writes/creates will find its way to my bookshelves
Lillian
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Alison Bechdel is a fine artist but this graphic novel had far too much text and needed more focus。
Jenny Rae
，
WOW this was so good holy crap I don’t even know what to say I didn’t think Alison Bechdel could get better but she does and she has and just wow this book is wow
Linda Quinn
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