Comics artist Alison Bechdel approaches the subject of exercise in The Secret to Superhuman Strength with the same insatiable curiosity, interdisciplinary rumination and candid humor as she did her parents in Fun Home and Are You My Mother? "My bookish exterior perhaps belies it, but I'm a bit of an exercise freak," Bechdel reveals. At an early age, her interest was piqued by Jack LaLanne's televised exercise routines for women: "[F]rom Jack I learned that the body was something you could shape." As she grows into adulthood, she considers her place within generational shifts regarding gender, as well as philosophical movements in her search for an ever-elusive sense of balance between body and mind. Grounding this incredible journey is Bechdel's distinctive artwork, colored extensively by her partner, Holly Rae Taylor. The Secret to Superhuman Strength is far greater than the diverting lark it seems; it is a potent testament to the human condition. --Dave Wheeler, associate editor, Shelf Awareness