Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

72 reviews

lindsaylhunter's review against another edition

Go to review page

Not invested enough to be honest! Non-fiction can be hit or miss for me and this one didn't hit.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookmarked_by_kate's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced

1.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

grunbean's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I don’t read non-fiction, this was an exception for a book club. After reading this, I definitely want to try reading more memoirs!

I feel it is important to read this as a memoir as opposed to an essay. While there is analysis and plenty of examples referred to, this reads as a reflection of the author’s own experience with engaging with art created by bad people. Not all the artists are talked about at the same length, and you’ll find that there’s a lot of kinds of monster in here. 

I did find some of the examples of female artists confusing. They don’t generally equate to the literal crimes written about for male artists. It does add some balance, though, if this is in here for balance it may have been interesting to explore queer examples too.

I really enjoyed this, and I liked the conclusion it came too. It definitely encouraged me to think more about the parasocial relationships with artists, and how we can reconcile this when they’re revealed to be bad people. 


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

candlewaster's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

maia_papaya's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cryptidskunk's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Particularly loved the section on Lolita and female "art monsters"

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

genstrong's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A very interesting critique of “cancelled” celebrities and of “cancel culture” itself. The author takes a subjective, feminist approach to writing on the topic that doesn’t shy away from addressing her personal emotions. While I think the book could have delved more deeply into each celebrity, each chapter offers interesting and well-informed perspectives… new ways to look at things. 

I really enjoyed the chapter on JK Rowling, however the author doesn’t really address the reason of her cancellation. Rather, the author focussed on the fans’ response which was unexpected and not unwelcome.

I do however have to disagree with the claim later in the book that “The worst thing a man can do is rape, while the worst thing a woman can do is not love her children” (paraphrased). It is definitely a legitimate statement to argue for older generations, however the author shied away from addressing J K Rowling’s transphobia which could arguably be seen as worse than not loving her own children to today’s generations. Of course, this is all subjective. But I do feel there was a missed opportunity to really explore the changing narrative around womanhood in the 21st century. How “woke” Gen-Zers may respond very differently to these narratives than earlier generations. The author instead chose to stick to traditional notions of womanhood.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

raisinreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.25

I enjoyed the idea behind this book & found the authors narrative voice interesting and easy to read for the most part. But, there were parts that seemed repetitive & circular, sometimes dancing around a point and never getting to it. I also found the range of perspectives lacking & some of the comparisons/conflations within were uh interesting choices.

Also a content note: there is a lot of mention of sexual assault, including that of a child. There is not an overly descriptive element, but it is talked about a decent amount, so I decided to put those warnings in the moderate category.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

baielleebooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Claire Dederer has a captivating critical voice, flying in the face of that loathsome kind of clinical, self-purportedly detached style of cultural appraisal. Emotion and the structural dynamics of what constitutes one's fandom and moral dilemmas as an art-lover are discussed with great zest and insight. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nstew16's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Very accessible. At times it felt almost too casual for me, but I think that is part of the success of the book. It can reach a variety of people and acts as an open ended conversation between reader/author.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings