{ "item_title" : "Spent", "item_author" : [" Alison Bechdel "], "item_description" : "The celebrated and beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Fun Home presents a laugh-out-loud, brilliant, and passionately political work of autofiction.Truthful, rueful and delightful.--LA TimesIn Alison Bechdel's hilariously skewering and gloriously cast new comic novel confection, a work of sharp literary humor, a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, is existentially irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of civil war. She wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege?Meanwhile, Alison's first graphic memoir about growing up with her father, a taxidermist who specialized in replicas of Victorian animal displays, has been adapted into a highly successful TV series. It's a phenomenon that makes Alison, formerly on the cultural margins, the envy of her friend group (recognizable as characters, now middle-aged and living communally in Vermont, from Bechdel's beloved LGBTQ+ comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For).As the TV show Death and Taxidermy racks up Emmy after Emmy--and when Alison's Pauline Bunyanesque partner Holly posts an instructional wood-chopping video that goes viral--Alison's own envy spirals. Why couldn't she be the writer for a critically lauded and wildly popular reality TV show...like Queer Eye...showing people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?Spent's rollicking and masterful denouement--making the case for seizing what's true about life in the world at this moment, before it's too late--once again proves that nobody does it better (New York Times Book Review) than the real Alison Bechdel.Can a book about personal envy actually save the world?Autofiction at its Finest: Follow a fictional cartoonist named Alison Bechdel on her Vermont goat sanctuary as she spirals over her own success, her partner's viral fame, and the end of the world.Satirical Social Commentary: A sharp, laugh-out-loud critique of consumer capitalism, performative ethics, and the complicated envy that thrives even in a communal Vermont paradise.Beloved Character Cameos: Catch up with the middle-aged characters from Bechdel's iconic Dykes to Watch Out For as they navigate life, love, and the perils of their friend's unexpected fame.A Modern Comic Novel: A uniquely brilliant and passionately political story from the celebrated mind behind Fun Home, blending skewering wit with deep, existential questions.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/06/327/892/0063278928_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "32.00", "online_price" : "32.00", "our_price" : "32.00", "club_price" : "32.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "32.00" } }

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Alison Bechdel’s latest graphic novel after graphic memoirs Are You My Mother? and Fun Home—now a hit Broadway musical—takes a sharp, hilarious and humane look at social and cultural politics. 

The protagonist of Spent—named Alison Bechdel, funnily enough—lives in Vermont with her eternally optimistic partner, Holly, who posts wood-chopping videos and sells compost bins. They run a pygmy goat sanctuary, an expensive endeavor that adds to the mounting pressure on Alison to get her latest book picked up by a publisher. When Megalopub, which she believes is owned by a “conservative media mogul who’s destroyed American democracy,” shows interest, Alison wrestles with the idea of selling out. She’s already disillusioned by the transformation of her breakout graphic memoir, Death and Taxidermy (which sports a cover suspiciously reminiscent of Fun Home), into a successful television series. In an era marked by sensationalist media and short attention spans, Alison laments how the themes of her book have been diluted for TV through the addition of corny plot points and even dragons.

Bechdel’s signature wry humor, keen observational skills and masterful storytelling take center stage in Spent. The narrative is driven by richly drawn, down-to-earth characters each with their own hurdles. Alison feels misunderstood in her life as a writer, even at home, where Holly interrupts her work to ask for assistance making her viral videos. Holly becomes increasingly consumed by the attention her video content receives, mirroring Alison’s own struggles with the demands of the capitalist system of overconsumption and inequality that she both critiques and is entangled in—symbolized by the ever-present Schmamazon boxes cluttering her porch. Meanwhile, their friends Sparrow and Stuart—whom longtime Bechdel fans will recognize—consider a foray into polyamory, but they face an unexpected challenge when their adult child returns home. 

Bechdel’s expressive artwork enhances this entertaining slice of life. Every panel is packed with nuance down to the smallest background details, and the book is in full color, done by Bechdel’s partner, Holly Rae Taylor. Grounded, witty and tender, Spent captures what it means to be flawed yet striving to live by your values, while navigating the joys and absurdities of life.