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Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame

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( 2,494 ratings, 481 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams is a poignant graphic memoir exploring the daily tension women face between being sexualised or invisible. Through the lens of her own commute, Williams interweaves vivid flashbacks of sexual encounters, alongside candid reflections on her struggles with alcoholism, addiction, and recovery. Navigating uncomfortable social interactions, she confronts the uneasy boundary between consent and assault, delicately unpacking the complex emotions of shame, guilt, vulnerability, and responsibility tied to these experiences.
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Format: Hardback
$4500
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This memoir is well suited to readers interested in graphic novels that tackle contemporary feminist issues, personal recovery narratives, and explorations of female identity and societal expectations. It will particularly resonate with those seeking thoughtful, honest reflections on consent, shame, and resilience.

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An intimate, clever, and ultimately gut-wrenching graphic memoir about the daily decision women must make between being sexualized or being invisible.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An intimate, clever, and ultimately gut-wrenching graphic memoir about the daily decision women must make between being sexualized or being invisible.

In Commute, we follow author and illustrator Erin Williams on her daily commute to and from work, punctuated by recollections of sexual encounters as well as memories of her battle with alcoholism, addiction, and recovery. As she moves through the world navigating banal, familiar, and sometimes uncomfortable interactions with the familiar-faced strangers she sees daily, Williams weaves together a riveting collection of flashbacks.

Her recollections highlight the indefinable moments when lines are crossed and a woman must ask herself if the only way to avoid being objectified is to simply cease to draw any attention to her physical being. She delves into the gray space that lives between consent and assault and tenderly explores the complexity of the shame, guilt, vulnerability, and responsibility attached to both.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Williams does not shy away from her shame; her anger and vulnerability create a compelling critique and lament. As Publishers Weekly notes, this sharp and beautifully illustrated memoir resonates deeply in today’s cultural moment. Kirkus Reviews describes it as a catharsis fitting a pivotal societal period, while BookPage calls it an eloquent addition to the essential voices recounting women’s experiences under patriarchy. The Beat praises Williams’s unapologetic and vulnerable storytelling as a powerful and timely read.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781419736742

Publisher: Abrams

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 08 October 2019

Country: United States

Imprint: Abrams ComicArts

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 304

About the Author

ERIN WILLIAMS is the author and illustrator of What's Wrong? Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine and the co-author and illustrator of How to Take Care and the Big Activity Book series. She teaches art and writing in New York.

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