The Secret to Superhuman Strength

I have been on a serious Bechdel fan-girl kick. Tascha gave me this book as a spontaneous gift. I devoured it, and then worked my way backwards through her memoir, Are you my mother? and Fun home.

I'm writing this as an overall review, not really a summary, just some scattered remarks about my journey. First, it is amazing how Bechdel can keep retelling her life from different perspectives, using different lenses to make sense of things in a way that is entertaining. Second, I really like how in this latest once she really gets to the madness / banality / desperation of exercise culture, but does so from a point of empathy and personal involvement, so instead of coming across as judgemental she is insightful and compassionate (reminds me a bit of that article on barre). Third, maybe the fact that, on this third read, I found Are you my mother? fascinating (event the parts about therapy) is a sign of aging. Dense and slow, at times eye-roll inducing and far-fetched, often navel-gazing and irritating, but I didn't skip a single page. Fun home is an amazing twin-portrait of her and her father, sweet and angry. TCLS, I loved all three of them, all over again.