Staff Pick
Reinhard Kleist gives us a dark and nuanced portrait of the Man in Black, with stunning black-and-white artwork that perfectly complements the retelling of Johnny Cash's life. Interspersed among the narrative are short selections of illustrated song lyrics that add yet another dimension to the story. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2013 ALA/YALSA Alex Award
2014 Revelation Award at Angoulandecirc;me
2015 ALA/YALSA Alex Award (Excellence in Narrative Nonfiction)
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You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmerandmdash;the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripperandmdash;seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, andquot;Jeffandquot; 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 Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psycheandmdash;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.
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Also available by Derf Backderf, Trashed.
Praise for My Friend Dahmer:
andquot;The tone is sympathetic and enraged (andlsquo;Where were the damn adults?andrsquo;), while not excusing or making the story unduly fascinating. Backderfandrsquo;s writing is impeccably honest in not exculpating his own misdeeds . . . and quietly horrifying. A small, dark classic.andquot; andmdash;Publishers Weekly (starred review)?
andquot;One of the best graphic novels Iand#39;ve read this year.andquot; -- USA Todayand#39;s PopCandy
andquot;One of the most thought-provoking comics released in a long time.andquot; -- Slate.com?
andquot;Carefully researched and sourced with ample back matter, Backderfandrsquo;s tragic chronicle of what shouldnandrsquo;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.andquot; andmdash;Library Journal
andquot;This isnt a cautionary tale. Its insight sharedinsight arriving too late to save Dahmers victims, let alone Jeff himself, but perhaps soon enough to remind both teens and their caretakers that questioning peculiar behavior might be a better tack than ignoring or exploiting it.andquot; -- School Library Journal?
andquot;Fortunately, cartoonist Derf Backderf isnand#39;t one to avoid the troubling, even terrifying, truths that lurk in the dark recesses of that notorious serial killerand#39;s early lifeand modern American life itself.andquot; -- Foreword Reviews
andquot;A powerful, unsettling use of the graphic medium to share a profoundly disturbing story. . . . An exemplary demonstration of the transformative possibilities of graphic narrative.andquot; andmdash;Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
andquot;Masterful. . . a rich tale full of complexity and sensitivity . . . Thereand#39;s something about Dahmerand#39;s life and crimes that seems almost crafted for treatment in the murky world of comix. Yet itand#39;s empathy and nuance, not gore, that put My Friend Dahmer alongside Alison Bechdeland#39;s Fun Home and David Smalland#39;s Stitches in the annals of illustrated literature.andquot; andmdash;Cleveland Plain Dealer
andquot;A new classic of the graphic novel genre. . . . A moving book that qualifies as one of the great graphic novels, a work of art.andquot; andmdash;Creative Loafing
andquot;A well-told, powerful story. Backderf is quite skilled in using comics to tell this tale of a truly weird and sinister 1970s adolescent world.andquot;?andmdash;R. Crumb?
andquot;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.?Backderfandrsquo;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 wasnandrsquo;t easy reading this book, but Iandrsquo;m glad I did.andquot;?andmdash;David Small, author and illustrator of Stitches, a National Book Award finalist and #1 New York Times bestseller
andquot;Stunning. Horrifying. Beautifully done.andquot;?andmdash;Alison Bechdel, author and illustrator of Fun Home, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist
andquot;My Friend Dahmer is a brilliant graphic novel and surely ranks among the very best of the form. Like Alison Bechdelandrsquo;sFun Home, the book plumbs a dark autobiographical mystery, trying in retrospect to understand actions and motivations to piece together the makings of a tragedy. Like Charles Burnsandrsquo;s Black Hole, itandrsquo;s a starkly etched portrait of the horror of high school in the 1970s. Comparisons aside, 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 Dahmerandrsquo;s life, Derf has fashioned a moving and complex literary work of art.andquot;?andmdash;Dan Chaon, award-winning author of Among the Missing and You Remind Me of Me
andquot;Just when you think you know all there is to know about Jeffrey Dahmerandmdash; one of the most notorious criminals of the past centuryandmdash;along comes My Friend Dahmer, which adds significantly to our understanding of this rare form of psychopathology. The graphic novel format helps the reader appreciate the adolescent mind-set of Dahmerandrsquo;s high school classmates. Although none of those who grew up with Dahmer expected to hear what they learned on July 22, 1991, when he was caught, no one was really surprised, either.?This unique book allows the reader to listen in on the fascinating reminiscences of those who watched the developing mind of a future serial killer.andquot;?andmdash;Louis B. Schlesinger, PhD, Professor of Forensic Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
andquot;Itandrsquo;d be so easy to pigeonhole and think that the reason you canandrsquo;t stop reading My Friend Dahmer is because it offers a voyeuristic peek inside the monster. And it does. But as it turns its self-aware eye on the boy who doesnandrsquo;t belong, the real magic trick is how equally hateful and sad you feel for the monster himself. This oneandrsquo;s still haunting me.andquot;?andmdash;Brad Meltzer, author of Identity Crisis and The Inner Circle, a #1 New York Times bestseller??
andquot;As someone who walked the halls of Revere High School with both Backderf and Dahmer and was there from the beginning, I am astounded by the accuracy and truthfulness of this portrait. I know of no other work that so clearly shows the teenage days of an American monster, long before the rest of the world heard of him. Mesmerizing.andquot;?andmdash;Mike Kukral, PhD, Revere High School class of 1978, Professor of Geography, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, author of Prague 1989: Theater of Revolution
andquot;If you want to read a heavy story about a disturbing teenager, My Friend Dahmer will certainly quench your dark little desires. But this book is about a lot of other things that matter much, much more: the institutionalized weirdness of the suburban seventies, what it means to be friends with someone you donandrsquo;t really like, a cogent explanation as to why terrible things happen, and a means for feeling sympathy toward those who donandrsquo;t seem to deserve it.andquot;?andmdash;Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto?and The Visible Man
andquot;A solid job. Putrid serial killer Jeffrey Dahmerandrsquo;s origins are explored in this fine book. Dig itandmdash;itandrsquo;ll hang you out to dry.andquot;?andmdash;James Ellroy, author of My Dark Places and L.A. Confidential
Review
andldquo;Stok has drawn an emotional, informative, and inspirational biography for artists and art lovers everywhere. Fantastic.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;While approximating Van Gogh, she sticks to her own elemental, comic stripandndash;like style that suggests both a simplified Tintin and a more complicated Peanuts.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This inventive art biography eschews the usual visual cliches and brings its subject into a sharp and sympathetic focus.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Ms. Stokandrsquo;s story of Van Gogh goes to dark places, following the artistandrsquo;s obsessive work ethic and manic outbursts into a clear psychotic episode.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Kleistandrsquo;s narrative is set in a perfect visual landscape. Itandrsquo;s safe to say this is an early candidate for graphic novel of the year honors.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Kleistandrsquo;s expressive, inky brushwork powerfully conveys Haftandrsquo;s harrowing story.andnbsp;Although Haft might not be as famous as Kleistandrsquo;s previous subjects, his tale of survival by any means is equally enthralling.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;A fast-paced work of graphic nonfiction offers an important lesson from a dark corner of history.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;The characters are drawn with the energetic nimbleness so admired in Will Eisnerandrsquo;s work. Sports fans and history readers, teen and up, will find this mesmerizing.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The first and only illustrated biography of "The Man in Black", Johnny Cash, the most famous country singer of all timeand#160;Cash was a 17-time Grammy winner who sold more than 90 million albums in his lifetime and became an icon of American music in the 20th century. Graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist depicts Johnny Cashand#8217;s eventful life from his early sessions with Elvis Presley (1956), through the concert in Folsom Prison (1968), his spectacular comeback in the 1990s, and the final years before his death on September 12, 2003.
Already a bestseller and award-winner in Europe, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness vividly portrays the unpredictable life of a loner, patriot, outlaw, and music rebel, making this unique biography a compelling read for multiple generations of graphic novel and music fans.
Synopsis
The first and only illustrated biography of "The Man in Black," Johnny Cash, the most famous country singer of all timeCash was a 17-time Grammy winner who sold more than 90 million albums in his lifetime and became an icon of American music in the 20th century. Graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist depicts Johnny Cash s eventful life from his early sessions with Elvis Presley (1956), through the concert in Folsom Prison (1968), his spectacular comeback in the 1990s, and the final years before his death on September 12, 2003.
Already a bestseller and award-winner in Europe, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness vividly portrays the unpredictable life of a loner, patriot, outlaw, and music rebel, making this unique biography a compelling read for multiple generations of graphic novel and music fans.
"
Synopsis
Already a bestselling work in Europe, "Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness" vividly portrays the unpredictable life of a loner, patriot, outlaw, and music rebel, making this unique biography a compelling read for multiple generations of graphic novel and music fans.
Synopsis
This graphic biography documents the brief and intense period of creativity Vincent van Gogh (1853andndash;1890) spent in Arles, Provence, in southern France. Here van Gogh dreams of setting up an artistsandrsquo; studioandmdash;a haven where he and his friends can paint together. But attacks of mental illness leave the painter confused and disoriented. When his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin refuses to reside permanently at the Yellow House, a distraught van Gogh cuts off part of his own ear. Throughout this period of intense emotion and hardship, Vincentandrsquo;s brother Theo stands by him, offering constant and unconditional support. Writer and illustrator Barbara Stok breathes riveting new life into a fascinating episode of art history, creating a vivid portrait of one of the worldandrsquo;s most beloved and legendary artists.
Praise for Vincent:
andquot;Stylistically, Stok is almost faultless... [Vincent] leaves us aware of a small breath of fresh air blown into the world of art historyandquot;and#160;The Times Literary Supplement
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andquot;Stok does a brilliant, sympathetic job of picturing the artist, whether jagged with madness or sitting amid the wheat fields and sunflowers of Arlesandquot;and#160;The Guardian
Synopsis
Over the course of Hunter S. Thompsonandrsquo;s extraordiandshy;nary life he was publicly branded a bum, a vandal, a thief, a liar, an addict, a freak, and a psychopath. Some of which were true. Yet even when compared to the most significant figures of the 20th century, his legacy retains a brilliantly vital force. The great American writer, the great American iconoclast, the great American hedonistandmdash;however you choose to view him, Thompson remains the high-water mark for all social commentators worldwide, and a truly fearless champion of individual liberties. This is his story, the story of a troubled kid from Louisville who went on to become an international icon. A story that plumbs the darkest depths of American society and charts the now legendary adventures that birthed Gonzo Journalism,
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and a lifestyle beyond imagination.
Praise for Gonzo:
andldquo;I was attracted to its bright orange cover and the drawing of the long-legged Thompson clutching a satchel, running away from something. It was enough to entice me to crack open the book. I didn't stop reading until I was finished, past my bedtime, a couple of hours later.andrdquo; andmdash;Boing Boing
andldquo;This diamond-sharp graphic biography is a witty, thoughtful book . . . Bingley and Hope-Smithandrsquo;s portrait is brave and badass, taking the kind of chances Thompson would have appreciated.andrdquo; andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;Exactly what it says on the tin . . . brilliant.andquot; andmdash;Brain Pickings
Synopsis
Poland, 1941. Sixteen-year-old Harry Haft is sent to Auschwitz. When he is forced to fight against other inmates for the amusement of the SS officers, Haft shows extraordinary strength and courage, and a determination to survive. As the Soviet Army advances in April 1945, he makes a daring escape from the Nazis. After negotiating the turmoil of postwar Poland, Haft immigrates to the United States and establishes himself as a professional prizefighter, remaining undefeated until he faces heavyand#173;weight champion Rocky Marciano in 1949. In The Boxer, Reinhard Kleist reveals another side to the steely Harry Haft: a man struggling to escape the memories of the fiancand#233;e he left behind in Poland. This is a powerful and moving graphic novel about love and the will to survive.
About the Author
Will Bingley began his career in the film industry, working as a scriptwriter and script editor on several major studio productions before moving into TV and advertising work. He is a contributor to several major U.S. anthologies and journals. Anthony Hope-Smith studied graphic design and animation and now works as an illustrator. This is his first full-length graphic novel.