Fun Home, A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

(courtesy of amazon.com) Title: Fun Home, A Family Tragicomic Author: Alison Bechdel Lexile: N/A Genre: Banned books, graphic novel, memoir Summary: An extremely candid memoir of Alison Bechdel’s early life, and a document of her difficult father. Deep in emotion and revelation, Bechdel’s book pulls no punches in describing her family. As the banned book suggest, this book contains explicit material. Activity: If I’m to be honest this book would not be recommended for library activities, the subject matter is sensitive and quiet dark, those teens who wish to read it will no doubt find deep emotional value in Bechdel’s life but it would be best read as its own entity not tied with curriculum. Discussion: As an alternative to a traditional lesson I would suggest this novel as a good discussion piece, where teens can review the material maturely, perhaps in a discussion on the difficulties of creating a memoir and putting your life out on display, for good and ill?