'Woman World': Where the future is female
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. This week, we spoke with Emma Nichols from the Elliott Bay Book Company.
Aminder Dhaliwal's graphic novel began on Instagram.
She started posting comics that unfolded in a post-apocalyptic world — a world missing something very specific: men.
Dhaliwal's comics imagined a scenario in which a birth defect wiped out all human males. Compiled into a new collection from Drawn & Quarterly, those comics form "Women World," her debut book.
Support Local News
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.
"It's both very funny and very serious," said bookseller Emma Nichols. In "Woman World," the future is uncertain, anxiety can run rampant and there's the nagging question of how to reproduce and keep the population going. But there are also fart jokes.
Some scenes feature the surviving women trying to puzzle out the artifacts left behind.
What were high heels even for? "They think it was for creating sharp holes," Nichols said.
Nichols' favorite comics revolve around a grandmother who lived before the apocalypse, and how she explains — or doesn't explain — life with men to her granddaughter.
"It's the silly but relevant humor that really makes this book special ... This is perfect for anyone who doesn't want to go for a super serious book, just wants something that's going to make them laugh, but also isn't ignoring the current situation we're in."