Reviews tagging 'Violence'

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

15 reviews

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

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

princessdana36's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, and Blood

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Antisemitism

nicmedia123's review

dark informative sad tense fast-paced

3.0

Review:
This was a disturbing portrait of the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as a middle and high school kid in the 70s. He lived with combative parents, and his mother also suffered from mental illness. There was no intervention made by any adult at either school Dahmer attended, but it was also a different time.
Dahmer had few friends, and he lived a very isolated life. He became an alcoholic in high school.

The drawings evoke his robotic and wooden personality as well as his dark inner thoughts.

This is an important read, especially for adults who work with kids, so that we can recognize the signs of mental illness, depression and alcoholism so interventions can happen, but there is no guarantee that these may have helped. This might also help kids to say something when they see something.

Read this if you enjoy true crime, criminal psychology, work with teens or tweens.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Bullying

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence

evelynleigh's review

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Violence and Cannibalism

brookey8888's review

dark informative mysterious sad fast-paced

3.25

I don’t know something about this doesn’t sit right with me. I know the author did his research but it feels like all of this is not his information like he only hung up with him like once. That being said I did learn some things because I’ve never really watched any of the TV shows or movies about it because it’s kind of weird to me. I don’t know the other style I also really don’t like at all to be honest. I would say if you wanna learn more maybe but I don’t know it just felt weird to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I appreciate the way Backderf tells this story and how his visuals help express the heavy emotions.  If you read the ebook, there are some deleted scenes and sketches that I found interesting.  I was also engrossed in the notes and notes on the Dahmer family in the back of the book.  I am interested in the 2017 movie adaptation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

librarymouse's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.5

The graphic novel didn't trivialize the terrible things Jeffrey Dahmer did, and it did give insight into the circumstances through which he was created, or at least not stopped. It felt weird to read about him in a positive light. The author specified that Dahmer's actions were unforgivable and that his sympathy for Dahmer ended at his first murder, but the narrative can be disconcerting at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Abandonment