The Secret to Superhuman Strength
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 00:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alison Bechdel
- ISBN：0224101900
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Summary
*A GUARDIAN AND OBSERVER 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK*
From the bestselling， award-winning author of Fun Home
All her life， Alison Bechdel has searched for an elusive secret。
The secret to superhuman strength。
She has looked for it in her favourite books， the lives of her heroes， celibacy， polyamory， activism， therapy， and most obsessively， in her lifelong passion for exercise。 Skiing， running， karate， cycling， yoga， weight lifting - you name it， she's tried it。 "Oh， to be self-sufficient！ Hard as a rock！ An island！"
But as she gets older， her body isn't getting any stronger。 And in a changing， sometimes overwhelming world， are "cantaloupe-sized guns" all a person needs？ Maybe the all-important secret is not where she expected to find it 。 。 。
In this， her third graphic memoir， Alison Bechdel has written a deeply layered， personal story about selfhood， self-sabotage， mortality， addiction， bliss， wonder， and the concerns of a generation。 This is an extraordinary， laugh-out-loud chronicle of the conundrums we all grapple with as we seek our true place in the world。
From the bestselling， award-winning author of Fun Home
All her life， Alison Bechdel has searched for an elusive secret。
The secret to superhuman strength。
She has looked for it in her favourite books， the lives of her heroes， celibacy， polyamory， activism， therapy， and most obsessively， in her lifelong passion for exercise。 Skiing， running， karate， cycling， yoga， weight lifting - you name it， she's tried it。 "Oh， to be self-sufficient！ Hard as a rock！ An island！"
But as she gets older， her body isn't getting any stronger。 And in a changing， sometimes overwhelming world， are "cantaloupe-sized guns" all a person needs？ Maybe the all-important secret is not where she expected to find it 。 。 。
In this， her third graphic memoir， Alison Bechdel has written a deeply layered， personal story about selfhood， self-sabotage， mortality， addiction， bliss， wonder， and the concerns of a generation。 This is an extraordinary， laugh-out-loud chronicle of the conundrums we all grapple with as we seek our true place in the world。
Reviews
Sarah
，
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）
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
a new alison bechdel book？？？？ count me IIIINNNN！！！！
Lori
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
Alison Bechdel is an auto buy writer for me。 Her works， apart from being beautiful works of art， are also insightful， witty and moving， this book being no exception。 This book's an exploration into the exercise boom， tracing its origins， and tries to explore how and when a large section of people（ specifically in America） decided this was a good way to spend their disposable income。 I see it as the third part in a loose trilogy， with Fun Home and Are you my mother being the first two parts。 Whil Alison Bechdel is an auto buy writer for me。 Her works， apart from being beautiful works of art， are also insightful， witty and moving， this book being no exception。 This book's an exploration into the exercise boom， tracing its origins， and tries to explore how and when a large section of people（ specifically in America） decided this was a good way to spend their disposable income。 I see it as the third part in a loose trilogy， with Fun Home and Are you my mother being the first two parts。 While Fun Home was about her relationship with her father and the effect he had on her， Are you my mother -obviously about her mother， through a psychoanalytic lens。 This book also serves as a memoir of her artistic life， working on her graphic novels and the fabulous Dykes to watch out for， which I really appreciated- you get to see her process and meticulous work with those。 Woven in are her thoughts on Meeting her deadlines while also dealing with her ailing mother and intimations of her own mortality。 I always feel a lot more intelligent after reading Bechdel's work and that's because of her specific way of structuring them， with works of literature providing inspiration， and a potted biography or two。 Fun Home spoke of Proust， and Henry James， Are you my mother took in a whole range of psychoanalysts and parenting books， and this book is an absolute treasure trove。Bechdel places the origins of the links between nature and artistic inspiration at the feet of the Romantic poets， specifically during the conception of Lyrical Ballads， and （quite rightfully）， makes sure Dorothy Wordsworth gets as much of the spotlight as the poets do。 She traces a link from their writings to the views of the Transcendentalists， onwards to the Beats （ specifically Kerouac）， with asides on the absolute explosion in athleisure， fitness equipment and camping gear。 In terms of the artwork， I love that in keeping with the outdoorsy theme， this book has several gorgeous full page landscapes（ watercolours in some instances）， a haunting chiaroscuro winter wonderland， and an absolutely stunning memorable grisaille 2 page landscape of Central Park。 I also particularly loved a full page panel where Bechdel， in an insert， writes about Kerouac going on a hike with bare minimum equipment， （since hiking wasn't an activity undertaken by hobbyists and enthusiasts） juxtaposed against a full page illustration of a sporting goods store， with 8 different sorts of sleeping bags， primus stoves and assorted other hiking gear。 Are our obsessions with eating right and fitness all merely signs that we're trying to delay the inevitable？ Bechdel wiseLy does not attempt to answer this and shoehorn some greater meaning or purpose to any of it。 We're all just trying to make our way， and great art can help us find some meaning and some comfort。 Please give Alison Bechdel all the MacArthur Genius Grants possible， the world needs a lot more of her beautiful， insightful works of art！ 。。。more
Anmiryam
，
Alison Bechdel's inimitable combination of memoir， literary and cultural exploration， pathos， and humor once again come together to look at why and how she has pursued exercise through most of her life。 It's not just a recitation of the different fads she's pursued， but a look at the philosophical and psychological needs that fueled her obsession with exercise。 What is she seeking？ Escape from death？ Transcendence？ A cessation of psychological pain？ All of it？As someone of nearly the same age， t Alison Bechdel's inimitable combination of memoir， literary and cultural exploration， pathos， and humor once again come together to look at why and how she has pursued exercise through most of her life。 It's not just a recitation of the different fads she's pursued， but a look at the philosophical and psychological needs that fueled her obsession with exercise。 What is she seeking？ Escape from death？ Transcendence？ A cessation of psychological pain？ All of it？As someone of nearly the same age， though never nearly as fit， I can see so much of my life in this book。 Reading it hit home in many， many ways。 Ultimately， it's greatest boon is that it made me feel less alone in my anxieties and preoccupations。 。。。more
Kara
，
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley; the below review is my own opinion。Part memoir and part history of America's work out fads， Bechdel covers a lot of ground in her signature， wry way。 Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley; the below review is my own opinion。Part memoir and part history of America's work out fads， Bechdel covers a lot of ground in her signature， wry way。 。。。more
Nore
，
A bit of a rambly autobiography tracing Bechdel's life through her interest in exercise and fitness （and Buddhism）， paralleled throughout with details of other authors with an interest in the outdoors。 I enjoyed it， as I usually enjoy Bechdel's work， though it was a bit unfocused at time and really works better if you know something about the authors she linked herself to。 （I am， by choice， unfamiliar with Kerouac。） A bit of a rambly autobiography tracing Bechdel's life through her interest in exercise and fitness （and Buddhism）， paralleled throughout with details of other authors with an interest in the outdoors。 I enjoyed it， as I usually enjoy Bechdel's work， though it was a bit unfocused at time and really works better if you know something about the authors she linked herself to。 （I am， by choice， unfamiliar with Kerouac。） 。。。more
Jennifer
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I started reading Bechdel's graphic memoirs only a year or two ago and I've been consuming them since。 I think this is not her best work， but I was surprised to read many negative reviews。 I think that the disparate themes here work- the tying of fitness， an endless search for being in tune body and mind and spirit （which is fraught and perhaps impossible to achieve consistently）， and the transcendentalists and beat authors who sought the same。 As a sometimes fitness fan， an off-and-on （slow） ru I started reading Bechdel's graphic memoirs only a year or two ago and I've been consuming them since。 I think this is not her best work， but I was surprised to read many negative reviews。 I think that the disparate themes here work- the tying of fitness， an endless search for being in tune body and mind and spirit （which is fraught and perhaps impossible to achieve consistently）， and the transcendentalists and beat authors who sought the same。 As a sometimes fitness fan， an off-and-on （slow） runner， an English lit fan and former scholar， and New Englander who loves cross-country skiing but never gets to do it in the Mid-Atlantic where I live。。。 I felt like this book was written in part for me。 Is it perfect？ No。 But it's fascinating to see how Bechdel's mind works， and to live through it as she engages with what it means to age， to grow， and to choose to pursue strength in every way。 Four （and a half） stars of fun and challenge。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review！ 。。。more
Liam
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Video Review This is my 5th advanced reader copy （ARC） review。 This means I received this ebook for free， in exchange for this review by Netgalley。 I'm not financially motivated， as I read library books， so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly。 This ARC review （as are all NetGalley Reviews for this title） is based solely on a sampler containing the first 10 pages of this graphic novel。 For that reason any critical reader should probably add a pi Video Review This is my 5th advanced reader copy （ARC） review。 This means I received this ebook for free， in exchange for this review by Netgalley。 I'm not financially motivated， as I read library books， so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly。 This ARC review （as are all NetGalley Reviews for this title） is based solely on a sampler containing the first 10 pages of this graphic novel。 For that reason any critical reader should probably add a pinch of salt to all ARC reviews for this title， because from 10 pages it's hard quite hard to judge a book。 This is difficult for me even despite the fact I've read and enjoyed both 'Fun Home' and 'Are You My Mother？' by Alison Bechdel。 It's difficult and unappealing to be too critical of Alison Bechdel， because many of her comics are memoirs and are deservedly inspirational to the LGBT community， especially to representation in comics and media。 Fun Home was a breakthrough for the indie comics scene and it was so， so great。 However， I hate to admit that I feel that since Fun Home， we are receiving B-sides。 Every book is a new angle of the author's life， but it seems like the books are becoming more impersonal with time which makes them less effective as memoirs and to a readership who are familiar with the other books。 I really wish Alison Bechdel would write a fictional story。 Try something completely new， because the content and format of these books often relies on tangential ideas or theories which makes them share too much in common。 It feels like a continued conversation， perhaps one that should've ended or radically changed location by now。 We see Bechdel return to comparing her parent's generation to her own in this 10-page sampler， and from that I see that there's too much familiarity already。 If Bechdel must narrate and appear in their comics it'd be cool to see the author show up in a fictional story， from the outside for once。 But alas， an author will and should write what they like and to whom they like so none of my opinions here might be relevant， I just suspect others might be feeling the same。 I guess to be critical on another angle， it's hard to be engaged by the story of someone's fitness journey when they are neither professionally good or bad at a sport。 We live in a world where everyone wants to tell you to watch something or do something （the irony of writing this review is not lost on me）， and so hearing someone's perspective on fitness just isn't that interesting to me。 Everyone's talking about what is healthy， which is why I don't want to hear more of it from someone outside of my real life！ Writing this review was strange， because I just 4* and commended Bechdel's Foreword in another book。 Truth is Bechdel can write good books and I'm sure many will like this， but I think her Fun Home crowd might be feeling a distance growing from their original interest。 。。。more
Amy Pickett
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To be honest， this one had me at “Author of Fun Home” 。。。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength， Alison Bechdel’s upcoming graphic memoir， centers on the author’s relationship to exercise and the transcendent state that’s accessible through a unique combination of discipline and exertion。 And it’s also about Margaret Fuller， Jack Kerouac， the enlightenment path， and the artist’s connection with nature， exploration of self / other， and the occasional busted ankle。 And it’s amazing！ It definitely went To be honest， this one had me at “Author of Fun Home” 。。。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength， Alison Bechdel’s upcoming graphic memoir， centers on the author’s relationship to exercise and the transcendent state that’s accessible through a unique combination of discipline and exertion。 And it’s also about Margaret Fuller， Jack Kerouac， the enlightenment path， and the artist’s connection with nature， exploration of self / other， and the occasional busted ankle。 And it’s amazing！ It definitely went in some directions that I wasn’t expecting （and I did enjoy the parts about fitness “fads” and practices the most 。。。 a little more than the transcendental tangents 。。。） but overall I found this book incredibly rewarding even when the going wasn’t easy。 Kind of like a great hike！ Oh， I see what she did there 。。。 。。。more
Neil Plakcy
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I was fascinated to go along with Alison Bechdel on her journey into the question of strength， both physical and emotional， and how those two twine together。As always her wonderful drawings really bring the story to life， from her childhood obsession with strength to all the different ways in which she has pushed herself through life。An enlightening as well as enjoyable story。
Claire
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Based on a sampler that I received thanks to the publisher and netgalley， this is Alison Bethel's latest book about her obsession with physical fitness， opening with her wondering how humans became so concerned with keeping fit。 The drawings are lovely as ever and I recognised some characters from Dykes to watch out for in the gym scenes which was fun。 We also have colour unusually but certainly adds an extra fun dimension。 I look forward to reading the book when its published。 Based on a sampler that I received thanks to the publisher and netgalley， this is Alison Bethel's latest book about her obsession with physical fitness， opening with her wondering how humans became so concerned with keeping fit。 The drawings are lovely as ever and I recognised some characters from Dykes to watch out for in the gym scenes which was fun。 We also have colour unusually but certainly adds an extra fun dimension。 I look forward to reading the book when its published。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Are a fan of graphic memoirs and Alison Bechdel in particular。 I have read Fun Home and was looking forward to this one。 While I thought the artwork was of her high caliber， the actual narrative seemed to drag。 If you aren't familiar with her life story， you might get lost at some small points （her father's "secret" and the panels dealing with Fun Home's musical adaptation and success）。Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if Bechdel's memoirs are popular。 Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Read if you: Are a fan of graphic memoirs and Alison Bechdel in particular。 I have read Fun Home and was looking forward to this one。 While I thought the artwork was of her high caliber， the actual narrative seemed to drag。 If you aren't familiar with her life story， you might get lost at some small points （her father's "secret" and the panels dealing with Fun Home's musical adaptation and success）。Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if Bechdel's memoirs are popular。 Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honet review。 。。。more
Sam Quixote
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Alison Bechdel’s latest is - in theory - about her lifelong love of exercise。 In theory。 And it is about that。 In part。 But it’s mostly this rambly， vague， wishy-washy， truncated autobio with many pointless literary diversions that turns The Secret to Superhuman Strength， at nearly 250 laborious pages， into a test of the strength of the reader’s attention in making the superhuman effort to make it to the end。 I hoped this was going to be another Fun Home rather than another Are You My Mother？ bu Alison Bechdel’s latest is - in theory - about her lifelong love of exercise。 In theory。 And it is about that。 In part。 But it’s mostly this rambly， vague， wishy-washy， truncated autobio with many pointless literary diversions that turns The Secret to Superhuman Strength， at nearly 250 laborious pages， into a test of the strength of the reader’s attention in making the superhuman effort to make it to the end。 I hoped this was going to be another Fun Home rather than another Are You My Mother？ but， in actuality， it turned out to be the latter unfortunately so I didn’t like this one very much。 The literary diversions include the Romantic poets Sammy Tee Coleridge， Billy and Dotty Wordsworth （as no one called them）， the Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller， and alcoholic hippy and demented type-writist Jack Kerouac。 Why？ ‘Cos they was artists what liked the outdoors， like Alison Bechdel。 So is she comparing herself to them as literary equals or summink？！ Yeesh， you give someone a Macarthur Fellowship “Genius” Grant and suddenly they thinks they a genius！ Either that anyway or this is all FILLER。 Fuller filler。 Bechdel only slightly rehashes material from her two previous memoirs about her pa and ma， before filling us in on her experiences doing skiing， running， swimming， karate， yoga， cycling， and so on。 She liked fitness clothes from a young age as well as Jack Lalanne and Charles Atlas。 Ok… ？ There’s some mild addiction issues and a relationship or two that hit the rocks as Bechdel hit the workahol， but， lordy lordy I was boredy！ When I read the blurb to this one I thought that it was a flimsy concept that was going to be tough to work well and Bechdel proved my initial impression right。 Parts of it were occasionally interesting like the look behind the scenes at her creative process and， as irrelevant as I felt they were， the literary factoids on Margaret Fuller were enlightening as I knew nothing about her before this。 I related to Bechdel’s experience getting back into running and its effects and the art throughout isn’t bad。 Still， The Secret to Superhuman Strength， unlike real exercise， is a lot of effort for very little in return。 Often dull， rarely engaging， and very forgettable， all this book shows is that Bechdel’s out of material and things to say。 Exercise = good。 Agreed。 And… ？ Superhuman shrug。 。。。more
Katie
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[Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。]I started this book wondering why I was reading a graphic novel about physical fitness -- as someone who doesn't particularly enjoy either of those things， as a general rule。 But even before the end of the first chapter， Bechdel's unique talent for pairing her cartoons with dry observations about herself and the world around her had sucked me in。 Every chapter spans a decade， be [Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。]I started this book wondering why I was reading a graphic novel about physical fitness -- as someone who doesn't particularly enjoy either of those things， as a general rule。 But even before the end of the first chapter， Bechdel's unique talent for pairing her cartoons with dry observations about herself and the world around her had sucked me in。 Every chapter spans a decade， beginning with her childhood and ending with the events up through to late 2020。 The Secret to Superhuman Strength turns out to only be about physical fitness at face value。 Rather， every page turn taught me to see the interplay between the values Bechdel found in fitness， and the way those values fit into the other aspects of her life。 The stamina and determination she found in things like running and karate？ They're the same skills that she's used to write comic strips and books longer than I've been alive。 Even if this book doesn't have me running out to buy a bike， or flinging myself down the ski slopes， it's helped me see how so many "life lessons" can be universally applicable， even if they're about something I don't personally identify with。 Through the lens of her fitness journey， we watch Bechdel struggle with relationships - both familial and romantic - and eventually learn how to write a book about her roving fitness fixations。 There truly is something to be found in this for everyone， even - and maybe especially - people who don't typically read graphic novels about half a century's worth of workout trends。 。。。more
Kara
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This book was really lovely。 I don’t think Allison Bechdel’s two previous auto-biographical graphic novels， Fun Home and Are You My Mother， and this newest installment - The Secret to Super Human Strength - are being marketed as a trilogy， but they can certainly be read that way。 And， I think these works have a lot to offer as a group。 There will be many familiar scenes for fans of her prior work。 If FH and AYMM explore the relationships with her parents， then TSTSHS is about the relationship（s） This book was really lovely。 I don’t think Allison Bechdel’s two previous auto-biographical graphic novels， Fun Home and Are You My Mother， and this newest installment - The Secret to Super Human Strength - are being marketed as a trilogy， but they can certainly be read that way。 And， I think these works have a lot to offer as a group。 There will be many familiar scenes for fans of her prior work。 If FH and AYMM explore the relationships with her parents， then TSTSHS is about the relationship（s） to the self。 Bechdel largely uses her physical body and her experiences with different exercise and physical activities as a way of locating the “self” here。 This approach is not new， as Bechdel shows us how the Transcendentalists， the Romantics， the Beats， the Bloomsbury group and other thinkers have grappled with the mind/body relationship and the self。 It may all sound rather heavy and academic described this way， but I have found the kind of visual and graphical referencing really clever。 We don’t just get a footnote to Coleridge， but we see him hiking in the Lake District。 And， we see how that image has impacted the author， and lived with the author。 I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Fun Home and Are You My Mother。 All three work really well together， and could be read in any order。 This is also great as a stand-alone piece。 。。。more
Anneke
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Book Review: The Secret to Superhuman StrengthAuthor: Alison BechdelPublisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication Date: May 4， 2021Review Date: February 9， 2021From the blurb:“From the author of Fun Home， a profoundly affecting 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 fitne Book Review: The Secret to Superhuman StrengthAuthor: Alison BechdelPublisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication Date: May 4， 2021Review Date: February 9， 2021From the blurb:“From the author of Fun Home， a profoundly affecting 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。”———-I had never read a graphic novel before。 I had read comic books when I was about age 7-10 with my best friend A。 But that was Superman， not a novel。 Since I do all my reading on an Amazon Kindle， and that format was not available for this book， I read Alison’s book via the NetGalley Shelf， on my iPhone。 I am 5 years older than Alison， so there was a great similarity in our cultural background of the late 1960’s。 There was much I could relate to in her story。 At about 80% of the way through I grew tired of her neurotic stories about exercise， overwork， and alcohol addiction。 Then。。。。she crossed a line。 She mention a woman she met in Vermont。 This woman’s name had an unusual spelling。 I right away wondered if this woman was someone I knew of。 A lover of a lover。 This woman had died in an athletic accident！And then Alison told the story of this woman’s accident。 This was over the line for me。 Using her real name， and describing the accident， that rubbed me the wrong way。 I don’t know; you just don’t write publicly about someone like Alison had， using this woman’s name， describing the accident that killed her。 I could maybe just be triggered for some reason I’m not clear about。 I just think it was a step beyond， to include such accurate details。 A lack of respect。 For this reason， I highly DO NOT recommend reading this book。 Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for giving me early access to this book。 This review will be posted on NetGalley and Goodreads。 #netgalley #thesecrettosuperhumanstrength #alisonbechdel #houghtonmifflinharcourt 。。。more
Justine
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