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Commute

Two things are true about this book: it’s going to make you uncomfortable at some point, and you should really read it. Yes, that includes the dudes. This is as open and raw a memoir as I’ve ever seen, and since I’m in year 19 of reviewing comics on this website, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen a whole lot of them. It’s also so packed with stories that I have no idea where to begin. The beginning, you say? Sure, let’s get literal. Things start off small, with a story about her daily routine before work, including the 16 step makeup process that’s supposed to make her look like she’s not wearing makeup. The next story is also fairly mundane, about walking her dog and the various things she sees along the way (for what it’s worth, I agree with her: she probably saw a meth lab). With the next story, though, everything gets weird, and it stays various degrees of weird the rest of the way. It starts off with a listing of the 6 other people on her daily bus ride, but when a new person gets on who reminds her of a fling, we get more details of that awkward mess. Which leads to a story of another mess, and we’re off to the races. Subjects in here include her method for telling if she had sex the night before (while she was an alcoholic; she’s since recovered), SO many observed creepy male gazes (either directed at her or others), trying to decide while on a train late at night which one of the two dudes on the train would try to rape her and which one would help her, the three Jims and what they taught her about men, the first dick she ever saw, the sliding scale of what constitutes sexual assault, talking about Freud with somebody who still believes in his bullshit, how half naked ladies are trying to sell her something everywhere she goes (mostly in billboards and ads), and how much was taken from her piece by piece. That last one is daily interactions with men, how thoughtless they can be at times (if not mostly), and how few of them really stop to think about what kind of effect their actions have on others. It’s an incredible book, and yet another example of my trying to save money by using the library ending up backfiring because I’m definitely going to get my own copy of this book very soon. Any woman who reads this will sadly find a whole lot that’s familiar, but maybe they’ll find some useful tips on how to help get through it. Any man who reads this… take it to heart. Even the “good ones” have room for improvement. $24.99