Are you a fan of vibrant illustrations, gripping stories, and the exciting world of graphic novels? Whether you’re a lifelong reader or new to the medium, our Graphic Novel Book Club is the perfect space to dive into amazing narratives and art. Join us on the 4th Wednesday of every month to explore a new graphic novel and discuss the intricacies of visual storytelling!
Grab a copy and join the conversation!
Meetings:
Date: 4th Wednesday of each month
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Aldrich Room, Howe Library
This book discussion program is HYBRID. We will meet in the Aldrich Room, but you may also attend via Zoom. Email Sam at sam.milnes@thehowe.org for an invitation or more information.
This Month’s Book is The Secret to Superhuman Strength, by Alison Bechdel
“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.” – Harper Collins Publishers
