So how do you finally decide on a book to read? Well in my case, I came across the book “Fun Home” written by Alison Bechdel. The name recalled a memory in me that immediately made me pick up the book to look it over further. The reason I picked it up originally was because I had heard about it during this year’s Tony Awards. “Fun Home” was adapted into a musical and won the acclaimed award of this year’s Best Musical. Ever since that night, I had been curious to see the show, but had not really thought about reading the book itself.
“Fun Home” is self-described as “A Family Tragicomic”. It is the auto-biographical story of the author’s life growing up in a small town and the strange family dynamics that occurred. The book is written in the style of a comic strip which allows for a very quick read. But do not be fooled by the structure of the book, it is both literarily and topically very mature. This book touches on subjects ranging from sexual-orientation to child abuse.
After finishing this book in only a few short days, I am even more interested in seeing the Broadway adaptation of the story. This was a great start to transitioning back into more casual reading and certainly worth the read.