Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Mon ami Dahmer by Derf Backderf, Fanny Soubiran

23 reviews

catcherinthepi's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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

crimsonash606's review against another edition

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

kates_cupcakes's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, and Stalking

chaoticbeing's review against another edition

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

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

physicalsecrets's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, and Murder

louislover's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

It was a nice change to see a book about someone like this based on their life before they did what they did, it was really interesting to see from someone who actually knew him the things he noticed as he looks back on it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism

nicmedia123's review against another edition

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