Canibalism

By Maddie S.

When it comes to reading, it normally takes me forever to finish a book. I will either get distracted by a random thought or watching the cars go up and down my street. However, when it comes to graphic novels, I will read those in less than two hours. I think it's because I am such a visual learner, and those books are like movies on paper. When I got the book, My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf, I kind of procrastinated reading it. For about a month and a half it sat on my desk and stared at me while I did other things with my life. In recent events, my parents felt obligated to take away my phone and all other electronic devices, so I decided to open the book. It took me literally half an hour to read all 224 pages.

In my head, I thought the book would be more about what Jeffrey Dahmer actually did to be a well-known person. Instead, the author talks about Dahmer before high school graduation. Derf Backderf was actually an acquaintance of Dahmer's, and gives the reader his point of view of the story. Even though Backderf could never actually see inside of Dahmer's mind, he is able to explain the whole story as if he could. It was also as if this story sort of haunts him and will for the rest of his life.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick and fairly easy read -- and that's saying a lot since I am very particular about books. Just note that this book probably shouldn't be read anyone under the age of thirteen or fourteen.

My Friend Dahmer, by Derf Backderf, Abrams ComicArts, 2012, 224 pages