payment page
Study Tools
Overview
Published in 2006, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic is a graphic memoir by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel that tells the story of Bechdel’s upbringing in a funeral home in Pennsylvannia
. Overflowing with literary allusions, Bechdel braids together the story of her coming out as a lesbian with the story of her closeted father’s death by suicide. Fun Home explores the elusive nature of the truth, the power of art, and the suffering caused by secrets within families. In her graphic memoir, Bechdel skillfully uses the unique elements of the medium to allow the reader direct access to events in her life that are otherwise unspeakable. They provide Bechdel a means to share her experiences in a way that can oftentimes be more intimate than a standard written memoir.After its release, Fun Home was widely acclaimed for its meticulous detail and powerful narrative. It was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle award and was adapted into a Tony-winning Broadway musical in 2013. In 2024, Fun Home was ranked 35th on the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list by the New York Times.
Explore the full book summary & analysis, a discussion of the main ideas, and explanations of important quotes from Fun Home.
