Laura M. Duthie’s Revolutionary Women: A Little Left of Center is part memoir, part feminist manifesto, and part visual commentary. The book weaves together Duthie’s personal history with her artistic and ideological journey. From her early life in Toronto to her awakening as a gay artist, Duthie recounts experiences that shaped her identity and worldview. Alongside her autobiographical reflections, she presents a series of feminist cartoons and essays that tackle themes like religion, patriarchy, sexuality, and society’s deeply ingrained biases. The work feels like both a confession and a call to action, a deeply personal yet universal exploration of what it means to claim one’s voice in a world that often silences women.

Reading this book felt like sitting down with someone who’s lived through several lifetimes of rebellion. Duthie’s tone is sharp and funny and sometimes achingly vulnerable. She doesn’t sugarcoat the pain of growing up under misogyny or the confusion of coming into her sexuality in an unwelcoming world. What struck me most was how her humor doesn’t dull her anger, it sharpens it.

The cartoon’s artwork is executed in a clear, traditional comic-strip style defined by bold outlines and a flat, simple color palette. This accessible visual style serves its purpose effectively, ensuring that the viewer’s attention is drawn immediately to the characters’ actions and the text in the speech bubbles. My favorite was the “Moon Walk.” The cartoon provides a sharp, satirical commentary on contemporary social polarization. It cleverly transports a modern “culture war” debate to a history-making moment, the first landing on another world, signified by the “APHRODITE I” lander. The humor stems from the juxtaposition of this grand achievement with petty ideological infighting.

There’s also something raw in how she talks about art and identity. When Duthie describes art school and the chaos of creative discovery, it’s electric. She paints the world of artists, the lost, the brilliant, the broken, with an honesty that’s both funny and sad. I felt her frustration with the hypocrisy of society, and I admired her courage to turn that frustration into something that challenges and provokes. Some parts run on, sure, but that’s part of the charm. It feels real. It feels like someone thinking out loud, refusing to polish herself for anyone’s comfort. Her take on Freud made me laugh. It’s the kind of commentary you wish you’d said yourself but never found the guts to.

This book left me thinking about what it really means to be revolutionary. Not in the sense of shouting the loudest, but in daring to be honest. Revolutionary Women is alive and full of heart and bite. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves art that has something to say, especially women and gay readers who’ve had to fight for their place in the world.

Pages: 67 | ASIN : B0FFZT3611