I see why this is so critically acclaimed, but those same reasons made this difficult to read. I think that the power of graphic novels lies in their ability to use images to encourage empathy. However, Bechdel's uses captions more than any other narrative technique in her novel, which actually alienated me from the material in some way. It's clear that Bechdel feels fairly distant from this part of her life, which makes it an appropriate technique, but it also made it more difficult for me as a reader. 
 An important read regardless.