My Current Favorites [February 2022]: Graphic Novels, Comics
For Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about some books on love and sex.
The Incredible Story of Sex
It’s a graphic novel about the history of sex, from the beginning to today.
The Incredible Story of Sex has 2 volumes:
- The first on the West
- The second on Africa, Asia, and the Middle East
The drawings are cute without being too explicit or vulgar. It covers sex, of course, but also taboo, religion, patriarchy, women’s rights, and more.
For example, throughout the history of sex in the West, you can see how certain things that were totally accepted before become taboo over time because of an unfounded belief—or because SO-AND-SO said so…
Tracing taboos back to their origins also helps you better understand, better accept or not accept certain beliefs about sex.
Volume 1 exists in 3 editions, with different quality: it’s either monochrome or very colorful, you need to get the 2020 edition for the very colorful version.
As for Volume 2, the colors are even better. The language is a bit rawer than Volume 1. But you learn even more because sex in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East has become even more taboo than in the West, despite more libertine origins. The parts where the authors update us on the progress and role of women in current society, in each region of the world, are really very interesting.
In short, I learned a ton of things. The amount of information is so vast that you have to take a lot, a lot of notes. Every page is packed with new information, so I recommend taking your time to read them.
The so-called “general knowledge” is accessible and understandable from high school onwards; I think this kind of book provides good sex education without taboos.
Here are the purchase links:
- Volume 1 €24.9, also available as an ebook for €8 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
- Volume 2 €20, also available as an ebook for €8 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
I’ll share some screenshots with you:
Sorry for the Love by Sophie Lambda
When everything goes well, it’s great, but when love turns into a nightmare, it gives the following graphic novel: Sorry for the Love
This book was recommended to me after my stories about narcissistic perverts. This graphic novel explains how a manipulator behaves, at the beginning of the relationship (love bombing), during the relationship (gaslighting), and after the breakup (victimization), and how you can feel lost, frustrated, and destroyed by such a relationship.
This book is an absolute success ! From the cover to the last page, you can feel the author is used to new technologies. The storytelling, the “special” effects, the phone screenshots… are so well done. With the ebook, you can read one panel at a time, and the zoom in / zoom out effect is so well executed that I think you’ll enjoy the ebook more than the paper version, because there are pages where content is revealed gradually, unlike the text version where you don’t know what to read first. It’s magnificent!
There’s a little guide to spotting manipulators, and above all, many pages at the end of the book to help you find healing paths if you ever have the misfortune of crossing paths with a manipulator in your life.
Even if you’re single, or in a relationship with someone lovely, read this book anyway. You always need to be armed against these kinds of individuals. They are numerous and can cause damage both in personal and professional life. One tip: if you meet one, run away!
Here are the purchase links:
- Hardcover €23.95 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
- ebook €16.99 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
On the author’s Instagram account, she explains in the permanent stories the choice of covers for each country. As well as the aftermath of the book’s release, including the tons of advice requests received each day. It’s hilarious, read this:
Other books on narcissistic perverts
I haven’t read them but I was recommended these books:
- The Silence Wounds 8,2€ (Amazon link, Fnac link): it’s presented as a detective novel. But at the end, there are tips for getting out. The book is intended for victims currently living with a narcissistic pervert and who don’t really know how to seek help and escape. It’s an excellent book to give to someone living with a manipulator, because they won’t see anything, the back cover doesn’t mention it, only the person who reads it will know what it’s about.
- A woman has disappeared. Her husband claims suicide, her parents insist she was murdered, her colleagues think she ran off with a lover. What if they’re all wrong? Who to believe? Who’s manipulating whom? After the death of a loved one and two years of research into the mechanisms of control and perversion, journalist Natacha Calestrémé depicts the effects of domestic harassment, the silences that accompany this invisible violence, the traps into which those around her fall… and at the heart of this novel, she provides keys to breaking free.
- The Love Manipulator 14€ (Amazon link, Fnac link): testimony from a friend of a friend.
- As a child, Suzanne dreamed of a sweet fairy-tale romance. Naive and full of idealism, she married her first love, the one from her teenage years. Coming from devout middle-class families, the couple had two adorable little girls, many friends, a solid professional situation, a lovely house; everything, it seemed, to be happy. And yet… Behind this beautifully polished facade, a violence took hold, perverse and insidious, discreet. Blind in spite of herself, Suzanne let herself be manipulated for a few years. Wounded far from her childhood dreams under the grip of toxic love, she nevertheless dared to free herself, breaking the dictates, confronting her fears and the judgment of others. In this book, Suzanne tells us with deep insight how she freed herself from domestic violence; the kind that isn’t visible and that is hardly ever talked about; the kind that social status shields from suspicion. She also takes the opportunity to remind us of the main characteristics of a narcissistic pervert manipulator and offers some keys to breaking free. A moving account with a very inspiring practical touch.
- Documentary on narcissistic perverts (YouTube link)
Single or in a relationship, be happy. Take care of yourself! <3
