My Friend Dahmer

4.5 stars

Wow. Just wow. My Friend Dahmer is the story of a Derf Backdorf schoolmate to the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It covers the 4 years of high school and the summer after graduation.

My Friend Dahmer is approx 1/2 Dahmer and 1/2 Backdorf. It is brilliantly crafted. Backderf compares his normal teen actions to Dahmer's bizarre actions. While Backderf drinks for fun, Dahmer drinks to forget. Where Backderf is repulsed by roadkill, Dahmer is fascinated with it and takes them home. It's a brilliant use of juxtaposition. In fact, it's what makes this book even more disturbing.

How much of Dahmer's childhood led to his actions? Would he have turned out differently if he had a solid friend? What if he had a better home life? What if he was born in another time, when homosexuality was accepted? Would he have still done what he done?

The most frightening aspect to me was comparing it to my own school days. Could any of the “strange” kids from my class turn out like Dahmer? Maybe not to that extreme, but could they become serial killers? Were some potential serial killers saved by friends they made at school? Is Jeffrey Dahmer a one time occurrence, or are there hundreds of Dahmers out there just waiting.