The Oracle Speaks
A Self-Help Guide Against Self-Help
Will be published approx. on 3. November 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-1-64421-577-7 (ISBN)
Description
In this incisive, hilarious history of our obsession with self-help and wellness, graphic artist and activist Liv Strömquist tackles the commodification of advice and shame.
In this twisted, irreverent, and wickedly funny graphic novel, internationally acclaimed cartoonist and activist Liv Strömquist pokes fun at our historical, now internet-spurred obsession with health and wellness. In her characteristically quirky style—writing as she says with a “chunky, punky pen” and chock full of historical facts and photos--Strömquist breaks down our shame-driven infatuation with self-improvement in seven “easy” steps, rewriting the history of the advice that has led to our collective insecurity.
Using the teachings of an outrageous cast of characters—from historical figures like Catherine of Siena and the Oracle at Delphi to modern-day philosopher Slavoj Zižek, internet personality Rollo Tomassi, and even God himself, Strömquist satirizes what has become a billion-dollar self-help industry. She decries the capitalist corrosion of the human spirit and, at the same time, reminds readers of our relentless instinct to create meaning out of existential nothingness.
Edgy and smart and laugh-out-loud hilarious, The Oracle Speaks gets to the heart of our contemporary struggle with self-image, leaving us with the feminist anti-advice we never knew we needed.
In this twisted, irreverent, and wickedly funny graphic novel, internationally acclaimed cartoonist and activist Liv Strömquist pokes fun at our historical, now internet-spurred obsession with health and wellness. In her characteristically quirky style—writing as she says with a “chunky, punky pen” and chock full of historical facts and photos--Strömquist breaks down our shame-driven infatuation with self-improvement in seven “easy” steps, rewriting the history of the advice that has led to our collective insecurity.
Using the teachings of an outrageous cast of characters—from historical figures like Catherine of Siena and the Oracle at Delphi to modern-day philosopher Slavoj Zižek, internet personality Rollo Tomassi, and even God himself, Strömquist satirizes what has become a billion-dollar self-help industry. She decries the capitalist corrosion of the human spirit and, at the same time, reminds readers of our relentless instinct to create meaning out of existential nothingness.
Edgy and smart and laugh-out-loud hilarious, The Oracle Speaks gets to the heart of our contemporary struggle with self-image, leaving us with the feminist anti-advice we never knew we needed.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
1 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 172 mm
Weight
367 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64421-577-7 (9781644215777)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Swedish graphic novelist LIV STRÖMQUIST is best known for mixing sociology, philosophy, history, and humor in graphic novel form. Her book on romantic love, The Reddest Rose Unfurls, has sold over 150,000 copies in France and Germany alone, and will be reissued in a revised edition in English in Fall 2026 by Seven Stories Press. Fruit of Knowledge, her book on the obsession with and stigmatization of women's bodies, has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and been translated into over twenty-six languages, and also will be reissued in a revised edition by Seven Stories Press (Spring 2027). Her new book, The Oracle Speaks (Seven Stories, Fall 2026) is a hilarious take on the evolution of the health and wellness industry and the commodification of shame. Strömquist is the recipient of several comics prizes including the prestigious Max Und Moritz Prize in Germany, the Swedish Adamson Award, and the international EWK Award. A radio presenter and host of a podcast on cultural criticism, Strömquist lives in Malmo, Sweden, with her family.
MELISSA BOWERS is a translator and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She is an ATA-certified Swedish-to-English translator and seasoned copy editor whose work spans picture books, graphic novels, poetry and academic manuscripts. Her recent literary translations include Emma AdBåge’s The Wound (Arctis Books, Oct 2025), Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul and Goblin Girl (Fantagraphics Books. She earned a 2021 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for her translation of Goblin Girl.
MELISSA BOWERS is a translator and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She is an ATA-certified Swedish-to-English translator and seasoned copy editor whose work spans picture books, graphic novels, poetry and academic manuscripts. Her recent literary translations include Emma AdBåge’s The Wound (Arctis Books, Oct 2025), Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul and Goblin Girl (Fantagraphics Books. She earned a 2021 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for her translation of Goblin Girl.