The Secret to Superhuman Strength
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- Create Date：2021-05-31 11:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- 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
Sarah
，
Every page was a delight。
T。 M。 Kuta
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
Another graphic memoir from Bechdel that takes a look at her life through the different forms of exercise that helped form her body and psyche
Emily
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I love Alison Bechdel’s work， and bought this on that basis without even knowing what it was about。 But I started reading it shorting after being dumped by a compulsive exerciser， and the subject matter was so close to the bone I nearly abandoned it。 But I’m so glad I didn’t！ What starts as a catalogue of her exercises regimes through the years turned into the kind of deep autobiographical feelings stuff I love her for， and by the end I was super glad I’d read it， as it also gave me more compass I love Alison Bechdel’s work， and bought this on that basis without even knowing what it was about。 But I started reading it shorting after being dumped by a compulsive exerciser， and the subject matter was so close to the bone I nearly abandoned it。 But I’m so glad I didn’t！ What starts as a catalogue of her exercises regimes through the years turned into the kind of deep autobiographical feelings stuff I love her for， and by the end I was super glad I’d read it， as it also gave me more compassion for queers who use exercise to try to outrun their feelings。 。。。more
Dana DesJardins
，
I don't know how Bechdel can be both this honest and this funny。 Once again her combination of elegantly understated drawings and wry narrative employs personal anecdotes to reflect the collective culture。 The New Yorker summarizes it thusly: "In her new book， Bechdel runs， climbs， and becomes addicted to Patagonia gear， all in an attempt to transcend herself。 Read the insightful review here: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 I don't know how Bechdel can be both this honest and this funny。 Once again her combination of elegantly understated drawings and wry narrative employs personal anecdotes to reflect the collective culture。 The New Yorker summarizes it thusly: "In her new book， Bechdel runs， climbs， and becomes addicted to Patagonia gear， all in an attempt to transcend herself。 Read the insightful review here: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 。。。more
Matt
，
That。。。was rough。 The graphic part of the graphic memoir worked well， but the story part？ Not so much。 I didn't even make it to 100 pages minus my age， which is a rarity。 That。。。was rough。 The graphic part of the graphic memoir worked well， but the story part？ Not so much。 I didn't even make it to 100 pages minus my age， which is a rarity。 。。。more
Jesse
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Not quite as rigidly formatted as her previous two graphic novels， and I can feel Bechdel’s own uncertainty with the process of writing this。 Still a five star book for me in comparison to most other things。 Ultimately a 4。5 if it’s ranked only against her other work？ A fine， sensitive， thoughtful， and enjoyable book， well written， well drawn， and well coloured by Holly。
Roan
，
I appreciate Alison Bechdel’s total genius， and her very intense focus on examining her own mind and life and pathos。 This was a very cerebral memoir with an exercise/outdoors theme that was really about a search for meaning。 I liked all of it except the tangents about Transcendentalists that I really didn’t care about。
Ursula
，
4。5/5 I'm a huge Alison Bechdel fan。 I've read all her published worked and caught Fun Home on Broadway。 Are You My Mother？ remains my favorite books of hers， followed either by this one or Essential Dykes to Watch Out For。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength starts off light and fun but turns deep and introspective， which I loved。 This is a book about so much more than exercise。 It's about nature， flow， ego， community， and nirvana。 I enjoyed this book quite a bit and suspect I'll be rereading it 4。5/5 I'm a huge Alison Bechdel fan。 I've read all her published worked and caught Fun Home on Broadway。 Are You My Mother？ remains my favorite books of hers， followed either by this one or Essential Dykes to Watch Out For。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength starts off light and fun but turns deep and introspective， which I loved。 This is a book about so much more than exercise。 It's about nature， flow， ego， community， and nirvana。 I enjoyed this book quite a bit and suspect I'll be rereading it within a year or two。 。。。more
Peacegal
，
I was amazed by FUN HOME and confused by ARE YOU MY MOTHER？， but I feel back on track again with this graphic artist with her latest title。 STRENGTH is a multi-decade personal story of the author's major life events and how they relate to her obsessive focus on fitness and exercise。 And she is REALLY into exercise。 I exercise because I feel guilty when I don't。 Bechdel is on a whole different level， where beating her personal best and trying the latest the fitness business has to offer is a life I was amazed by FUN HOME and confused by ARE YOU MY MOTHER？， but I feel back on track again with this graphic artist with her latest title。 STRENGTH is a multi-decade personal story of the author's major life events and how they relate to her obsessive focus on fitness and exercise。 And she is REALLY into exercise。 I exercise because I feel guilty when I don't。 Bechdel is on a whole different level， where beating her personal best and trying the latest the fitness business has to offer is a lifestyle。As with Bechdel's other graphic memoirs， STRENGTH is a very personal book--so much so， I sometimes felt as if I was intruding on other people's lives reading it。 As aging is one of the major themes， it naturally touches on many of the deep issues that are increasingly on our minds as we watch time pass us by。 。。。more
Candlin
，
I love Alison Bechdel - she’s funny， quirky， and real， and seems to be wandering around the planet wondering the same things I am。 She’s honest about the life she’s lived， and in that specificity there is a universality。 She also brings thinkers from the past into her story in such a inspiring way。 And funny- the “zeitgeistwegzuruckmaschine” a sort of “way back” machine that allows the comic to include various of her ancestors—both actual and spiritual-philosophical— Coleridge and the Wordsworth I love Alison Bechdel - she’s funny， quirky， and real， and seems to be wandering around the planet wondering the same things I am。 She’s honest about the life she’s lived， and in that specificity there is a universality。 She also brings thinkers from the past into her story in such a inspiring way。 And funny- the “zeitgeistwegzuruckmaschine” a sort of “way back” machine that allows the comic to include various of her ancestors—both actual and spiritual-philosophical— Coleridge and the Wordsworths， Margaret Fuller and Waldo Emerson， Jack KerouacI love what she has to say about exploring the mind and the body， looking for transcendence。 I come away wanting to dive deeper into my spiritual-philosophical ancestors， and hers。 。。。more
David
，
Rather than a standard review， I will instead share a true vignette taken from the life of a sibling whom I adore and who just happens to be lesbian。 Let's call her Elle。 Reading this graphic novel made me feel like my sister must have felt on the night in question。The Scene: A gay bar in Maine。 Two young women are dancing together， trying to gauge their interest in one another。The Players: Elle， a thirty-something artist now a few years into her sobriety; Annie， a horny， lithe pipe fitter in he Rather than a standard review， I will instead share a true vignette taken from the life of a sibling whom I adore and who just happens to be lesbian。 Let's call her Elle。 Reading this graphic novel made me feel like my sister must have felt on the night in question。The Scene: A gay bar in Maine。 Two young women are dancing together， trying to gauge their interest in one another。The Players: Elle， a thirty-something artist now a few years into her sobriety; Annie， a horny， lithe pipe fitter in her late twenties， drinking heavily and feelin' fine。Elle: "Wow， I've never seen anyone dance like that before。 It's。。。memorable。 You've really got some interesting moves there。"Annie: "Yeah， luscious one， and they're all for you。" Annie uses awkward pelvic gyrations and shoulder jerks to back Elle up against a wall。Elle: "It feels like this is moving super fast， maybe too fast。 Let's sit out this next one and learn a bit more about each other。"Annie: "Naw， baby。。。" （Using her best Stevie Wonder imitation）: "Don't you worry 'bout a thi-i-i-ing！" She closes in even further。 "Just wait 'til you get a load of what's yet to be revealed。 You won't believe your luck。 I work out all the time， and this hard body's gonna kick。。。 your。。。 ASS！"Elle （nearly speechless）: "。。。um。。。 well。。。"Annie （building to her closing argument）: "You know what else is gonna kick your ass？ I've done。。。 my。。。 THERAPY！"And， Scene！Stretch the whole thing out to over 200 pages， mix in a lot of angst and writer's block and Transcendentalism， and the similarities are not minimal。 On the plus side - and not remotely surprising - this one does pass The Bechdel Test。2。5 stars 。。。more
Elizabeth Rynecki
，
I’m not sure if I ever read Fun Home but I’ll never forget seeing the musical in New York。 How could something so dramatic and traumatic be so freakin’ hilarious？！ I must confess that I feel like a lot of this new book went over my head but still I enjoyed it and rooted for Bechdel to find her way。 I particularly loved the last segment - reflective about COVID and creativity under stress and how nature， exercise， and good relationships help us through the difficult times。
AJ
，
I've been waiting for this book for probably 6+ years， since I first heard that Alison Bechdel was publishing a new book。 I couldn't wait！ I put it on hold at my local library as soon as I realized that it was finally， finally， finally out。I mean， this book isn't bad。 It's not about what the title would imply。 It's just a loose memoir of the author's life， but not focused on her parents as her last two books were。 I liked it， it had the flow of her other books but in kind of a different way。 But I've been waiting for this book for probably 6+ years， since I first heard that Alison Bechdel was publishing a new book。 I couldn't wait！ I put it on hold at my local library as soon as I realized that it was finally， finally， finally out。I mean， this book isn't bad。 It's not about what the title would imply。 It's just a loose memoir of the author's life， but not focused on her parents as her last two books were。 I liked it， it had the flow of her other books but in kind of a different way。 But。。。 something about it just didn't really click。 。。。more
Kat
，
Alison Bechdel is a great storyteller and a masterful illustrator。 I will pick up anything she writes！ Yet I had a hard time getting through this book。 The narrative is interspersed with stories of famous writers as well as Bechdel's own saga of learning how to be her own person。 Although she's self-aware and self-reflective， and some of her statements about growing up queer felt so familiar to me it was like she was reading my own journals from the past， I had a hard time following the thread o Alison Bechdel is a great storyteller and a masterful illustrator。 I will pick up anything she writes！ Yet I had a hard time getting through this book。 The narrative is interspersed with stories of famous writers as well as Bechdel's own saga of learning how to be her own person。 Although she's self-aware and self-reflective， and some of her statements about growing up queer felt so familiar to me it was like she was reading my own journals from the past， I had a hard time following the thread of the story。 However， I know several fans of hers who loved it， and it's probably good for people interested in memoir， Transcendentalism， writing， lesbian/queer experiences， or middle-class White American life in the second half of the twentieth century。 。。。more
Libriar
，
I really wanted to read a graphic novel about Bechdel's lifelong pursuit of exercise。 Thinking that is what this book was about， I was ready to be entertained。 Unfortunately for me this book had a lot of other layers to it that I wasn't really that interested in （especially the dives into the lives of various long-dead authors。） Perhaps if I was expecting something different I would have liked it more but this graphic novel felt like "work" and I was hoping for something more entertaining。 I really wanted to read a graphic novel about Bechdel's lifelong pursuit of exercise。 Thinking that is what this book was about， I was ready to be entertained。 Unfortunately for me this book had a lot of other layers to it that I wasn't really that interested in （especially the dives into the lives of various long-dead authors。） Perhaps if I was expecting something different I would have liked it more but this graphic novel felt like "work" and I was hoping for something more entertaining。 。。。more
Gemma
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Exercise？ Processing a Roman Catholic upbringing？ The transcendentalists？ Intentional women's community？ SIGN ME UP。 I loved this。 Exercise？ Processing a Roman Catholic upbringing？ The transcendentalists？ Intentional women's community？ SIGN ME UP。 I loved this。 。。。more
Katie Bruell
，
This was about so much more than exercise。 It was about life and how to live it， and how to think about it。 I am a little worried for Alison after reading this， though。。。
Bandit
，
For having been aware of Bechdel for a long time， I’ve actually never read any of her comics。 Instead I watched a musical of her best selling memoir…and didn’t especially like it。 And that was it， until now， this one piqued my interest and came at just the right time， since I read a wider variety of graphic novels now， which is pretty much most things our library deems fit to acquire outside of manga。 Why the interest， though？ Is it because I’ve my own complicatedly obsessive relationship with For having been aware of Bechdel for a long time， I’ve actually never read any of her comics。 Instead I watched a musical of her best selling memoir…and didn’t especially like it。 And that was it， until now， this one piqued my interest and came at just the right time， since I read a wider variety of graphic novels now， which is pretty much most things our library deems fit to acquire outside of manga。 Why the interest， though？ Is it because I’ve my own complicatedly obsessive relationship with fitness？ Possibly。 It certainly wasn’t the memoir aspect of it， because I don’t care for memoirs and Bechdel has essentially made her career out of her life， the good， the strange and the ugly of it。 For me， that sort of exposure is difficult to fathom， but obviously it works for her and actually to her credit…it genuinely makes for compelling reading。 Surprisingly so， especially considering the length of this book， not just the length， but the density of the text…this is a graphic novel that leans very heavily into the novel aspect of its definition and comes out on top。 At first it seemed like a fairly generic essay on the prevalent gym culture， fitness fads， etc。， albeit from a personal perspective of the author and then it turned into a biographical account， wherein decade by decade Bechdel took you through her life as a fitness junkie， trend after trend， discipline after discipline， but all done within the framework of her actual life， love， career， etc。 Or maybe it’s the other way around…her life as framed by fitness obsessions。 Either way， it’s surprisingly （for someone who isn’t a fan of memoirs） compelling。 And really well done。 It isn’t just Bechdel’s life， though， she cleverly juxtaposes it with some famous writerly names of years past， from Romantics to Beatniks， anyone who thought to forge their way outside of the box and through putting in enough steps in the nature to please the most demanding of wearable fitness devices。 I really enjoyed those literary digressions and actually learned a thing or two about those individuals。 That was all about the novel， but the graphic aspect is excellent in and of itself。 Sometimes these cartoon memoirs can be so…well， cartoonish。 But this was excellent indeed， really great art and colors， interesting panel choices including what appears to be large two page watercolors， great details。 Bechdel has been at it all her life and her talent is apparent。 Wherein her fitness levels are just…intimidating。 Whatever the craze…biking， yoga， pilates， etc。 she’s been there， done that and got the performance fleece。 One might get tired just reading about it。 You gotta admire the commitment， though。 Well done。 On both fronts。 An enjoyable read， I liked it。 Might read more of the author’s work now。 Recommended。This and more at https://advancetheplot。weebly。com/ 。。。more
Brandon Gaukel
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