My Friend Dahmer - A Book Review

With the interest of the Dahmer series on Netflix right now, I decided to go back and read My Friend Dahmer a second time. There are many similarities in the tv series, so I wanted a reminder of all the backstory from the book. Although, I don't think the Netflix series is based on this book. The book is done by Derf Backderf, who was one of Jeff Dahmer's friends in high school. It gives quite a different perspective into who Dahmer was and why.

My Friend Dahmer is a different type of format than what most of us are used to reading. It is actually written like a comic book with blocks of drawings and words that tell the story. It's amazing to think that Dahmer could have even had friends, but he did claim he was a regular kid when he was in high school.

Dahmer's friends always thought he was weird, and they used this to their comical advantage by making him the target of jokes. They repeatedly laughed when Dahmer did something stupid or inappropriate, which I think Dahmer found pleasing because finally, he was being accepted by his peers - flaws and all.

The friendship did get too weird, though, and the guys stopped being friends with Dahmer. Although, Dahmer never attacked or attempted to harm any of them, the friends thought it was a matter of time before he snapped. And it was.

An interesting thing I noticed is how similar Jeff Dahmer is to Norman Bates in Psycho. They both are obsessed with taxidermy (although, Jeff, a little moreso) and they both live with an old lady when they are doing their crimes.

I recommend this book because it does not focus on Dahmer's crimes, but on his relationships in high school and how he acted and was treated. The book makes it very clear that you should not empathize with Dahmer, but rather feel pity for him.

There is a movie of the same name that is based on this book and stars Ross Lynch. It is a great movie that does not have the shock moments that the Netflix series shows. It's also really easy to read this book in a day. So you could read it and then watch the movie, (click here) My Friend Dahmer. Then you can continue on with your Dahmer Netflix series.