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Brazen
304 pages
A vibrant, fist-pumping celebration of history's most audacious and unapologetic women, told through punchy vignettes.
What it feels like
Reading this graphic novel feels like sitting down with a fiercely intelligent, incredibly witty friend who is eager to spill the tea on history's most fascinating, overlooked women. The pace is brisk and addictive, driven by bite-sized, visually explosive vignettes that make it impossible not to read just one more. The tone strikes a perfect balance between wry irreverence and earnest admiration, creating an atmosphere that is both deeply educational and joyfully defiant. The artwork itself carries much of the emotional weight, using vibrant colors and expressive linework to capture the sheer audacity of its subjects. It is a triumphant, energetic experience that leaves the reader feeling empowered, outraged at historical erasure, and deeply inspired by the resilience of women who simply refused to behave.
- Mood
- vibrant
- defiant
- uplifting
- energetic
- Tone
- irreverent
- celebratory
- wry
- conversational
- empowering
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- unsung histories · female rebellion · overcoming systemic barriers · audacity and resilience
- The writing
- Punchy, witty, and conversational, perfectly complementing the expressive and colorful visual storytelling.
- The arc
- Transitions from simmering frustration at historical erasure to a triumphant, fist-pumping celebration of female audacity.
- Who it's for
- Feminists of all ages who crave bite-sized, visually engaging histories of women who refused to play by the rules.
Content notes
- sexism and misogyny
- historical trauma
- mentions of violence
About the book
Les Culottées is a blog BD (French webcomic in blog format) written by Pénélope Bagieu in 2016. Published on the website of Le Monde, Bagieu uses Les Culottées to tell short biographical stories about women. Each comic features a woman from the past or present with an unusual or inspiring story. Bagieu produced one comic a week from January to October 2016, and eventually released the comics in book form. The stories were split into two print publications in France with the subtitle Des Femmes Qui ne Font Que ce Qu’elles Veulent (Women Who Do as They Please). Each one contained fifteen short stories.
The work was released In English as one volume with the title Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. The English version has only 29 stories instead of the original 30, as "Phoolan Devi, the Indian Queen of Bandits" was removed because it included the rape of a ten-year-old girl by her husband. Translated into 11 languages, Brazen was positively received and received an Eisner Award in 2019.
Description from Open Library.
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