Fun Home: A Family TragicomicFun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Score Modern
What it's about
Alison Bechdel's father, Bruce, was an English teacher and part-time funeral director in small-town Pennsylvania who poured his energy into restoring the family's Victorian house. He was also secretly gay. A few months after Alison came out as a lesbian in college, he was hit by a truck in what may have been suicide. In this graphic memoir, she tries to understand him, through the books they both loved and the life he hid.
Why it's worth reading
It's on both the New York Times and Guardian lists of the century's best books, and became a Tony-winning musical. It's one of the greatest graphic memoirs ever made.
You'll love it if you liked
The Glass Castle
Educated: A Memoir
Just KidsGood to know
It's a graphic novel and includes some sexual content. It's literary, full of references to Joyce, Proust and Fitzgerald.
By the numbers
- Readers58 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #268 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #526 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic worth reading?
Yes. It's on both the New York Times and Guardian lists of the century's best books, and became a Tony-winning musical. It ranks #526 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic about?
Alison Bechdel's father, Bruce, was an English teacher and part-time funeral director in small-town Pennsylvania who poured his energy into restoring the family's Victorian house. He was also secretly gay. A few months after Alison came out as a lesbian in college, he was hit by a truck in what may have been suicide. In this graphic memoir, she tries to understand him, through the books they both loved and the life he hid.
How long does it take to read Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic?
About 6 hours (244 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic?
If you liked it, try The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover or Just Kids by Patti Smith.