Becoming Unbecoming

I could go into so much detail about my own experiences as a wide-eyed girl, an impressionable teenager, and a jaded adult woman, and how Una's experiences were so, so different, and yet so, so familiar.If you're wondering how "graphic" this graphic novel might be: it's not. It deals frankly with topics like rape, abuse, and sexual violence, but these are usually depicted by mundane images such as closed doors, hedge rows, or switched-off lights, which for me made them all the more evocative.The main narrative of the book is Una's autobiography, which melds into her experiences as a young teenager against the backdrop of the unfolding case of the Yorkshire Ripper, then becomes an examination of both past and current statistics of sexual violence. The narrative is non-linear and freeform, as it should be: This is Una's personal story, as well as the story of the local phenomenon that took over her community, but it could be the story of so many other women in any other community at any other point in time. The third quarter of the book, largely composed of facts and statistics, doesn't truly integrate into the narrative and became difficult to read. Not because it is boring, but because the lack of narrative means there's nothing to distract the reader from the depressing and infuriating subject matter.I read this book several months ago and so much of it sticks with me and still makes me angry. One case in point: during the investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper, after the first few incidents the police began characterizing the victims as "loose women" for reasons such as being a prostitute, being divorced, and having a boyfriend of a different race, which led them to dismiss the testimony of one escaped victim, who was a young schoolgirl and therefore seen as "undeserving" of being attacked by the same predator.If there's a problem with this book, it's that it's preaching to the choir. If you've read the description and are thinking you'd like to read this book, chances are you are at least somewhat aware of the ideals hammered into many young girls' heads, and how quickly those ideals are wielded as weapons or barriers once a woman fails meet them. There is hard information: facts, numbers, transcripts of police reports, that could have the power to open up hearts and minds, but I have 100% confidence that this novel will be ignored and dismissed by those who could learn something really profound from it.But if you've made it to this review page, and made it to the end of this review, go ahead and read this book. It's worth your time.

Becoming Unbecoming is a challenging but important read that thoroughly illuminates the culture of violence against women that still exists today. Content warning of violence and sexual assault, as well as light narrative spoilers. Visual metaphors explain how the author has coped with trauma that she has survived and impart an idea of the psychological effects to the reader. Una's personal experiences with sexual violence are backgrounded by the Yorkshire Ripper serial killings of the 1970s in England, which provides context for the lack of serious concern that society has with violence against women. Statistics and a variety of individual accounts of the ongoing violence ground the story and build up the image of a clearly male centric community that is somehow able to simultaneously make light of the issues with jokes and a police department that follows irrelevant leads in the investigation that allows the killer to remain at large for several years. The novel has overt references to Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis that visually represent how Una feels about the way she is viewed by others at her school. As the description notes above, she analyzes how she is slut shamed at school and notes the many double standards and Catch 22s that boys and girls her age use and are subjected to when passing such labels around through gossip and direct confrontation. I appreciated the periodic aspects of the story that explain her and other survivors' resiliency and ability to lead fulfilling lives after acknowledging and processing what has happened to them. A core component of her perspective on the ripper case is the tragic lack of remembrance of the victims and the lives they could have lived if this case had been given proper attention. As the ripper primarily focused his attacks upon prostitutes, the public had a disgusting lack of empathy for attacks against working women, and acted like the attacks on non sex workers were uniquely transgressive to Yorkshire and that the killer had broken some kind of code he was supposed to be following. The tragic story of this graphic novel is a powerful argument for increasing understanding of consent, psychological support, and the presence of female voices in our communities.

Perfect, just what I needed for my class.

Such an inspiring book that brings attention to a serious topic in a relatable way.

Excellent graphic novel that follows the real life events of The Ripped.

Very compelling book this book me back to my childhood. What a different time it was! I have beliefs that formed during my formative years. It is hard to shake these beliefs about the rights of women.during my formative years. It is hard to shake these beliefs about the rights of women.

This sensitvely-drawn graphic memoir I guess you could call it, (as opposed to graphic novel) is a unique approach to a difficult topic - sexual abuse. With all the recent revelations of men in power as sexual predators and the #MeToo movement, this book couldn't be more timely.

So so good. You get the whole story without too many haunting details. Very tastefully done and worth a read!

I don’t feel entirely comfortable putting a score but there is no other way to leave a review. Chilling, dark, hopeful, enlightening and strangely, sadly still relevant to this day. The author puts a very different spin on the Ripper case as it is more about the views of society on women at the time drawing on her own experiences (not all good). I feel privileged to have been able to see it through her eyes. Occasionally hard to read or get the word segments in the right order but a simple but easy to understand drawing style that brings easy into a darker theme. It is heavy reading but full of facts, feeling and enlightenment.

Having met Una by lucky happenstance at a gathering in Norwich, I bought this book. Clever, sidelong, dramatically different in every respect, this dazzling graphic novel is a mind-bender and a heart-stopper - and reads like something you've been secretly hiding from your own self all along. It's an exploration, wide and deep, of something a great many more women will recognise as having a place in their own lives than might imagine, and will resonate strongly with the Yorkshire Ripper generation of young women's lives, and, unfortunately, the older women those girls have become's lives too. Gorgeously illustrated by the author, written with grace, beautifully-modulated coming-into-realisation clarity and, at last in this reader's experience simply un-put-downable, this is a book that makes a powerful, individual mark as the artwork and words unfold their magic. I am bowled over with admiration.

It's horrifying to think how much sexual abuse takes place, and even worse is how slow we are to do something about it. This book perfectly described the trauma and victim-blaming culture persisting to this day.

This is an fantastic book. Mixing visual art with real life excerpts from newspapers and the police, this is a coming of age story set against the back drop of the Yorkshire Ripper. Mixing her own life story with that of the narrative of the women murdered and how they were represented by the media and police at the time, it's a breath taking account. 70s sexism is rife however, you do ask yourself, how much has changed. The final drawings at the end left me very moved. Brilliant.

Stunning illustrations and a wonderfully written book. I had the privilege of meeting Una when she recently did an interview at Waterstones. Very eloquent and concise and spoke beautiful about her comic book, why it isn't a biography about The Ripper (although she displayed excellent and extensive knowledge after her research for the book) and what she hopes for the furture on sexual violence and attitudes towards women.