My Friend Dahmer

**This book is not on a Texas reading list such as Lonestar or Tayshas. However, it was highly recommended by several librarians, which is why it has been included on this blog.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Backderf, D. (2012). My friend Dahmer. New York: Abrams ComicArt.

SUMMARY

Serial killer Dahmer did not just wake up one day and decide to murder. Events during his adolescence helped form a strange young with uncontrollable desires. Told from the perspective of a classmate, My Friend Dahmer is a detailed if not slightly dark background of famed serial killer Jeff Dahmer written and illustrated as a graphic novel.

PLOT ANALYSIS

Derk Backderf is a graphic novelist and former classmate of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Backderf wrote My Friend Dahmer as a way to inform the public about the real Dahmer while also facing some demons.

Backderf provides a firsthand account of Dahmer’s adolescent life—both at home and school. Backderf does not rely solely on his own memory but sites several other sources to ensure complete accuracy of the story being told. He does an admirable job of addressing common theories about Dahmer’s downhill spiral.

Backderf lays out the information in chronological order, in a clear sequence, from odd tendencies in junior high to weird habits in high school and beyond. He also compares his own “normal” life with Dahmer’s unusual upbringing, crediting that as part of Dahmer’s path to murderer.

The design of the graphic novel and Backderf’s detailed illustrations complement the text while taking away some of the darkness of the subject matter. The illustrations appropriately portray the events in Dahmer’s life. In a few cases, the sequence of the graphics appear a bit out of order—as if the reader gets used to reading from left to right and is then asked to read from top to bottom.

Backderf’s writing encourages readers to wonder what could have been done to prevent Dahmer from becoming a killer. Readers will also be encouraged to do further research about Dahmer. Backderf provides only enough information to enlighten readers without going into all the gory details.

After reading My Friend Dahmer, I understand how events in young people’s lives shape their character. This book has encouraged me to look further into the attitudes and tendencies of my students. I may be the one “damn adult” that finds interest in changing a young person’s path.

RECOGNITION

"The tone is sympathetic and enraged (‘Where were the damn adults?’), while not excusing or making the story unduly fascinating. Backderf’s writing is impeccably honest in not exculpating his own misdeeds . . . and quietly horrifying. A small, dark classic." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Anyone who opens My Friend Dahmer to satisfy a morbid curiosity, and likewise anyone who expects to find no more than a cynical publishing venture here, is bound for disappointment. It is a horrifying read, yes, not so much for what it reveals about the sad early (and inevitably terrible) life of Jeffrey Dahmer, but because of what it reveals about the bland emotional landscape of Middle America, in this vision a petri dish for psychoses in many degrees and forms.
Backderf’s odd stylization, with figures that look like organic robots, is a perfect vehicle for this conception. His graphic approach is grotesque, droll, and it rags on reality as masses of kids knew and still know it.
Lots of books exist about the agonies and cruelty of the adolescent high school experience, but few so compellingly bring us straight into that soulless environment, showing the ways it can shelter, allow to burgeon, and, at the same time, be completely blind to real madness.
It wasn’t easy reading this book, but I’m glad I did."
—David Small, author and illustrator of Stitches, a National Book Award finalist and #1 New York Times bestseller

"My Friend Dahmer is a brilliant graphic novel and surely ranks among the very best of the form…My Friend Dahmer is entirely original, boldly and beautifully drawn, and full of nuance and complexity and even a strange tenderness. Out of the sordid and grotesque details of Dahmer’s life, Derf has fashioned a moving and complex literary work of art."
—Dan Chaon, award-winning author of Among the Missing and You Remind Me of Me

CONNECTIONS

Further Investigation

My Friend Dahmer encourages further research about Jeffrey Dahmer’s downward spiral. Using the sources provided by Backderf as well as others, read more about Jeffrey Dahmer. Synthesize this information by moderate a class discussion board where you provide information about Dahmer, ask questions, offer suggestions for counseling students who may exhibit similar tendencies.

Intervention Presentation

Research counseling organizations to find out what can be done as an intervention for peers who you fear may be participating in dangerous habits. Use a VoiceThread presentation to present options for intervention and people or organizations who can be of assistance.

Non-Fiction Graphic Novel

Readers most often think of graphic novels as fiction. My Friend Dahmer uses this format to present information. Choose a historical topic or person to learn more about. Present your information in the form of a short graphic novel.