Book · 2006
Fun Home
by Alison Bechdel
A cartoonist traces her closeted father's death against her own coming-out, and realizes they were both hiding in the same family funeral home the whole time.
What does Reddit think of Fun Home?
r/graphicnovels barely discusses this one in isolation, it discusses it as a line item. A comics-as-literature instructor's list of roughly a hundred artistically serious works puts it beside Watchmen, Maus, and American Born Chinese. A separate "classics since 2000" thread lists it next to Black Hole and Persepolis. A third names it directly for a reader asking about family issues, calling it a tour de force that touches on sexual orientation and suicide, the one excerpt here that describes the book rather than just filing it. It also surfaces in a thread responding to the subreddit's own androcentric Top 100 poll results, part of a push to name more work outside that list's default. Read across the sample, the pattern is canon placement more than active debate: nobody here argues with including it, they just keep including it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Repeated inclusion on academic and canon comics lists
- · Memoir-comics category shared with Maus and Persepolis
- · Family secrecy across two closeted lives, father and daughter
- · A corrective to the subreddit's own androcentric Top 100 poll
Common praise
- + A self-described comics-as-literature instructor puts it on their short list of works with real artistic merit, alongside Watchmen and Maus.
- + A commenter recommends it directly for family-issues subject matter, naming sexual orientation and suicide as what it actually covers.
- + It gets pulled into a thread specifically trying to counter the subreddit's own male-heavy Top 100 results, treated as work that belongs in that gap.
Common criticism
- − Almost every displayed excerpt names it inside a list rather than discussing it on its own, so there's little argument here about the book itself, just agreement it belongs on the shelf.
- − None of the sampled comments push back on its inclusion anywhere, which flatters it, but also means this sample can't show what a critical reader thinks.
Who it's for
Building a graphic-novel shelf and want the academically defensible picks, not just the popular ones? This is the title the self-described comics-as-literature instructor reaches for first. Coming from Maus or Persepolis and want the next memoir in that register? r/graphicnovels keeps grouping it with exactly those two. Looking specifically for family material that deals with a parent's death and a daughter's own sexual orientation? One direct recommendation here names both as the book's actual subject, not just its reputation.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Fun Home?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“A growing library collection is such a fun project. Here's where I might start. I've roughly categorized by sections. I've tried to list only items that are in print but I didn't check everything I listed. And this is FAR from an exhaustive list; I aimed for breadth as well as generally not going fo…
“I literally do this for a living. I teach comics as Lit. I’ll assert that many many works are worthy of study in some way, but if we’re looking for some sort of artistic merit. I could probably list 100, but I’ll start with some basics. Fun Home Watchmen The Best We Could Do Maus American Bor…
“Hey 👋! I’ve been thinking about this for a while and here are my favorites: 1. “Monsters” by BWS - A profound portrayal of the horrors of war, human experimentation, deeply impactful and emotionally scarring. 2. “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei - Real-life experiences of internment and rac…
“Since 2000? Lots, some that already I'd say are classics. Some I'd highlight:. Black Hole by Charles Burns. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware
“I'd recommend **Fun Home** by Alison Bechdel. It's a tour de force of family issues. Touches on sexual orientation, suicide.
“Berlin Asterios polyp Fun home Watchmen Akira There are so many more but this is what comes to mind for the moment.
“Inspired by the heavily androcentric results of our Top 100 poll, in response to which some folks here expressed an interest in consciously seeking out more…
“Miracle Man is fantastic, and so is Swamp Thing. While I can acknowledge that Watchmen is often seen as Moore's greatest work, I found Miracle Man and Swamp Thing to be more enjoyable overall. Sandman might be next if you want something to scratch that high art itch. Or check out Fun Home and Maus.
“A fun, positive recommendation: Do a Powerbomb! A not so fun or positive recommendation: Fun Home Crazy, raunchy sci-fi recommendation: Saga
“The graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic has that whole complicated-relationship-with-your-parents-and-their-issues thing going on. [Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas](
“Spinning by Tillie Walden (and any of Walden's work tbh but Spinning is her autobio) Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a quintessential graphic novel memoir raina telgemeieralso does a lot of autobio related stuff, and while it's more so meant for kids, adults can get something out of it
“I’m not sure if these are what you are looking for but I have 3 recommendations: 1) Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli 2) Fun home by Alison Bechdel and 3) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
“Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It is brilliantly structured, weaving three different stages of her life together whilst also offering light commentary on literature that was prominent in the lives of her and her father and how it relates to their situation. It is so impactful and thought provoking. I…
“Wow I totally missed the call even tho I see the sub on my feed all the time. 😕 Oh well. I was worried somehow Fun Home didn’t make the cut until I saw the last panel. These are all good books, but the taste does seem to lean very male. And honestly one could do an entirely separate list for comic…
“I was quite impressed with Fun Home. Seems like the indie graphic novel space is rife with mediocre "trauma diaries", but this one was: A.) One of the earlier examples, and therefore innovative as opposed to derivative. B.) Very well executed with actual intense subject matter as opposed to a dram…
Convinced? Pick up Fun Home
What else does r/graphicnovels read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Guides featuring Fun Home
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Fun Home — frequently asked
Is Fun Home considered a serious literary graphic novel?+
Yes, per the strongest displayed evidence. A r/graphicnovels commenter who says they teach comics as literature lists it among roughly a hundred works with real artistic merit, in the same breath as Watchmen and Maus. That's a specific academic framing, not a popularity claim, and nothing in the sample disputes it.
What is Fun Home actually about, according to Reddit?+
One direct r/graphicnovels recommendation describes it plainly: a tour de force of family issues that touches on sexual orientation and suicide. That's the only excerpt here that characterizes the content rather than just naming the title inside a longer list, so it carries more weight than the list appearances around it.
How does Fun Home compare to Maus or Persepolis?+
r/graphicnovels repeatedly files it alongside both. A "classics since 2000" list groups it with Persepolis and Black Hole, and a separate artistic-merit list puts it next to Maus and Watchmen. The pattern across these threads treats it as part of the same memoir-comics tier as those two titles, not a lesser adjacent pick.