Bechdels childhood, her fathers death and their shared. A work written in graphic form and published as a complete book is considered a graphic novel, as is a collection of comic books or serialized cartoons republished as a single trade volume that generally covers a complete story arc within the larger comic series. Oct 10, 2016 ive been asked many times for a list of good graphic novels for kids. Like marjane satrapis persepolis, its a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form.
Sep 16, 2016 described by the times of london as a profound and important book fun home. This fun home weaves tragedy and comedy into a wholly. It has won several award and was nominated for 2007 eisner awards. Bechdels rich language and precise images combine to create a lush piece of work a memoir where. A family tragicomic is a graphic memoir by alison bechdel. The book addresses themes of sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional abuse, dysfunctional. In her hands, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power, written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail. The role of gender and literature in alison bechdels fun. Jun 05, 2007 alison bechdel is the author of the bestselling memoir fun home. The book follows alison from her early childhood and through to the beginning of. Fun home, subtitled a family tragicomic, is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american writer alison bechdel, author of the comic strip dykes to watch out for. When alison comes out as homosexual herself in late adolescense, the denouement is swift, graphic and redemptive. A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books.
A family tragicomic, documents the authors discovery of her own and her fathers homosexuality. Fun home creator alison bechdel on turning a tragic childhood. It focuses specifically on her parents, helen and bruce, and their role in her life. Book critic lev grossman picks nine other graphic novels to join it in the pantheon. Bechdels memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. Fun home creator alison bechdel on turning a tragic childhood into. These books will improve your childs reading skills like any other novel would. First published in 2006, this graphic novel has received highly positive acclaim from critics. Bechdel builds the narrative around the tragic event of her fathers death. Now, with the help of our expert panel, weve curated a list. Everything youve heard about this graphic novel, first published as a 12issue series in 1986 and 1987, is true.
The story concerns bechdels discovery of her own sexuality, her relationship with her gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. A family tragicomic is a graphic memoir that led alison bechdel to commercial and critical success. Kids who are learning to read need to have as many opportunities as possible to find books they can connect withand which will consequently turn them into voracious readers. This breakout book by alison bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitchperfectly illustrated with bechdels sweetly gothic drawings. Described by the times of london as a profound and important book fun home. I even have trouble getting into graphic novels because of the way you readlook at them. In 2006, louise mills of marshall, missouri, requested that the book and another graphic novel, blankets by craig thompson be removed from the local public library. Several publications named fun home as one of the best books of 2006. A family tragicomic by alison bechdel was number 7 on the list of top ten most challenged books of 2015. Even without the oifs immortalizing blessing as one of the top ten most challenged books in the nation, i think fun home has a permanent place in the history of graphic novels, as well as lgbtq and autobiographical books. Ive put it off for so long and the reason is simple. The first panel shows alison approaching her father bruce, who is lying on the floor and puts his feet in the middle of her chest to launch her in the air for a game of airplane. In fact, here are three reasons to encourage your kids to read graphic novels. Reminiscent of art spiegelmans maus, fun home explores the relationship between alison and her closeted father, bruce bechdel, to shed light on themes such as gender, the comingout process, and the complicated dynamics of family life.
Many people enjoy graphic novels just because they find them fun to read. His death, most probably a suicide, haunts the book, an extended meditation on. Fun home is alison bechdel s graphic memoir of her life growing up. Sure, they have drawings, illustrations, and sometimes photos, but they also have text that readers must actually decode, analyze, and comprehend. When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. A family tragicomic is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american cartoonist alison. In this groundbreaking, bestselling graphic memoir, alison bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father. A family tragicomic alison bechdel ebook a fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books. In 2006, louise mills of marshall, missouri, requested that the book and another graphic novel, blankets by craig thompson be removed from the local public. Fun home is a hard book, butfilled with love and hate and glory and discontent and tragedy and hopeits also a powerful one. The subtitle of fun home a family tragicomic captures a number of aspects of the book. The main characters of this sequential art, graphic novels story are. They include fun visual elements and provide interesting ways for kids to interact with different text features, and thanks to the recent publication of titles by a fabulous collection of tweenmiddle school focused graphic novel authors, they are also great for inviting discussion around important themes and topics relevant to the 912 year. A family tragicomic, an awesome graphic novel by american cartoonist alison bechdel.
Though bechdel known for her syndicated dykes to watch out for strip and collections takes her formal cues from comic books, she receives more inspiration from the likes of proust and joyce as she attempts to unravel the knots of her familys twisted emotional. An unusual memoir done in the form of a graphic novel by a cult favorite comic artist offers a darkly funny family portrait that details her relationship with her father, a historic preservation. Prior to its publication, bechdel was best known for her longrunning cult comic strip, dykes to watch out for, which followed a series of diverse characters between 1983 and 2008. Fun home project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read.
As a matter of fact, fun home isnt your average anything. The book has successfully gained critical acclaims and also some controversy. Jun 08, 2006 having never felt much inclination toward the graphic novel genre, i accepted a copy of fun home by alison bechdel on loan only because a coworker promised that i could finish it in one hour and forty minutesalmost precisely the amount of time it would take to travel from the office to my home in connecticut, where i had plans to spend the weekend. A family tragicomic is a graphic novel memoir of the authors childhood, particularly focused on her relationship with her c. Jun 05, 2007 in her hands, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power, written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail. A family tragicomic is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american cartoonist alison bechdel, author of the comic strip dykes to watch out for. Fun home, graphic novel, has watchung hills parents at odds. Jul 12, 2017 100 best comics and graphic novels we asked readers to name their favorite comics and graphic novels, and we got thousands of answers. Dec 31, 2019 while they sometimes rival their literary forebears for length and seriousness, many of them dont even tell fictional stories take the example of art spiegelmans holocaust memoir maus or alison bechdels fun home.
Mariner books imprint, houghton mifflin harcourt, new york, 2006, my edition 2007. Oct 24, 2016 graphic novels are an excellent alternative to the standard easy reader books. For some people, following a series of images is more fun than reading words on the page. Distant and exacting, bruce bechdel was an english teacher and director of the town funeral home, which alison and her family referred to as the fun home. A family tragicomic, by alison bechdel the new york. The graphic memoir fun home starts with the adult alison bechdel narrating over images of her childhood.
I say that because the experience of reading a regular book and reading a graphic novel are so different to me. Graphic novels are, simply defined, book length comics. Put simply, graphic novels are comic books or, more precisely, what comics have become in an age of gentrification. Fun home is alison bechdels graphic memoir of her life growing up. August 17, 2015 the musical and graphic novel fun home describe bechdels coming out, and her dads closeted homosexuality. Fun home is what she and her brothers called the familyowned funeral home her dad ran. Jun 18, 2006 if the theoretical value of a picture is still holding steady at a thousand words, then alison bechdels slim yet proustian graphic memoir, fun home, must be the most ingeniously compact, hyper. Learning a group is trying to ban or boycott a book is one sure way to get me interested in reading it. As with many criticallyacclaimed books particularly graphic novels fun home soon drew the attention of wouldbe censors. Fantastic graphic novels for kids 35th gradeand up. First, it captures the fact that the story of bruce in the memoir is a tragedy told in the format of a graphic novel a comic. It was not until college that alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. I think of them as a different medium than regular books, kind of like tv shows and movies are two different media. A family tragicomic is an engrossing memoir that does the graphic novel format proud.
Before fun home, she had worked in relative obscurity. Jun 05, 2007 and yet, apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the familyowned fun home, as alison and her brothers call it, the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. If the theoretical value of a picture is still holding steady at a thousand words, then alison bechdels slim yet proustian graphic memoir, fun home. Please dont shy away from graphic novels for beginning readers. So im putting together a series of books lists, starting with graphic novels for 35th grade although in retrospect, im going with 36th grade. Some see fun home as having been a turning point for graphic novels. The book touches upon many themes, including, but not limited to, the following. Sometimes they tell a single, continous narrative from first page to last. Candian publisher of independent and alternative graphic novels from artists like lisa hanawalt, joe sacco, lynda barry, kate beaton, and tove jansson.
The question and answer section for fun home is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. After reading a good portion of this, it felt familiar. It was most often challenged for homosexuality, graphic images, nudity violence and other graphic images. Perhaps that is one reason why it was a finalist for the national book critics circle award, and the winner of the stonewall book award for nonfiction, in 2006. Jun 08, 2006 bechdels memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 232 pages and is available in paperback format. And yet, apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the familyowned fun home, as alison and her brothers call it, the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. From the bestselling author of fun home, time magazines no. Fun home, the tony awardwinning show based on alison bechdels graphic memoir, combines textured character psychology and nuanced storytelling with the enchantment of. Alison bechdel is the author of the bestselling memoir fun home.
Fun home is alison bechdels graphic memoir of her life. In this graphic memoir, alison bechdel charts her fraught relationship. Graphic novels for beginning readers kindergarten through. A family tragicomic, includes themes of sexual orientation, suicide, gender roles, emotional abuse and dysfunctional family life. Fun home bechdels realtionship with her father changed a great deal, as her coming out led to her mothers revelation that her father was a homosexual.
Paperback graphic books best sellers the new york times. Fun home is a musical adapted by lisa kron and jeanine tesori from alison bechdels 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. Fun home themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Fantagraphics publisher of alternative comix, classic comics, and graphic novels from creators like peter bagge, charles burns, daniel clowes, ellen forney, and chris ware to name just a few. It may be that the problems with the opening mythic allusion of the icarusdaedalus relationship coloured the remainder of my reading of bechdels graphic memoir. There is a reason people still press it into the hands of those whove never read a comic before. Reading should be a fun activity, and people should always try to read books they enjoy. Bruce and alison bechdel exchange hints about their sexualities by. A family tragicomic is an autobiographical graphic novel by american comic writer and artist alison bechdel. A family tragicomic is a graphic novel memoir by american cartoonist alison bechdel. My first challenge came well before i arrived on campus, when i learned that all first years were assigned fun home, a graphic novel by alison bechdel. Fun home by alison bechdel intellectual freedom blog.
Young alison bechdel lives in pennsylvania with helen, bruce, and her little brothers christian and john. One of the very best graphic novels ever, booklist. Burlington book festival 2006 september 15, 2006 cartoonist and author alison bechdel reads from her new, critically acclaimed graphic memoir fun home with a. A family tragicomic is a graphic memoir by alison bechdel tracing her journey from young girl to young adult as she comes to grips with her own lesbian sexuality, her father bruce s most likely suicide, and his secret homosexuality or bisexuality that he kept hidden throughout his life while having affairs with underage boys. One of the most eagerly anticipated graphic memoirs of recent years, fun home is a darkly funny family tale, pitchperfectly illustrated with alison bechdels sweetly gothic drawings. The first edition of the novel was published in june 8th 2006, and was written by alison bechdel. Fun home summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. This book takes its place alongside the unnerving, memorable, darkly funny family memoirs of. A family tragicomic is a memoir about bechdels family that deals with, among other subjects, her sexual orientation as well as that.