Unerschrocken – Gesamtausgabe

Les Culottées #1-2

by Pénélope Bagieu

Frauen machen, was sie wollen! Ob Rapperin oder Apachenkriegerin, Schöpferin der Mumins oder Königin der Banditen – “Unerschrocken” enthält 30 humorvolle und sensible Porträts von Frauen, die ihr Schicksal selbst in die Hand genommen haben. Sie sind und waren Vorreiterinnen, unangepasst und jede eine Heldin auf ihre ganz eigene Art.

Mit Witz und Finesse porträtiert Pénélope Bagieu außergewöhnliche Persönlichkeiten, die den gesellschaftlichen Zwängen ihrer Zeit trotzten, um das Leben ihrer Wahl zu führen. Die zweiteilige Anthologie jetzt als Gesamtausgabe erhältlich.

“Das Leben jeder einzelnen dieser Frauen liefert genug Stoff für all die Hollywood-Filme, die bislang nie über sie gedreht worden sind. Ein überaus kurzweiliger Augenöffner.” – Erik Wenk, Der Tagesspiegel

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Feminism, History, Biography, Comics, Historical

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Pénélope Bagieu, (born 22 January 1982 Paris), is a French illustrator and comic designer. She became known for her comic blog My quite fascinating life.

Penelope Bagieu graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economic and Social studies, she spent a year at ESAT Paris, then at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris and then at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Multimedia and entertainment, where she graduated in December 2006.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

my skin is clear. my gpa is up. spring has come early. i'm hydrated. i have been cured of my nearsightedness.

i could not have d r e a m e d up a more perfect book.

this book contains: trans women, gay women, bi women, straight women, pan women, black women, asian women, native american women, middle eastern women, white women, autistic women, disabled women. there are living women and dead women and women who are so dead that it's like, maybe she was born around the year 350? there are women i've heard of and women i've long obsessed over and women i'd never heard of because SOCIETY IS UNJUST.

the art is beautiful, whether it's the comic-style panels that make up most of the book or the two-page spreads at the end of every entry, all of which i want to Frame And Hang But Also Print On The Backs Of My Eyelids.

i've been struggling to read a bit this month — no book could catch my attention. i opened the package containing this yesterday, and must have kept it in the back of my mind since, because i picked it up today without thinking. and didn't put it down. through dinner or cleaning or cookie-baking or anything else.

i needed this book in childhood, and i needed it as a teenager, and i need it now and i'll continue to need it forever. i know absolutely that i'll return to this book always.

this is going on my all-time favorites list. this is a book that i will recommend to all women, and all men, and all people of all genders because it is so important and beautiful and necessary.

as i finished this book, i got choked up. because it's over, and because it is such a gift.

at the end, Pénélope Bagieu includes a list of 30 more badass women, and oh my god if this world is worthy of loving Bagieu will write a book for them, too.

bottom line: maybe i will come back and write more later, because i have the feeling i will never be done talking about this book.

thank you, thank you, thaaaaank you to fierce reads for the ARC

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout history, there have been many, many people worthy of remembrance. Some of these, we remember. Many of these, we forget. This book is one of profiles of courageous ‘hidden’ women throughout history, those not known.

I do not know how to review graphic art styles but I really loved the art style of this.

Some of my favorite profiles in here included:
→Las Mariposas (1924-1960), three Dominican sisters under Rafael Trujillo.
→Josephine Baker (1906-1975), first African-American star of a major-motion picture.
→Tove Jannson (1914-2001), Finnish author of the Moomin comics.
→Agnocide (4th century BCE), a midwife in agent Greece who disguised herself as a man. (I should mention here that she is generally not considered a historical figure.)
→Laymah Gbowee (b.1972), Liberian peace activist.
→Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989), a transgender woman who accidentally entered the public eye in 1954.
→Wu Zetian (624-705 A.D.), the only officially recognized empress regnant of China and a deeply morally grey character.
→Jesselyn Radack (b.1970), lawyer for whistleblowers and founder of Whisper.
→Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000), actress and little-known inventor.
→Naziq Al-Abid (1898-1959), activist in Ottoman Empire and later Syria.
→Mae Jemison (b.1956), first black woman astronaut, and generally one of my favorite people to live ever

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[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is amazing, you have to read it. I wasn't going to, because I have been reading all these books for kids featuring one page portraits of inspiring famous women, accompanied by a few sentences. Cute, important, and here we are, Dave, another one, sigh. I even had it out of the library and on one of my scary teetering piles and thought, eh, though I saw the art was typically great. I had read her California Dreaming', her story of Mama Cass, and Exquisite Corpse, which were similar drawn and colored, very inviting.

Brazen features 29 portraits of women, many you may not have heard of before: A bearded lady, a lighthousekeeper. Some are internationally known--Nelly Bly, Josephine Baker, Hedy Lamarr--some are locally well known. Most of the information Bagieu shares with us in her four pages comics bios of each of them reveal information that would require a lot of research. The stories range from hilarious to delightful to sad to horrific. There are trans folks, lesbians, Las Mariposas from the Dominican Republic, Margaret Hamilton (the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz!), 19th-century Apache shaman Lozen and the 17th-century African queen Nzinga, warriors of mind and body. Explorer Delia Akeley and “utopian realist” Therese Clerc.

Men and society in general tried to held them back, but they persevered. Rapper Sonita Alizadeh, who, still barely out of her teens, performs her way out of becoming common female commerce in Afghanistan (she realizes as a child that women are “viewed as merchandise”). !!!

The stories are very entertaining throughout; I defy you to tell me one you found was boring or eh. No eh! All amazing! For ages 14 and up. I got it from the library, but buying it right now.

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are alot of these sorts of books around at the moment, I have two other ones on my shelf to read. I like them because you get to learn about people you would have otherwise not thought about. I like reading about others and can easily get lost in wickipedia reading about how people lived and died.
I liked the set out of this book, it is in comic form and gives 2-3 pages of each woman and a full page picture of them in a scene of their life. I didn't know that Margaret Hamilton, who played the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz got burnt while filming the movie.
There is a story about Giorgina Reid who in retirement helped save a lighthouse from sinking into the sea.
There are woman who have to find the courage to stand up and be counted in changing things.
I think these books show we are all important and we all count and so do our lives, we can do small things that add up to big things. That through courage and belief in ourselves, and passion in whatever area that is we can make a difference in our little corner of the world. It will take our time and it will be hard at times but if we enjoy what we are doing it will be all worth it in the end.

[Eilonwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a good number of my GR friends raved about how awesome this book is, I knew I had to read it, even though I was afraid that it could in no way live up to my hopes for it after seeing those reviews.

Well, ha. It completely blew my expectations away.

This book has everything. It's a collection of gripping biographies of brave women throughout history (BCE to the present; I think the youngest was born in 1996) and from all over the world. Some I'd heard of while some were completely new to me; and it has new information about even the ones I was familiar with. All of their stories are told with an incredible combination of great artwork, charm, and humor (the little "aside" comments from the heroines and their facial expressions are priceless and perfect). There is no false sweetening here, either -- if some of these women weren't entirely sugar and spice and everything nice, that's mentioned, too.

Each biography is only a few pages, but packs in an entire lifetime. I could read only a few at a time, savoring them, so as not to be overwhelmed with information and details, and to keep them all straight in my head.

I don't really know what more to say other than, if you haven't read this, you should. Partly because it's inspiring, partly because you'll meet some fascinating people, and partly because it's just so awesomely entertaining.

And if you hate it, feel free to come back here and tell me so. :D

[sally!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

♀︎♀︎♀︎♀︎

This is 110% my new favorite book! It's filled with stories about incredible women who stood against all odds and shaped our history. They are intelligent, strong, brave, kind, fierce, beautiful and independent, every one of them!

I don't really know what to say, except that this book is so important, not to mention BEAUTIFUL, and I think it's amazing that each woman who's story is told can be related to by girls all over the world. Each is a role model and all are phenomenal.

Some of my favorite people and stories were Sonita Alizadeh (rapper), Las Mariposas (rebel sisters), Betty Davis (singer/songwriter), Nellie Bly (journalist), Wu Zhao (empress), and Leymah Gbowee (social worker).

I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THIS AUTHOR. The artwork is incredible. She is incredible. (Her author photo is really cool!) I'm just in love.




♀︎♀︎♀︎♀︎

If you're wanting to read the best thing ever, LOOK HERE. RTC <3

[My_Strange_Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

#mystrangereading Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked The World by Penelope Bagieu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So, I don't typically read graphic novels. This is not because I don't like them in general but have never found one I absolutely loved. BUT LOOK NO FURTHER. This book was incredible. I learned so much about so many amazing women, but more then that, it was clever, beautifully illustrated, and so empowering. I can't wait to put it in my classroom library and see it inspire my students. ❤️📚🙌

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All done and this book was AWESOME!!!!! The artwork is phenomenal and these stories are so inspiring. I had several favorites in this book and I really want to go through and do more reading about some of them. There's also a cool page at the back of the book that lists even more women throughout history that she didn't get to include in this volume. I hope the author is able or willing to do a sequel to this book and give us even more inspiring stories. I highly recommend this book to pretty much everyone and it would make an excellent Christmas present as well!

[First Second Books]

With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of formidable female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison, or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, their stories are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.

[K. ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the concept behind this book was strong and I appreciated learning about women that I’ve never heard of before, but I still think it lacked a sense of diversity. There were a few stories about POC, but the majority of the book did not reflect that. I know that the comics can only share but so much, but I can’t helped but to think that some parts were watered down almost as to please the reader into continuing with the story instead of being completely blunt with the gut wrenching truth one must’ve endured. Thus, I’m not upset that I read this, but I will say, if you’re thinking about reading this, you may finish it feeling like you were cheated out of the truth.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just as amazing as the wonderful review by treasured GR friend David describes (and he knows his graphic novels-he is literally a subject matter expert in this area!). Read his review, which is at the top of the queue, to understand why this creative, whimsical, beautiful, yet substantive book rocks! It really is way different, and goes way deeper, than the others in its genre - just as David describes. This artist/author is so very talented.

[Francesca De Cecchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosa vi lascerà questo fumetto:
- Sete di conoscenza: perché queste storie sono così avvincenti che vorrete saperne di più
- Complesso di inferiorità: perché a loro confronto mi sento davvero incompetente
- Voglia di lottare: perché se hanno potuto loro, posso anche io
- Rabbia: perché il mondo è sempre stato ingiusto, ovunque, in qualunque epoca
- Frustrazione: perché le donne devono sempre sopportare di più, combattere di più
- Euforia: perché a volte le cose hanno davvero un lieto fine
- Pazienza: perché sarà anche la virtù dei forti, ma è finita
- Riscatto: alcune lo hanno ottenuto, altre no
- Ansia: per la strada ancora da fare
- Libertà: quello a cui aneliamo

Si declina ogni responsabilità per ulteriori sentimenti che dovessero manifestarsi in caso di lettura.

[Cam (justabookeater)]

A copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

BRAZEN is a graphic novel I would have loved to have read when I was little. In school we're surrounded by male authority figures and rarely do we here in depth biographies of amazing women through out history.

This graphic novels gives us hundreds of pages, beautifully illustrated, of ladies who've kicked history's behind. I want every little girl out there; trans little girls, cis little girls, brown little girls, black little girls, all little girls to have a copy of these so they too can see that women make history and sometimes (most of the time) more boldly than men.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing work of comics introduces the lives of women, both famous and obscure, and the impact that they have had on society. The characterization of the women presented here is very strong. The personalities, thoughts, ambitions, and feelings of each historical figure come alive through this work. As someone who is deeply interested in history, I was surprised that there was quite a lot I could learn from this book, which is part of the message of this book--women have contributed a lot to society and that contribution needs to be recognized more.

[el · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book so much.

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[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been hearing this book was good for at least a year, but I was put off by the title and cover, which didn't really give me any idea of what to expect inside. Finally got it from the library to discover a series of short, witty, beautifully drawn comic biographies of women from all shorts of professions, backgrounds and eras. I think I had already read a couple of them online at one point or another. Some of the ones that really stood out to me where Margaret Hamilton, the actress who played the Wicked Witch of the West; Las Mariposas, political rebels from the Dominican Republic; Josephone Baker, dancer and french resistance fighter; Tove Jansson, creator of The Moomintrolls; Wu Zetian, Empress of China in the 700s; Sonita Alizadeh, rapper; Nellie Bly, journalist; and astronaut Mae Jemison. Definitely worth a read; I still wish it had a different cover.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that this was a really one of a kind book to get. I bought this last year at the National Book Festival and was intrigued by it once I took a look inside. The graphic art pops and the stories are wonderful. I actually wanted even more information than I got once I got done with this.

I would say that you may want to read this over a couple of days/months. Trying to read it straight through like a book doesn't work. The table of contents that is included will allow you to jump around too. Some of the women that Bagieu goes into our queens, an empress, I think my favorite story was about Giorgina Reid, a lighthouse keeper.

The writing was great and to the point and the graphics were wonderful.

There is no epilogue per se, but Bagieu does a strip that shows her life and how her comics became a book and how she left Paris. Very cute.

[giuneitesti ❆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonostante creda che ogni vita sia straordinaria a modo suo, esistono storie che parlano più di altre. Ci sono donne che sono state straordinarie, che hanno avuto coraggio, che si sono distinte per idee, traiettorie, decisioni. Indomite raccoglie e racconta le loro storie.

A unirle è il coraggio di combattere le loro battaglie contro i pregiudizi, gli stereotipi, il sessismo, il patriarcato, nonostante la maggioranza abbia vissuto in tempi in cui queste parole non esistevano ancora. Ognuna di loro ha affrontato difficoltà personali, ha rischiato la vita non sempre uscendone vittoriosa. Però hanno vissuto, non chiedendo scusa a nessuno. Nemmeno il permesso. Questa è la cosa che mi è più rimasta impressa.

In un mondo in cui le storie sulle donne si raccontano ancora troppo poco, in cui sembra che la storia sia fatta solo dagli uomini e che le donne del passato siano state buone solo a fare da accessorio e a cucinare il pane, abbiamo bisogno di libri che parlino di loro. Indomite si inserisce in un filone in crescita, ma è perché ce n’é un gran bisogno.

Ogni storia è lunga massimo otto pagine, a volte anche meno. Si racconta la vita di donne sconosciute ai più, e centrali sono i momenti che per ciascuna sono stati importanti. I disegni sono belli e il tono con cui si racconta cade spesso nel canzonatorio, soprattutto verso la società. Scelta apprezzatissima: appaiono ancora più toste di quanto siano già.

Graphic novel perfetta da leggere prima di andare a dormire, ma anche nei pomeriggi estivi fatti di caldo e cicale. Un regalo ideale per le ragazze e le donne che conoscete.

Al suo interno non si parla solo di donne, ma di una parte di storia che è difficile conoscere. E se non ce la raccontano a scuola, ce la dobbiamo andare a prendere da sole.

[Roz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't have anything bad to say about this. I loved the illustrations, the colors.. oh and the stories about the ladies who rocked the world.

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the art and I loved (most) of the stories! There were quite a few of them that made me tear up with pride that these women are a part of history, only wishing that more people knew their stories

[Metin Yılmaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok beğendim. Bu tip çizgi romanların ardı arkası kesilmemeli. Küçük de olsa bir umut, belki insanlar kadınların yaşadıklarını anlarlar.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure it's partially due to having a really tough week, but I got so emotional reading this book. There were several points throughout reading this today that I got choked up...I was so overwhelmed by the successes of these women, the obstacles they faced, their brains, their panache, their feistiness. I really enjoyed Exquisite Corpse and California Dreamin', and after this, I am so solidly in Camp Bagieu, I need to track down all her work even if I can barely read it because it was never translated from the original French.

To be sure, these are broad portraits of complex women, but I dare anyone to read this and walk away without having their curiosity burning hot. I seriously want to read biographies of every woman featured here now. The way she presents them gives you just enough information to get hooked. This is exactly what I wanted Ann Shen's Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World to be, but never got. This is an incredibly inclusive representation--old and young, the gamut of professions, LGBTQ, ancient history and more recent...you name it. Bagieu, even in these short bios, provided new information about the women I already was familiar with, and introduced me to many more that I may have never heard of otherwise. That list of 30 more women at the end better mean she'll be publishing a Part 2. I have a strong feeling I'll be buying this when it comes out in March.

Many thanks to First Second and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this wonderful collection.

[G_occasionally_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feminism at its best.

✊ Beautifully designed
✊🏿 Beautifully written
✊🏻 Beautifully assembled

May I interest you in:
🧕🏾 30 rocambolesque stories of proud, strong, smart, and unapologetic women;
🧔🏻‍♀️ a great reminder that women have been the brain 🧠 behind many, many changes in society, science, and politics for the longest time;
👩🏾‍🦱 a great reminder to never give up;
🦸‍♀️ an encouraging account that things are getting better for women.

[Fern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freaking loved this! All the different stories about amazing women from around the world was so inspiring and empowering. I loved the format of this book too, the short graphic novel story of their lives followed by a full spread illustration. Recommend to everyone!

[erigibbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cb0J-U...

[talia ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than I was expecting. I mean, I already love what I've seen of Pénélope Bagieu’s work, but I think this is her best book yet.

This is a collection of mini biographies--around five pages each--of women from around the world who, well, basically kicked ass. They achieved above and beyond what was generally perceived as the societal norm for their gender at that time. These stories come from many cultures around the world: Josephine Baker, Hedy Lamarr, Tove Jansson, Christine Jorgensen, Temple Grandin, Nellie Bly, Las Mariposas, and more. Their stories are moving and inspiring, enlightening and amusing, and just plain enthralling to read. While I was already familiar with a few of these, most were new to me. Clearly I'm not reading the right books …

Bagieu’s style is as engaging as always. Her style owes more to magazine illustrations and cartoons than it does to mainstream comics, but that's fine. She's got a delightful, clean line going, as well as an impeccable color sense that really shines on the double page illustrations that follow each story.

First Second have outdone themselves on the production. The front cover of the hardcover edition is a tactile delight with its combination of smooth glossy circles, rough fabric, and embossed lettering. Let's see your Kindle do that! Highly recommended!

[hayes &#x1f349; · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS

[Eva Lavrikova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Táto kniha je výborná. Neskutočný koktejl fascinujúcich príbehov fascinujúcich žien zo všetkých končín sveta a všetkých historických období. S akurátnou (pre daný formát) mierou ponoru, neprehliadnuteľným vtipom, primeraným nadhľadom a zmyslom pre širší kontext, vizuálne podmanivá. Túto knihu chcite.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Brazen! Stories of 29 kick-ass women are shared- spanning centuries and continents.

I only recognized a few names- Margaret Hamilton, Josephine Baker, Temple Grandin, Betty Davis, Nellie Bly, Hedy Lamarr, Mae Jemison and Peggy Guggenheim. The other twenty-one women were new to me, but now I want to know more about all of their lives!

Author and illustrator Pénélope Bagieu gave each woman three to five pages and would start their story at their birth before proceeding chronologically and would touch on what made each woman so unique. Many of the women are from years past, but Bagieu is able to capture the time period and mores of the era, to showcase how the woman (or sometimes women as there were two groupings of sisters) were rebels for their generation. She covers their lives in broad strokes, glossing over many aspects of their lives, yet sharing the fundamentals and getting to the essence of the story. These stories were also perfect to read in bite-sized portions, I could read about a few women at a time and looked forward to the next time I could pick up the graphic novel and read a few more short biographies.

Each page typically has nine panels and is done in a cartoony manner, yet is accurate in how the women looked and their various environments. Color is used sparingly, to add contrast or to heighten the effect of a momentous event. Bagieu saves the real artistry for a closing two-page spread that is filled with color and symbolizes what they stood for. I looked forward to how she would convey their lives and what art style she would use- Art Deco, Surreal, Nouveau, Impressionism (both Neo and Post) or Modern Art are among the different types. My favorite was Betty Davis’s, for I had to turn it sideways to understand it, and all its parts perfectly came together to form a complete picture and vibe.

I applaud the diversity found within, for Bagieu choose an Apache warrior, a Chinese empress, an astronaut, a volcanologist, a Greek gynecologist, athletes, singers, painters- even a bearded lady! I do wonder where she got her information from, for a brief work cited would have led additional weight to her character studies. But I have spent time myself looking up additional information about the women in this book, and that is always a good sign of a strong non-fiction book when I want to know even more about the subject or person at hand. In the end, she lists 30 additional women to learn about, and I’m all in for reading another book about more brazen women!

You can also read this review on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/06/1...