A comiXologist Recommends

THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS

An anthology edited by Hope Nicholson

Hope Nicholson has done a beautiful thing in making THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS.  This book is bigger than a discussion of rights, sexuality, and the struggle against the male perception/media throughout one’s life.  It is a collection of stories depicting a tremendous scope of experiences relayed to educate, inspire, and help begin discussions that didn’t exist before it.  It is my belief that this book will come to be used as required reading in numerous classes, and not only those exploring feminine studies (to limit this book is shortsighted and oversimplifying).

The contributors range from young (and relatively new) cartoonists to world-renowned contemporary authors.  It isn’t every day that I get to see my friend Laura Neubert in the same book as the esteemed Margaret Atwood.  For you comic readers out there, we know Margaret Atwood has worked in the medium of comics, but she is also one of the most famous authors alive today, a fact which will draw in new readers of the medium.

In one story, Annie Mok, a regular contributor to The Comics Journal, relays her experience growing up and feeling apart from herself.  As a backbone to her tale, she shares observations about the literature and pop culture that most affected her during this time. In another section, Diana Nock explores how actions taken through bold defiance of the truth actually don’t always lead us to our happy ending.  

Hope Nicholson’s own story, “Rise of the Late Bloomer,” is one of my favorite entries into the collection.  I can—by proxy of a couple of close friends–better understand a facet of being a girl I would have never understood.  Through Hope’s work, the reader can better relate to someone who isn’t quick to date in their youth.  She relates to us readers that this (dating and sexuality) is merely something that needed to be left alone, for people to better learn about themself and be comfortable before pursuing companionship and relations with another.  This may sound like common sense to some, but then why did she feel the need to tell her story?  This book poses these sorts of questions.

These are stories to share, evoke, provoke, and act as both catharsis for their writers and a cure for the symptom of silence.  A lot of these contributions address the lack of communication about sexuality, feelings, and the need to be one’s own self when you’re raised to believe that there is something wrong with you.  Like I said, this should absolutely be required reading.

This book’s primary goal is to establish that all of these stories are relatable to anyone and everyone.  To put it simply, any single book that can approach sexuality (NOT sex) and affection outside of the modes of “hetero-” and “homo-” while also discussing the “Victorian Bad Boy” literary trope via a larger discussion of David Bowie in “Labyrinth” is ALWAYS worth a read. 

For any skeptics who glance at THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS and think “Oh, a book about girls,” be quiet and read it.  If you still feel that way when you’re done, then you’ve missed the point.  This book was written for everyone, and the ease with which anyone can relate to any of the stories reflects that.  It just also happens to be written by strong, intelligent women with important stories to tell.

Matthew Burbridge is a Digital Editor at comiXology.