Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

31 reviews

cjgmiranda220's review

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

catcherinthepi's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

This was an interesting perspective on the pre-serial killer days for Dahmer: how he was in high school, from the perspective of a sort-of friend. A chilling thing was that, even as teens, it was apparent this guy had a lot of weird stuff going on in his head...and pretty much everyone could tell. The art was unsettling and exaggerated, which suited the story. I really wanted more reflection from the author, though: while no teen wanted to narc on their friends, looking back, would you have done it anyway, based on what you sensed? Why the HELL did you need to tell all those really ableist jokes and NOT think about how that was wrong? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Animal death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Death

Minor: Murder

magmabadger's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder

hedyharper's review

dark informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lucykated's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

4.0

Heartbreaking and terrifying. One peer's view of the childhood and teen years of an actively unloved and consequently broken boy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, Abortion, and Abandonment

vildfarenraev's review

dark informative sad fast-paced

 In 2011, I was irrationally afraid of Jeffrey Dahmer and also entirely obsessed with true crime. A law teacher in my high school encourage my interests and I spent many hours reading as much as I could possibly get my hands on. I wasn’t aware of this graphic novel until 2017 when the film adaptation was premiering at Toronto After Dark. The story gave me mostly information I was already familiar with but there was also something more there. This memoir provides a perspective that doesn’t exist within the FBI’s  records or the Dateline interviews. It’s hard to describe but there’s a degree of sadness that Backderf grants readers to feel. A sadness that isn’t necessarily about Dahmer but about any weird kid that no one thinks to check in on. How many people could have been saved if someone had noticed “Jeff” before everyone would only know him by “Dahmer”? It’s a question that hurts. There is no excusing the crimes or forgiving the man, but things could have been so very different and that is something allowed to be mourned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

brenaudcreative's review

dark informative medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Gore

crimsonash606's review

dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

A good read for those interested in true crime. It gives a complex and heart breaking perspective on what kind of life precedes the horror Dahmer inflicted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Vomit, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cannibalism

chaoticbeing's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

THIS is what a true crime novel should be about. It doesn’t feel like some flashy, exploitative story about Dahmer. Very quickly it becomes less and less about him and more and more of a commentary about how small town Americana leaves the most exploited and abused behind to keep up an image. 
The movie adaptation is bad though. Don’t bother.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Vomit and Abortion

spookynerd's review

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

I do very much appreciate the author's initial note and viewpoint in that Dahmer could have received help when he was young, and the adults in his life failed him, BUT his choices were his own and absolutely horrific - "Pity him, but don't empathize with him." 

Being a true crime buff, I know a lot about Dahmer already. He's...accessible, as far as serial killers go. It's a bit interesting seeing the view from kids who grew up with him, but still feels a little exploitative. 

Nonetheless, I do appreciate the fact gathering  from multiple sources, as well as personal memories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Mental illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder