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The Big She-Bang: The Herstory of the Universe According to God the Mother – A Hilarious Graphic Retelling of Feminist History

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One of O Magazine’s Best Books of Fall 2020 One of Comics Beat’s Most Anticipated Graphic Novels for Fall 2020 Writing as if in a fever dream, iconic New Yorker cartoonist Marisa Acocella channels God the Mother and all of the goddesses, saints and sinners, and real-life women from our storied past in this epic retelling that begins with the Big She-Bang. The rest, as they say, is herstory.

Hilarious, profound, and (at times) profane, The Big She-Bang is virtuosic storytelling in which the rules are bent back to where they should have started in the first place. It is abundantly clear that the past has been recorded in big books “written by a bunch of men about a bunch of men.” Now Acocella challenges our understanding of humanity’s past with her own Big Book. Narrated by God the Mother, The Big She-Bang celebrates the Shevolutionaries: a goddess roster that includes Eve, the Marys (Virgin Mother and Magdalene), Persephone, Sophia, Isis, Pope Joan, the Suffragettes, Gloria Steinem, Tarana Burke, Malala, and more. By Klieg-lighting the ways women have been erased, vilified, and dominated across eons—blamed for original sin, destruction, betrayal, witchery, and other assorted (and false) evils and ills—Acocella sets the story straight from the beginning of time to the present day. Not to be exclusionary, this new herstory features cameos from Yaldabaoth, Zeus, Noah, and the Rapacious Phalluses on the rampage. In the end, what hangs in the balance is nothing less than the future of humanity and Mother Earth herself.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2020

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1161 people want to read

About the author

Marisa Acocella

3 books16 followers
Marisa Acocella is a cartoonist for The New Yorker whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among other publications. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel Ann Tenna (Knopf), Cancer Vixen (Knopf), and Just Who the Hell Is She Anyway? (Crown). Her graphic memoir Cancer Vixen was named one of Time’s top ten graphic memoirs, and a finalist for the National Cartoonists Society Graphic Novel of the Year. A founder and chair of the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai, she lives in New York City.

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5 stars
40 (25%)
4 stars
41 (26%)
3 stars
45 (29%)
2 stars
21 (13%)
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8 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for ....
78 reviews45 followers
April 15, 2023
wow, this book is a very interesting take on herstory that i truthfully didn't know much about lol :) my friend/co-worker denyse gave me this book a little while ago as a gift and i'm glad she did! well worth the read!

the art in this is beautiful, i especially love the design of god the mother . i also love the comic style, it made reding more fun and enjoyable :)
Profile Image for Shawn.
106 reviews8 followers
January 19, 2022
I loved a lot of this (the global survey of goddesses and female archetypes, the general takedown of patriarchal rewriting of narrative.) Some of it I totally hated (the sketchy conspiracy theory rants and overall fevered incoherence) but all in all a fascinating read with some great art and a sly sense of humor.
Profile Image for Tabrizia.
726 reviews7 followers
September 3, 2020
Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations and artwork is very vibrant and beautiful but the story was just way too out there. I understand that it was to rewrite history and make it "herstory" but I just felt like it wasn't there. Also, the text in the comic bubbles was illegible. Readers would have a hard time reading the comic if it is publish that way. I think it should be written as plain text instead of handwritten text.
Profile Image for Angela.
437 reviews
January 16, 2021
This book is an interesting toe dip into the history of suppressed women’s stories. I love the concept of a retelling of the creation of humanity through a feminist retelling but I think it was too ambitious and the stories got all jumbled together. It was a pretty western centric telling although it tried to be otherwise with some cameos of other cultures that came short. This should have been a series. The art is pretty stunning and it opened my curiosity about some figures I wasn’t aware of.
658 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2024
Loved the premise of telling the story of our world through the lens of mythological, religious, and historical women. Unfortunately, the shaky connecting thread and the sheer number of women mentioned made this a bit of a mess for me. 2.5 stars

Read it because:
Impulse read from the library
Profile Image for Kayla Zabcia.
1,195 reviews7 followers
July 4, 2021
40%

This book gave me emotional whiplash over and over again. It would be "yay feminism! Let's shed light on the exclusion of women in history!" one moment, and then "humans are awful, you are awful, you suck, Earth's destruction is your fault, I hate you" the next, on repeat. Like, yes, that is technically true, but it was really quite aggressive, and then after beating you up for being a living human being (which wasn't really my choice in the first place) it proceeded to offer NO suggestions on how to actually be a better human being in relation to humanity and our environment.

Anyways, I did not finish this book and walk away empowered. Instead I felt like I just heard my "best friends" in middle school come into the bathroom and sh*t-talk about me while I was in the stall.
Profile Image for Karen Swinney.
182 reviews
November 29, 2020
I received this book as a goodreads giveaway. It was very bright and colorful. The premise was a good one. "Herstory" instead of "History". There was a lot of "Herstory" given to you. It was very interesting to see all the various female figures from Eve to Tarana Burke, who was the inspiration and 'trail blazer' of the "Me Too" movement.

I found it a very interesting spin on the history that we have been taught. I don't know if I liked or disliked all of the alternate spin, however, it made me think of what life would be like, if men hadn't suppressed and trampled over women for century's.

I would recommend giving this a try.
Profile Image for Kelly K.
2,015 reviews16 followers
April 10, 2021
I'm not sure what to make of this except it was odd. Some of the things were true and some of the things were questionable.
59 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2021
Brilliant. I love how Marisa Acocella pulls so many disparate goddess stories together, using the story of Sophia from Gnostic Christian writings as a spine. There is some creative storytelling to weave it all together, but all history contains creative storytelling. I basically love everything about it.
Profile Image for Brittani Thompson.
13 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2022
I loved this book! The art work, history and overall vibe was amazing! I felt empowered after reading. There is a goddess in all us women.
I just created CULT GIRLS graphic novel, a comedic romantic novel of my life being raised in one of the largest international cults.
Thank you Marisa for sharing your talents with the universe.
1 review2 followers
July 8, 2021
The illustrations were gorgeous.
Profile Image for Sonnydee.
75 reviews11 followers
September 4, 2023
This book is very cool, and it's nice to see discussion of gnosticism outside of academic texts. Coming into it as someone who's a nerd about women and religion and already familiar with most of the represented figures, it was fun to see them depicted visually. For the most part, the art is appealing as hell. I would give it five stars if not for three pet peeves:

1) Inanna is pretty much the first literary hero--not the first female literary hero, the first literary hero period--and it was a weird choice to depict her as a demonic diva who tries to trick women into worshipping her and not a groundbreaking figure. No mention of her descent into the underworld--again, the first literary depiction of such an event? No mention of Enheduanna, the first named writer of a literary text--again, the first, period, not the first woman? In a book about how women are empowered by woman-centred storytelling? What is Acocella's beef with Inanna, especially given how tenuous the evidence is in support of human sacrifice in Inanna's worship? She deserved so much better! Read Judy Grahn's "Eruptions of Inanna"!

2) With all the snake stuff, why depict Tiamat as a weird shittily-drawn crybaby who everyone can't wait to get rid of and not as the model for patriarchal religion's overthrow of goddess-centred religion which has played out ever since as the archetypal slaying of the serpent? No mention of the Tehom/Tiamat connection where Tiamat is arguably directly the Babylonian equivalent of the Eden serpent? She could have been given a hell of a lot more weight and drawn a lot cooler! Seriously she looks like shit.

3) Why all the low-key disgust for depictions of vulvas? Vulvas were pretty clearly important in neolithic symbolism and that's carried over to, for example, goddesses like Baubo and Ame-no-Uzume and icons like Sheila-na-gigs, which appear here only as cringed-away-from jokes. Come on, Acocella, you have a Jesus sex scene. Why are you so scared of vulvas? Read Liv Stromquist's "Fruit of Knowledge"! Fear of the vulva and vagina is tied directly into patriarchal subversion of woman-centred creation myths!

The conspiracy theory shit is distracting, too. Chem trails, ma'am? Still, a book of this breadth couldn't possibly do all its subject matter justice, and it couldn't be written by someone who isn't a little out there, so I'll take the good with the bad. Still the best feminist take on gnosticism I've seen. Come on, feminists, jump on the Sophia train.
Profile Image for Melissa Chung.
952 reviews322 followers
February 13, 2022
Every once in a while I like to peruse my local library for new graphic novels. Sometimes I'll walk in with no expectations and grab all of the ones I haven't read. Sometimes I look for specific ones. This time around I walked in and picked up graphic novels of authors I knew...except for this one. The Big She-Bang grabbed me at first glance of the cover. Then I opened the inside and a quick peek let me know I was about to take a ride on the Woman God train which I was down to hop aboard. 4 stars!

Marisa is not only the author of this graphic novel, but the main character of the story. She is in her office, when a gust of wind sends her into "space", where she meets God the mother and Mother Earth. Marisa gets to talk to all the goddesses of our history. She learns that whenever woman's voices got to loud or too many people were following what women had to say, they were erased, ridiculed, called heretics.

I have always been fascinated by religion and this graphic novel, made me want to pick up everything about these women and read them again. As we age we learn that their are two sides of every story, except as we get older we realize, even if their are two sides, only one side is heard and only one side is believed. Typically that story is written by people of power or money.

The moral of this story is to live by love. We can fix the damage to this planet if we work together. I we love one and other, love our Earth, love the water, love nature and make a difference now. Otherwise we are probably going to end up in a dystopian run by A.I. That doesn't seem very fun to me. I mean I have seen the Matrix.

Definitely worth the read. Loved the colorful illustration and all the Herstory.
Profile Image for Donna.
491 reviews11 followers
April 27, 2021
OMGoddess!!!! I learned of this book-a surprise of a graphic novel-via a wonderful podcast, Seeking With Robyn. Robyn and Karen introduced me to Marisa Acocella and her book, THE BIG SHE-BANG...(and Marisa totally lit up the screen).
On my spiritual journey, I have read several letters and collection pieces from the Essenes. Marisa simply confirms the validity of all of these writings. The "laws" that have been rewritten thru the years by priests, popes, and men in government, from both BC and AD documents, especially during the year 325 and the Council of Nicea, and later Vatican I, 1869-70, the Nag Hammadi library findings in1947, Vatican II, 1962-65, (not to mention the Vatican Library under "lock and key"). Listening to Marisa give me pause! I am so very hungry for more! You are 100% correct Robyn--Marisa should teach a course!!!
Thank you for recognizing "Humanity" as a whole. The divisiveness among genders, religions, races, nationalities, and political parties is nothing new, and usually comes from the top, down. Right now it seems worse than ever, due to social and news media, and a crazy government along with its leadership, however; as herstory shows, the pendulum will swing back. And, as we have learned repeatedly thru this time, "we have all chosen to be here for such a time as this." Keep the faith, press on peacefully, and know the battle has already been won, and only needs our patience!!!
I never dreamed I would be praising a graphic novel, shy of those that got many of my students reading when nothing else would. The artwork in this "missal" is as amazing as the story..."HERSTORY." Bravo Marisa Acocella!!
Profile Image for Kasie Cavanagh.
45 reviews
January 12, 2026
The Big She-Bang: The Herstory of the Universe According to God the Mother (Hardcover)
By Marisa Acocella

I really liked this book at the beginning. The concept is clever and engaging, and I appreciated how clearly it illustrated the many ways women have contributed to the advancement of the human race—often while being written out of traditional history.

The artwork is truly gorgeous. The illustrations and coloring are stunning, cosmic, and visually rich, making this graphic retelling a pleasure to look at. The point of view—told through God the Mother—is also thoughtful and intentionally feminist, which many readers will absolutely love.

However, as the book went on, it began to drag. The recurring focus on Mother Earth crying because humans continually harm her started to feel repetitive, and the message lost some of its impact because of it. What began as powerful and engaging eventually felt a bit overextended.

If you’re a feminist reader, this book will likely resonate strongly with you, both in message and perspective. For me, it just felt longer than it needed to be—shorter and tighter would have made the message even stronger.

Final thoughts:
✨ Stunning, cosmic artwork and coloring
♀️ Strong feminist perspective
🌍 Repetitive themes later in the book
⏳ Could have benefited from being shorter

A visually beautiful and thoughtfully feminist read that starts strong, but loses momentum along the way.
Profile Image for Lisa Marsh.
188 reviews2 followers
November 8, 2020
You often learn as much about the writers of stories as you do about the subjects they are writing about. And much of the history of the world has been written by men.
No more. This brilliant graphic novel by the super-talented #marisaacocella tells the story from the perspective of Mother Earth, God as a woman and so on. It's a real eye-opener and it's beautiful.
What's more, this book is meticulously researched. If it tell us anything, it's that Acocella is a super smart feminist and is sharing her gospel. Amen to that.
It's no surprise that I am a fan of this. IMHO women have been undervalued and their power thwarted for too long. It's about time to rewrite the histories, rules and norms that have disenfranchised us for so long.
@marisaacocella is a friend, so this is a preview copy. It's available on Nov 17. And I'm not kidding -- if you have teen women in your life, this the perfect gift. Actually, it's perfect for most women. I'm buying in bulk.
#abolishthepatriarchy #herstory #madamevicepresident
Profile Image for Melissa.
2,778 reviews177 followers
December 19, 2020
I originally started reading this as a digital galley last week - which turned out to have such corrupt formatting that I notified the publisher, who pulled the galley bc they agreed it was "yikes", and offered to send me a review copy.

Glad I said yes. I've been having trouble concentrating on reading this week - work at the hospital has become COMPLETELY UNGLUED as the surge is starting to hit and my study ramps up enrollment - and this book was just the thing to collapse with on the couch, and a blanket and a cider and the Mittens and the fireplace on - and just read and enjoy the colorful artwork and Acocella's feminist retelling of early religious history and myth. It does lean heavier toward Judeo-Christian/Catholic figures but Acocella does bring in female figures from other beliefs. A one-sitting read for me.

There are some transitions between panels or "chapters" that felt very rough to me and made it hard to follow the thought process.
Profile Image for Danielle.
3,069 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2025
I've owned a copy of this for a while, and I can confidently say that this book is for people who would unironically use the term "herstory."

This was honestly really difficult to follow, given that it's a mix of actual and alternative history. It jumps very quickly from character to character, basically letting each woman give their elevator pitch before moving on to the next one. I'm still kind of confused about what the actual story was supposed to be.

You can also tell that they're Women because they all have eyelashes and/or eyeliner. Overall, this maybe reinforced the views I already had about history having a patriarchal lens. I really feel like I didn't get anything out of this.
14 reviews
May 20, 2025
I was intrigued by the concept and absolutely sucked into this re-telling of the ever-erased HERstory of the universe as we know it. I was immediately inspired to tell every woman I know about this book and every story we have never been told about our beautiful mothers. You will be changed after knowing what I now know. I only wish every heroine, mother, and daughter could have her own book to tell the gritty details of her story.
Profile Image for Graisi.
570 reviews16 followers
May 27, 2021
Esotericism in graphic novel form is great. Maybe sometimes, that way, learning appeals to more people.

This is a good summary of Goddess and gnostic herstory in a semi-fictional comic format, with a bit of humour sprinkled in. I'm pleasantly surprised at this authors take on Inanna / Ishtar. Most people don't seem to see things that way.
Profile Image for Lucas S..
5 reviews
September 4, 2022
This full color, educational, beautiful book deserves an award! I love the movement of graphic novels to be used in education and promoting free thinking. They are so hard to make in terms of cost, time and creativity versus a black and white novel. 5 stars all the way! Loved it.
Profile Image for Shanna.
1 review
September 4, 2023
Beautiful and vibrant artwork and the author has a great sense of humor and irreverence. I enjoyed learning about the various goddesses, saints, and trail blazers, but I could have done without the ancient aliens conspiracy theory stuff. I did enjoy the book overall, though.
Profile Image for Emilia P.
1,726 reviews71 followers
July 20, 2020
Reading for LJ Review. Suffice it to say. Wheeeeee. Recommend, it was wild, hold on to your butts.
Profile Image for George Hamblen.
330 reviews
June 29, 2021
Beautifully illustrated story of evolution as seen through the eyes of women over the years. Very well put together story. Line of the book is “ books written by men to tell the stories of men”
Profile Image for Susan Dunker.
682 reviews6 followers
August 14, 2021
A must read for everyone who wants to save our mother- Earth. A wild guide to the herstory of women throughout the ages. Please read it and have your daughters read it too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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