Becoming Unbecoming

by Una

Paperback, 2016

Status

Checked out

Genres

Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels and Comics

Comics

Publication

Arsenal Pulp Press (2016), 216 pages

Description

This extraordinary graphic novel is a powerful denunciation of sexual violence against women. As seen through the eyes of a twelve-year-old girl named Una, it takes place in northern England in 1977, as the Yorkshire Ripper, a serial killer of prostitutes, is on the loose and creating panic among the townspeople. As the police struggle in their clumsy attempts to find the killer, and the headlines in the local paper become more urgent, a once self-confident Una teaches herself to "lower her gaze" in order to deflect attention from boys. After she is "slut-shamed" at school for having birth control pills, Una herself is the subject of violent acts for which she comes to blame herself. But as the police finally catch up and identify the killer, Una grapples with the patterns of behavior that led her to believe she was to blame. Becoming Unbecoming combines various styles, press clippings, photo-based illustrations, and splashes of color to convey Una's sense of confusion and rage, as well as sobering statistics on sexual violence against women. The book is a no-holds-barred indictment of sexual violence against women and the shame and blame of its victims that also celebrates the empowerment of those able to gain control over their selves and their bodies.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member questbird

A book about the consequences of male violence and sexual assault of women and children, from the clear headed perspective of an abuse survivor. The protagonist's childhood was haunted by a serial killer who hunted women.

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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary

Becoming Unbecoming by Una is one of the most difficult graphic novels I have read because of the issues it explores. It takes place in the latter half of the 1970s when the Yorkshire Ripper terrorized England and murdered over a dozen women. Beside this, Una juxtaposes her own sexual abuse and the

responses to it. She reproduces headlines from the era concerning the killings which seemed to suggest that the victims were to blame for their fates since they were prostitutes and it is only when a young schoolgirl is killed that anyone seems to care and the search actually becomes serious. Even then, it is believed that this murder was a mistake, that the Ripper’s motive had been to clean up the streets of prostitutes and he had mistaken her for one, this despite her school uniform and her book bag. Beside this, Una talks about how girls were divided basically into two groups – girls who were sexually active or ‘sluts’ or those who weren’t and she discusses the slut-shaming she received from her classmates both male and female as well as adults and how it coloured all aspects of her life. She uses reams of facts and figures to discuss the issue of violence against women as well as different graphic styles that work exceptionally well in telling both the Ripper story and her own. As hard as her story must have been to tell, she never flinches from the memories of what happened to her. As difficult as I found this to read (I had to put it down several times just to try to deal with the impact), it is a very important story, one that I hope receives a very wide audience.

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LibraryThing member BrynDahlquis

Please read this.

She puts into words so many things that I've never been able to, that few people have been able to, and that even fewer people understand, with artwork to match.

It is beautiful, powerful, and important.

LibraryThing member pomo58

Becoming Unbecoming by Una chronicles the lead-up to and aftermath of sexual assault, particularly the ways in which society turns a blind eye until forced to address an occurrence.

She tells her story very straightforwardly, and the simplicity of the telling makes it both more heartbreaking as

well as more infuriating. The ways in which young girls are made to believe that things are either their fault or simply the way of the world are exposed in their cruelty and their subtlety.

The narrative is interrupted for a period with some very sobering statistics. The timing of this was ideal, the treatment she was getting and the pain she was experiencing was becoming very dark. The statistical interlude illustrated the enormity of the problem(s) at the same time that it gave readers a chance to take a breath.

I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in understanding some of the horrible aspects of society in the hopes of making some positive change. The artwork is very effective primarily through its sparcity while the words drive every point home with clarity.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

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LibraryThing member villemezbrown

There's a powerful condemnation of sexism, the police, the media and society in general hiding in this autobiographical story of a girl who grew up in the shadow of a serial killer terrorizing her community. Unrelated (and yet related) to the killer, the author is the victim of sexual molestation

and rape. Unfortunately, the structure and presentation of the work itself obscures more than it enlightens. First, it is one of my major pet peeves, an illustrated story disguising itself as a graphic novel: sketchy art is unbalanced and overwhelmed by giant blocks of text. Text blocks are strewn across the page in a way that makes it difficult to ascertain the proper reading order. Powerful facts are tossed in but not fully explored; analysis is put aside in favor of pages laden with symbolism. The very structure is nebulous as the story seems to progress more through free association than building strongly toward its central point. I was moved by the intent of this work, but found the end result wanting.

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