''Becoming Unbecoming'' is a 2015

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

by English author Una. It depicts the effects of

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...

and

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

on twelve-year old Una growing up in northern

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1977 while the

Yorkshire Ripper Peter William Sutcliffe (2 June 1946 – 13 November 2020), also known as Peter Coonan, was an English serial killer who was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. He was du ...

is on the loose, creating a panic among townspeople. The novel follows two different timelines. The first deals with the

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

of the author, and her subsequent harassment and shaming by the community. The second deals with the British police manhunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, show how police frequently blamed the victims instead of following leads. The novel was published on September 30, 2015, in the U.K. and November 1, 2016, in North America. There are two English language editions: the original 2015 UK edition published by

Myriad Editions Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, Sussex, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, in ...

and the North American edition published in 2016 by

Arsenal Pulp Press Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, focusing primarily on underrepresented genres such as und ...

. The book has been translated into Spanish, French, Dutch, Turkish, Italian and Portuguese (Brazilian). ''Becoming Unbecoming'' was named a top ten book on the Amelia Bloomer List in 2017. The French edition of ''Becoming Unbecoming'' — ''L'Une D'Elles'' — was awarded the Prix Artémisia 2019 du combat féministe.

References

{{reflist

External links

Author's website

Publisher's website
2015 British novels Autobiographical graphic novels British graphic novels British young adult novels Feminist novels Graphic novels set in the 1970s Graphic novels set in England