A ‘Reading for Wellbeing’ recommded read!
Fun home: a family tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
I’d heard of Alison Bechdel first through the Bechdel Test, a test that looks for gender bias in films, which was first introduced in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. The test itself asks simply: 1) Does the film have at least two women in it 2) Who talk to each other 3) About something other than a man?
Fun Home, a standalone graphic novel, is equally as sharp, witty and entrenched in feminist theory, but it deals with Bechdel’s own childhood and early adulthood, and in particular her relationship with her father. It discusses unflinchingly themes of sexuality, gender roles, death and dysfunctional family, and all the while references Bechdel’s infectious love for literature, philosophy, and the works of great feminist and queer writers. It’s an extremely fulfilling book and well worth putting the time and attention into!
