I enjoyed reading this graphic memoir. The author chronicles her relationship with fitness and reflects on what is really important. There are some serious subjects tackled but it is also very funny. The text and artwork are wonderful. Enjoy

"The Secret To Superhuman Strength" by Alison Bechdel is a deeply introspective and visually stunning graphic memoir that embarks on a journey of self-discovery, exploring themes of physical fitness, identity, and the pursuit of personal strength. Bechdel, known for her exceptional storytelling abilities, once again delivers a thought-provoking work that resonates on multiple levels.

One of the standout features of this memoir is Bechdel's exceptional artwork. The overanalysis of physical fitness will also be relatable to many people who have struggled with attaining bodily ideals that are promoted in our society. It won't be for everyone, but if you want a change of pace, give it a try.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a temporary digital ARC and provide my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Some beautiful illustrations of natural vistas, and I finally understand what exercise does for some people, but in general, I found the text overwritten and too dense to enjoy wading through.

Delighted to see another volume from Bechdel. Lives up to her earlier book-length works. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

I am sad that I will never like a Bechdel book as much as I loved “Fun Home.” I thought this book was insightful at times, but it references Kerouac OFTEN, who is definitely not one of my favorite writers/people. I am glad I read it, however. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

I really liked this book! Alison Bechdel has an amazing ability to condense fascinating information and personal stories into a comic book that leaves you feeling much smarter than you did when you started. She is a visionary of our time.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I had read and loved Bechdel's two earlier memoirs - FunHome and Are You My Mother, so I was obviously interested in reading this one. I think it doesn't work quite as well as the former two, but there is still a lot to enjoy in it. This time, Bechdel recounts her life through the lens of sports and various sport fads typical for subsequent decades of her life, all the while seeking transcendence of "superhuman strength". The book takes a while to get going, but once it does, it takes off beautifully. And while sports and exercising are not exactly my things, it was still a very engaging read.

Fun Home was the first queer memoir I ever read, and that was at a very impressionable time of my life—freshman year of college. This book seemed to be what I needed to read right now, too. It was interesting to look at existential questions through the history of exercise.

Looking for a way to feel super lazy reading outside on a beautiful 60-degree day? May I recommend a graphic memoir about exercising for sixty years! In truth, this memoir is about so much more than exercise. Bechdel frames this book in decades and uses each to share hee hopes, fears, exercise habits, and relationship with alcohol and drugs. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #AlisonBechdel #TheSecretToSuperhumanStrength #BookReview #bookstagram #Comics

I hate sports. All of them. Exercises too. I know they are good for me and my mental health, but there's just this thing in me that simply can't do them. And it's not like I'm a particularly self-destructive person, far from it. I try to live a healthy life - avoiding sweets, fasting, eating brown rice and whatnot. Everything, save for physical activity. 

So, I was particularly excited when I saw Alison Bechdel's newest graphic memoir "The Secret of Superhuman Strength" is about exercises and the fads surrounding health. Bechdel's been one of my favorite graphic novelists since I've read "Fun Home" a few years ago, and seeing what her experience with the topic would be was of great interest for me.

How disappointed I was to learn that actual exercises and the fads around them play a minuscule role in this autobiographical novel. Still, it's a very good novel, filled with beautiful and somewhat funny illustrations, as one would expect from Bechdel. It's just not really about sports.

DNF @ 11%. I requested this before I tried ‘Fun Home’, and I found this was more of the same that didn't work for me with that one… too philosophical for me, and the illustrations didn’t really draw me in either.

The Secret to Superhuman Strength is an ode to exercise fads, but also a personal and philosophical journal. It is very similar in style to Alison Bechdel's previous autobiographical works, yet feels less visceral. She tries to weave together body and mind through works of Romantics, Transcendentalists, and Beat authors, while showing us more of her coming of age story and her creative process. However, it felt more like it belonged to the nature-writing genre and I am afraid this type of mental spiritual ramble will appeal mainly to hardcore fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC! #TheSecrettoSuperhumanStrength #NetGalley

Well, I admire Alison Bechdel's dedication and effort in creating and writing this lengthy book, and there were times that I really enjoyed it. But it was a tough read in other ways and at times I felt like I was hitting the last quarter of a marathon and wondering how much longer to go.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book for an honest review.

I love Alison Bechdel. She does not disappoint with her newest which is funny, thought-provoking, and beautifully done. I have hand-sold this already!

Alison Bechdel’s most recent graphic memoir is an ode to her life- long addition to exercise : skiing, biking, karate, & running interwoven with her quest for enlightenment. Bechdel is simply a comic genius and her work is not to be missed. She is open and honest in sharing her struggles, & I always feel wiser for the experience.
Highly recommended.
#NetGalley

The Secret to Superhuman Strength tackles exercise, personal history, and philosophy -- and it does so with wild success. This book is touching and raw, funny and filled with the sparse yet effective drawings we have come to expect from Alison Bechdel. While the history lessons can at times begin to border on repetitive, overall this book weaves together the personal and the universal beautifully, leading the reader through Bechdel's life long pursuit of superhuman strength. This book talks about addiction and relationships in typical Bechdel style: unflinchingly, with humor and a light touch that keeps the whole book feeling fresh. Whether or not you are an exercise aficionado like Bechdel, this graphic memoir will make you pause and consider your relationship with your body, with your loved ones, and maybe with the world at large.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC!

This is a memoir of the author's psychological journey disguised as a memoir of her physical journey. A maybe it's a journey of how her years of trying to master her body allowed her finally to come to peace and understanding with her mind and heart (sort of)? Bechdel does a great job in connecting exercise fads, early spiritual feminist icons (and they ways their influences were lost or papered over), and the events of her life and the cycles of fitness, alcohol abuse, creativity, insight, workaholism, and familial and personal triumphs and setbacks. This is about her (continuing) journey and it gave me a lot to think about where I fin myself on the wheel these days.

The Secret to Superhuman Strength is billed as a fun romp through decades of exercise fads. Unfortunately, this is much more a memoir which barely touches on exercise. Big disappointment due to misleading expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

So glad Bechdel is back and in such fine form! Delighted to include this title in the spring edition of Life Stories, my seasonal column of notable new memoir and biography in Zoomer magazine’s Zed Books section.