My Friend Dahmer - by Derf Backderf (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1991, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer seared himself into the American consciousness. To Backderf, "Jeff" was a high school friend. In this haunting and original graphic novel, Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche.

Book Synopsis

A national bestseller, Derf Backderf's Alex Award winner My Friend Dahmer is the bone-chilling graphic novel that inspired the major motion picture.

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 Derf 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.

Also available by Derf Backderf:
Trashed
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio

Review Quotes

"A powerful, unsettling use of the graphic medium to share a profoundly disturbing story . . . An exemplary demonstration of the transformative possibilities of graphic narrative."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Carefully researched and sourced with ample back matter, Backderf's tragic chronicle of what shouldn't have been is a real butt-kicker for educators and youth counselors as well as peers of other potential Dahmers. Highly recommended for professionals as well as true crime readers."-- "Library Journal"

"One of the best graphic novels I've read this year."-- "USA Today's PopCandy"

"One of the most thought-provoking comics released in a long time."-- "Slate.com"

"Quietly horrifying. A small, dark classic."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Derf Backderf has been nominated for two Eisner Awards and has received a host of honors, including the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for political cartooning. His weekly comic strip, The City, has appeared in more than 100 newspapers over the past 22 years. Backderf lives in Cleveland, Ohio.