10.27.2014

Staff Pick: My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
Halloween is too much fun for just one day. All October, we'll be looking at our favorite horror/supernatural/paranormal/all-around spooky books. 

For the last scary staff pick, we're choosing something a little different: a combination graphic novel and true story.  

From goodreads.com:

You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer — the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper — seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides.

In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche — a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.

  
Pick it: for a chilling but yes, ultimately sympathetic, look at an American tragedy and a sick young man. We have copies of this book both in YA and the adult collection, so keep in mind that this subject matter can be dark. Proceed with caution and judgment.

Pair with: I Hunt Killers by Jeffrey Liga for a fictional look at serial killers and twisted family relationships.


Reviewed by: Deena 


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