El secreto de la fuerza sobrehumana
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- Create Date：2021-10-08 01:16:06
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Alison Bechdel
- ISBN：8418052120
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Summary
Tras nueve años de silencio， llega la obra de madurez de Alison Bechdel。
Un libro emocionante y necesario。
Durante toda su vida， Alison Bechdel ha buscado un secreto escurridizo。 Ha rastreado en sus libros preferidos， en las vidas de sus ídolos， en el celibato， en el poliamor， en el activismo y en la terapia psicológica， pero sobre todo en su pasión casi obsesiva por hacer ejercicio: esquí， running， kárate， ciclismo， yoga# lo que fuera。 Sin embargo， al hacerse mayor， el cuerpo ya no siempre le sigue， quizá porque el secreto más importante de todos no esté donde una espera。
En su tercer libro de memorias gráficas， tras Fun Home y ¿Eres mi madre？， Alison Bechdel teje un relato íntimo sobre la identidad， la mortalidad， la adicción， la alegría， la fortuna y las preocupaciones de toda una generación。 El secreto de la fuerza sobrehumana es una crónica extraordinaria e hilarante sobre los arcanos de la búsqueda de nuestro lugar en el mundo。
Un libro emocionante y necesario。
Durante toda su vida， Alison Bechdel ha buscado un secreto escurridizo。 Ha rastreado en sus libros preferidos， en las vidas de sus ídolos， en el celibato， en el poliamor， en el activismo y en la terapia psicológica， pero sobre todo en su pasión casi obsesiva por hacer ejercicio: esquí， running， kárate， ciclismo， yoga# lo que fuera。 Sin embargo， al hacerse mayor， el cuerpo ya no siempre le sigue， quizá porque el secreto más importante de todos no esté donde una espera。
En su tercer libro de memorias gráficas， tras Fun Home y ¿Eres mi madre？， Alison Bechdel teje un relato íntimo sobre la identidad， la mortalidad， la adicción， la alegría， la fortuna y las preocupaciones de toda una generación。 El secreto de la fuerza sobrehumana es una crónica extraordinaria e hilarante sobre los arcanos de la búsqueda de nuestro lugar en el mundo。
Reviews
Cindy C
，
This book is amazing。There's so much in these pages， so I will have to unpack and process before I can write any thoughts。But if you are anyone who's ever been gripped by self-improvement， achievement， imposter syndrome， the feelings of not ever being good enough no matter how hard you try （which I believe is most of us who have a soul）， this book is for you。Happy reading。 This book is amazing。There's so much in these pages， so I will have to unpack and process before I can write any thoughts。But if you are anyone who's ever been gripped by self-improvement， achievement， imposter syndrome， the feelings of not ever being good enough no matter how hard you try （which I believe is most of us who have a soul）， this book is for you。Happy reading。 。。。more
Dena Rapoport
，
Absolutely incredible。 Every page was brilliant。
Markku Kesti
，
Bechdel yrittää ratkaista omaa ylisuorittamisongelmaansa niin taiteilijana kuin kuntoilijana。 Kirjan tavoite lipsuu välillä Bechdelille tyypilliseen akateemiseen analysointiin ja hänen tavaramerkkinään oleviin oman elämän ja sen tarinan vertailua kirjailijoihin ja kirjallisuusviittauksiin ja teoksiin。 Vaikka välillä punainen lanka tuntuu hukkuvan ja vähemmän akateemiset lukijat voivat kyllästyä jaaritteluun on aika moni viittaus ja anekdootti sitten analyyttisemmalle lukijalle mieleen。 Kolme ja Bechdel yrittää ratkaista omaa ylisuorittamisongelmaansa niin taiteilijana kuin kuntoilijana。 Kirjan tavoite lipsuu välillä Bechdelille tyypilliseen akateemiseen analysointiin ja hänen tavaramerkkinään oleviin oman elämän ja sen tarinan vertailua kirjailijoihin ja kirjallisuusviittauksiin ja teoksiin。 Vaikka välillä punainen lanka tuntuu hukkuvan ja vähemmän akateemiset lukijat voivat kyllästyä jaaritteluun on aika moni viittaus ja anekdootti sitten analyyttisemmalle lukijalle mieleen。 Kolme ja puoli tähteä。 。。。more
Laura Sackton
，
I was so moved by this。 Bechdel uses sports and exercise and outdoor activties as a lens through which she explores her work， her relationships， her inner life。 It's about creativity and aging and seeking， not so much exercise， but the various holes that Bechdel has attempted to fill with exercise， with both success and failure。 Like her other work， she weaves in the work and words and thoughts of various artists and thinkers， in this case the romantic poets， Jack Kerouac， the transcendentalists I was so moved by this。 Bechdel uses sports and exercise and outdoor activties as a lens through which she explores her work， her relationships， her inner life。 It's about creativity and aging and seeking， not so much exercise， but the various holes that Bechdel has attempted to fill with exercise， with both success and failure。 Like her other work， she weaves in the work and words and thoughts of various artists and thinkers， in this case the romantic poets， Jack Kerouac， the transcendentalists。 And as with her other work， it's not so much what she has to say about these people that's interesting， as it is her relationship with them， and getting to watch her untangle her own thoughts。The thing I found so unexpectedly moving was getting to witness the whole of Bechdel's life， the way she lays it out here。 She takes us through each decade， from her childhood to her late 50s， exploring fitness and exercise and the industries and trends around them， and how those show up in her life， but mostly the things that happened to her， her relationships， the development of her art， aging， the way she's changed。 This book doesn't have the intense focus that both of her pervious books do， and it works well。 This one feels like a wide-angle lens， rather than a close-up。 Her work has meant a lot to me， and there was something about seeing pieces of her previous books in this one， and also seeing all those pieces fit together， getting to hear her tell a longer story about her life， basically， that hit me right in the heart。 。。。more
cb
，
3。5 ⭐️
Adam Roberts
，
Love Alison Bechdel and would love anything that she writes， but I can't say that this book is her best。 The premise is that she tracks her relationship to exercise through the decades -- and there are some beautiful moments about her relationship to her body， to nature， to her sense of self， and other people -- but， unlike Fun Home or Are You My Mother？， she seems to be searching for depth in the story here that doesn't really seem to exist？ In fact， I'm not even sure it's a story: by the end， Love Alison Bechdel and would love anything that she writes， but I can't say that this book is her best。 The premise is that she tracks her relationship to exercise through the decades -- and there are some beautiful moments about her relationship to her body， to nature， to her sense of self， and other people -- but， unlike Fun Home or Are You My Mother？， she seems to be searching for depth in the story here that doesn't really seem to exist？ In fact， I'm not even sure it's a story: by the end， it almost feels like she's scrambling to bake all of these ingredients （diversions into the lives of Coleridge and Woodsworth and Jack Kerouac） into a cake that just refuses to become a cake。 That said， I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and my three stars is only in relation to Bechdel's other books， not books in general。 Compared to books in general， this is 4 stars at least。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Wish I liked this more。 It feels like a long ramble with nothing concrete to say。 Also disappointed in the panel of Alison wearing a pussy power hat。 I really respect her， and to see her involved in something largely transphobic like that makes me sad。
Olivia Case
，
I picked this one up because it was by Alison Bechdel， but was not incredibly excited about the topic of exercise。 However， it surprised me and was about so much more。 A great read - the only thing that brought it down a star for me were the historical figure story line tie ins which I did not love。
Lizzie Hyde
，
I loved this book！！ I relate to being a “neurotic wretch” and hopping from one fitness fad to the next with the literary ambition to figure everything out。
Bill
，
While I love （and greatly admire her Fun Home）， I did not enjoy this book。 I had to force myself to plow through to the end。 I kept falling asleep because it is the same story over and over: awkward relationships， obsessive workouts， crippling self-doubts， and investigative encounters with various self-help programs or spiritual philosophies。 While Fun Home was a reflective look back at her early years and an analysis of how her father in particular affected who she grew into as an adult， this i While I love （and greatly admire her Fun Home）， I did not enjoy this book。 I had to force myself to plow through to the end。 I kept falling asleep because it is the same story over and over: awkward relationships， obsessive workouts， crippling self-doubts， and investigative encounters with various self-help programs or spiritual philosophies。 While Fun Home was a reflective look back at her early years and an analysis of how her father in particular affected who she grew into as an adult， this is more of an invitation to walk with her through the decades of her life because。。。well， because she thinks we should find that interesting。I appreciated the literary references to Wordsworth and Coleridge and Emerson and Kerouac （although I did tire of his story） but they seemed tangential at best to her story。 I also appreciate how hard it is to attain what she was seeking but she seemed almost handicapped by her family background and her own personal inclinations。 Much of the one-with-nature and nirvana and Buddhist teachings were too esoteric for me， sort of inscrutable but I guess that’s kind of the point。 I enjoyed the slow reveal of her family’s backstory but I already knew all that。 The best part was the chronological review of all the decades of fitness and workout fads and trends。 But the ending seemed too simply and too quickly achieved without any true revelations or epiphanies to explain or justify it。 。。。more
Emily
，
Another beautiful memoir from Alison Bechdel！！ This one feels more honest and direct than what I’ve read from Bechdel before， considering her own flaws， insecurities and inconsistencies with wit and frankness。 I could really relate to her preoccupation with perfection vs failure， particularly in terms of exercise and physical appearance which becomes inseparable from mental health。 Bechdel considers the processes of ageing alongside her developing destructive behaviours， dispelling the cliché of Another beautiful memoir from Alison Bechdel！！ This one feels more honest and direct than what I’ve read from Bechdel before， considering her own flaws， insecurities and inconsistencies with wit and frankness。 I could really relate to her preoccupation with perfection vs failure， particularly in terms of exercise and physical appearance which becomes inseparable from mental health。 Bechdel considers the processes of ageing alongside her developing destructive behaviours， dispelling the cliché of forward momentum and improvement which persists in many memoirs。 The goal is not， in fact， to reach a ‘goal’ but to accept life and our existence in the world as it is。 I also loved the honest reframing of Fun Home in the light of Bechdel’s longer struggles with mental health and the practical contexts in which the work was produced。 The passages about her struggles with work and self-medication were particularly difficult to read within one of her works， but this added layer of self-reflectivity made these confessions all the more powerful。 I’m left with an overwhelming feeling of a sad lack of surprise that such a brilliant， creative mind could be so self-destructive and self-critical。 I really appreciate Bechdel’s honesty in this regard。‘Now everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned’ ‘We’re a nation of giant toddlers， dragging our bottles and blankets everywhere we go’ ‘What gnawing void propels this cardio-pulmonary frenzy？ The spiritual and moral bankruptcy of late capitalism？ The disembodiment of our increasingly virtual existence？’ ‘We are all careening at speed toward that granite slab。 Disease。 Dementia。 Dependence。 Death’ ‘When my mind shuts up and my body takes over， I’m outside the dualistic framework of language。 Of subject and object’ ‘But our household was filled with a tension that even then was weeping into the marrow of my bones’‘If the sixties constituted a wave of liberation， my parents were too late to catch it。 And I was too early。 But this did not prevent us from floundering together in its surf’‘Soon I would lose this immediate， unreflected grasp of reality。 I would become nearly paralysed by thoughts of achievement， thoughts of self’‘The English Romantic poet and ur-hippie， Samuel Taylor Coleridge。 Rabble rouser， nature boy， drug addict’‘I went beyond more than the physical limit。 The boundary of my very self seemed to dissolve as I merged with the humid evening air’‘“I was glad to the brink of fear”， as Emerson describes the exaltation that sometimes came over him in the outdoors’‘The more she came to understand power and privilege， the more she would keep revising herself throughout her life， like a manuscript’‘An insurgency of women engaged in nothing less than dismantling said patriarchy [。。。] it was a world upside down！ The boundary between self and other broke down immediately。 Hierarchy was out。 The collective was in！’‘There are many profound ways that AIDS transformed our culture。 And some shallower ones， like a new aesthetic for male bodies。 Hairlessness， in theory， could not hide signs of disease， so came to signify health。 As an added perk， it accentuated muscles—an image of strength to counter the ubiquitous one of men wasting in their prime’‘Had I unwittingly signed some mephistophelian pact that guaranteed professional success at the expense of private failure？’‘I see now that my yearning for self-transcendence is in some ways an attempt to avoid the strain of relating to other people’‘Much as I wanted to change， my unconscious was hell-bent on maintaining the status quo’‘What made the surreal scene that day all too convincing was the falling bodies。 People choosing to die one way rather than another。 What was it like to make that decision， to take that abysmal leap？’‘I didn’t want to wind down。 I wanted to shut off。 To feel nothing。 This was not unconnected， I see now， to my wayward affections’‘My therapist warned me that I’d have to take back all the unwanted aspects of my own self I’d projected onto Amy。 You’ll have to feel your sadness’‘Lemme get this straight。 Perfection and worthlessness aren’t the only options？！’‘I began work on a new book。 A light， fun memoir about my athletic life that I could bang out quickly’‘2。 Rush to your dead mother’s partner’s deathbed when he， also grief-stricken， decides to stop treatment for his multiple illnesses。Rush off again in order to attend Off Broadway musical based on your family memoir’‘We were strangely traumatised by the intake of so much beauty in such a small span of time’‘America had elected a strongman。 A man who did nothing but project his inner weakness all over everyone。 And it worked—soon half the country felt as impotent as he did’ ‘Not even the collapse of civilisation broke my concentration。 I have felt horror and dread throughout this year of tumult， malign incompetence， and death， but somehow my inner equilibrium has remained intact’‘It was just after Holly had agreed to help by colouring the book that the pandemic hit’‘But we are a part of everything。 Also: this is it。 The only thing to transcend is the idea that there’s something to transcend’ 。。。more
Theresa
，
How have I been missing the wonderful comics of Alison Bechdel？ Vaguely re ember reading her strip once when I read a different newspaper than my own- which doesn’t carry it。 This book is a unique look at the quest for health of body， mind， and heart told in a no holds barred kind of way。 Light and dark， and full of charm。 I like graphic novels and this one is really good。
Laurie Burns
，
This Alison Bechdel whopper comes in at over 230 pages！ I really liked her Fun Home and Are you my Mother？ So I was happy to get my hands on this。 I thought it was going to be a book about exercising and the different ways she’s done that but it’s not really。 Got a lot about Buddhism， finding yourself， and Jack Kerouac。 Luckily I am also interested in all these things！ It has given me a lot to think about and was a very interesting read。
Melki
，
Bechdel presents another wonderful， warts-and-all， visually impressive graphic memoir。Inspired by an old comic book ad 。 。 。Young Alison decided she wanted superhuman strength， and has spent her lifetime attempting to acquire it。 In addition to a monstrous amount of physical activity， Bechdel looks inward， and to the past to try and achieve a deeper understanding of her life， and her motives。 Since reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic， I've felt something of a kinship with Alison Bechdel。 She i Bechdel presents another wonderful， warts-and-all， visually impressive graphic memoir。Inspired by an old comic book ad 。 。 。Young Alison decided she wanted superhuman strength， and has spent her lifetime attempting to acquire it。 In addition to a monstrous amount of physical activity， Bechdel looks inward， and to the past to try and achieve a deeper understanding of her life， and her motives。 Since reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic， I've felt something of a kinship with Alison Bechdel。 She is but a year older than I， and we are both Pennsylvania born and raised; both by parents who had a strange， and frequently strained relationship。 And， okay - this may be reaching a bit， but - Hello！ - we both owned scarlet LL Bean river driver's shirts。At first， I was kind of disappointed when I realized this book had so much to do with exercise。 Sports， and athletics have never been my thing， though I have remained fairly active throughout my life。 When I was a stay-at-home mom who did little housework， my exercise routine consisted of my own special combination of yoga， Pilates， and Callanetics。 （Yopiletics， anyone？） Nowadays， as a full-time library employee， I manage to squeeze in little more than as brisk a daily thirty minute walk as a constantly sniffing/peeing dog will allow me to take。 （I also force myself to climb the stairs to the third floor every time I need to use the bathroom at work， but I haven't yet devised a name for that program。） Yet， somehow， reading a little of this book each day， for some reason， made me absurdly happy。Alison Bechdel is my favorite superhuman。 。。。more
Mimi
，
I love Bechdel and this was more than a graphic novel about her obsession with rigorous exercise。 It is clear from the start she's going to address the deeper existential questions about our purpose in life。 She talks about reading Kerouac， Coleridge， Wordsworth and others while trying to understand the relationship between mind and body。 It's not a lightweight read and the artwork is lovely。 I love Bechdel and this was more than a graphic novel about her obsession with rigorous exercise。 It is clear from the start she's going to address the deeper existential questions about our purpose in life。 She talks about reading Kerouac， Coleridge， Wordsworth and others while trying to understand the relationship between mind and body。 It's not a lightweight read and the artwork is lovely。 。。。more
Jackie Keller
，
Loved it。。 So much more than the title implies， but also， somehow - not。
Kate
，
3。5 stars
Ruth Vanita
，
Interesting， and largely about mental health。 Not as brilliant as her masterpiece， Fun Home， but a lot better than Are You My Mother？
Stephen Lamb
，
Closest companion to this that comes to mind is another book I love， Scott Russell Sanders’ “A Private History of Awe。”
drippydots
，
I thought this was going to be some fitness-crazed， exercise book。。。。。and it does have aspects of that but we're not talking about exercise as anything other than a way to find some sort of balance or equilibrium， as a way to lose oneself and transcend the body and the self。 （This is not a diet/weight lose book at all） And classic Bechdel， she talks about so many other things。 I think she should always follow her muse and her interests where ever they lead。 She goes off on tangents and it seems l I thought this was going to be some fitness-crazed， exercise book。。。。。and it does have aspects of that but we're not talking about exercise as anything other than a way to find some sort of balance or equilibrium， as a way to lose oneself and transcend the body and the self。 （This is not a diet/weight lose book at all） And classic Bechdel， she talks about so many other things。 I think she should always follow her muse and her interests where ever they lead。 She goes off on tangents and it seems like maybe this book doesn't have anything grounding it and connecting all the various parts together but then it all comes together and feels complete， feels whole。 This book had a lot more depth and introspection and substance to it than I thought it would。 Oh！ And she's finally done a book in full colour and it's gorgeous。 。。。more
Annie Loerke
，
It was only when I finished this that I realized how much I really loved it。 I mistakenly thought， because it was a graphic novel， that it would be a pretty easy read - it was not。 But I learned a lot， and I love any book that has a cascading effect and introduces you to other books you want to read next/immediately。 Bring on the Kerouac！ The Diamond Sutra！ And the 7-minute workout 🏋️♀️
Natanya L
，
Bechdel’s philosophical musings on exercise culture。
Travis
，
Despite not being at all interested in meditation/philosophy and not very into exercise， I enjoyed this a lot。
Bayley
，
The Secret to Superhuman Strength follows Alison's relationship with exercise， her body， and spirituality。 It extensively looks at the mind-body connection and how Alison Bechdel's relationship with this concept has evolved。 It has all the honesty， humor， and musings on life from Fun Home and Are You My Mother？ This book explores parts of her life that were not in her previous books while still mentioning events touched on in those books。 It is not repetitive in any manner， but I would also say The Secret to Superhuman Strength follows Alison's relationship with exercise， her body， and spirituality。 It extensively looks at the mind-body connection and how Alison Bechdel's relationship with this concept has evolved。 It has all the honesty， humor， and musings on life from Fun Home and Are You My Mother？ This book explores parts of her life that were not in her previous books while still mentioning events touched on in those books。 It is not repetitive in any manner， but I would also say it would not be confusing to folks who had not read her earlier work。 Personally， I was less interested in the mind-body connection and spirituality parts of the book。 I totally understand its purpose， and I am sure that part is fascinating to many people; I just happen to be someone who isn't that interested in the particular answers to this philosophical idea that Bechdel is interested in。 I still liked seeing how her brain was dealing with these topics and seeing who's work she was going to pull in to help analyze these issues。 Maybe part of my issue stems from Bechdel presenting a lot of people whose work I am largely interested in critiquing， and that is not the way Bechdel engages with the work。 Obviously， this is going to vary from person to person how this hits them; this is just my experience。 I was really interested in Bechdel's relationship to exercise; this book really made me want to go be active （the Florida heat did often quickly cut the impulse）。 I found it particularly moving to read about how happy exercise and physical achievement made hr。 It was also wonderful to explore how the decline in physical ability would and does affect Bechdel。 Seeing physical ability and activity talked about as something that is fun， a means to achieve some kind of independence， a stress management tool， something that was a skill to be honed， and as an addiction that could be debilitating。 It was all really deeply fascinating。 I also did really like the slightly meta content about Bechdel's experiences of publishing previous books。 During the slight lull， I felt when we got pretty deep into philosophy during the portion of the book covering her 30's I knew that the 40's and 50's were coming and would have to reflect on these experiences in some manner。 It is really interesting to see how people handle success and varying levels of achievement and fame。 I am so excited to read whatever Bechdel writes in the future。 I love her art style， and I really liked that these were colored by her wife， and I just love the way she writes。 I will read memoir or fiction from Bechdel until she stops publishing。 My Blog Post - Goodreads - The StoryGraph 。。。more
Joyce
，
By the end， it found its flow。 But for a good two-thirds， I found it laborious to following the intertwining of personal narrative， sport， and Transcendentalist history。 Maybe just me。
Harriett Milnes
，
Thank you Kayla for the recommendation。Highly recommended to all， but especially women of a certain age。Alison Bechdel has written a graphic memoir， which is funny， and educational， and a nostalgic look at exercise and spiritual trends。 She begins， "I was born at the end of the baby boom， in the primordial darkness just before the dawn of the exercise epoch。 。 。Apart from having to get up and switch channels manually， we did not exercise。 There was no working out， no going for the burn， no diggi Thank you Kayla for the recommendation。Highly recommended to all， but especially women of a certain age。Alison Bechdel has written a graphic memoir， which is funny， and educational， and a nostalgic look at exercise and spiritual trends。 She begins， "I was born at the end of the baby boom， in the primordial darkness just before the dawn of the exercise epoch。 。 。Apart from having to get up and switch channels manually， we did not exercise。 There was no working out， no going for the burn， no digging deep， nor any shredding of the gnar。" She continues on like this， astute and hilarious comments on feminism， or lack of， and the progress of fitness trends， starting with Jack Lalanne and those ads in the back of comic books。 She also mixes in trancendentalists and dharma and Jack Kerouac。You will love this book。 。。。more
Rich
，
At the beginning， I wasn't sure where this book was going， but I'm glad I hung in there。 It got moving quite well。。。 and I understand the "feeling better when I remember to move my body" ethos。 At the beginning， I wasn't sure where this book was going， but I'm glad I hung in there。 It got moving quite well。。。 and I understand the "feeling better when I remember to move my body" ethos。 。。。more
Robin
，
I think this would have a higher star rating if I hadn’t been such a fan of Dykes to Watch Out For in the 80s。 This is a sad and serious book about alcohol abuse and relationship sabotage， with a lot of Jack Kerouac mixed in。 It’s not really about exercise or fitness but maybe some kind of inner strength/self knowledge。 It’s probably a lot better if you’re not expecting it to be witty。
Blane
，
As usual， Bechdel comes through with a graphic memoir that strives to hit on multiple levels。 For the most part， she succeeds: Her description of a metaphorical search for inner peace/enlightenment/happiness/whatever via her lifelong obsession with exercise is brilliant。 The literary parallels were not so successful; I actually found myself skimming these parts in the latter quarter of the book。
Deepti
，