Review of "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf

Just finished "My Friend Dahmer," a graphic novel by Derf Backderf.  This was a fantastic introduction to the graphic novel genre.  I have thumbed through Alan Moore's books in the past, but never really sat down and devoured a graphic novel...til now...

Backderf was friends with Dahmer in high school and tells the story of a sad teenager tormented by family dysfunction and a dark fantasy life. His book really makes you feel empathy for Dahmer, who seemed to really just crave love and social connections to others.  This was a difficult part for me to reconcile during my reading (particularly since I feel repulsed by Dahmer's crimes and felt happy knowing that he had been murdered by another inmate in prison), but Backderf leaves open the question of how things might have been different if Dahmer had loving friends and a stable family life.  Ultimately, we'll never know, but there are parts of Backderf's book that make the case for why understanding  psychopathy and serial killing are sociological matters--how psychological disturbance is rooted in a person's social context.  

I'm VERY excited to teach this book in my brand new "Sociology of Serial Homicide" course this fall...and I look forward to seeing the movie, which is set to be released soon. I'd highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone who is interested in the origin story of one of America's most notorious serial killers.

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The Long Shadow of Gun Violence (In Loving Memory of Bette Clark)

I met Bette and her oldest son, Joey, during a death penalty trial in Center City. It was the sentencing phase for the two men who killed her youngest son, Timmy, who was gunned down execution-style when he was 15. Caroline, an advocate with the Families of Murder Victims, introduced us. "Bette, this is Jooyoung. He's a researcher and wants to interview you." Joey sized me up and seemed protective of his mom, who had already been through so much. Her eyes were red from crying, so I said, "I'm really sorry to hear about what happened." She smiled a little and said in her Tacony accent, "Thank you. It's been such a long day. But, call me whenever, sure." I spent the next day with Bette and her family at the courthouse and visited them weekly over the next year. I hadn't planned on following the families of murder victims, but my ongoing research in Philly had pushed me in this direction. While getting to know gunshot...

Bas Rutten's Punk Payback: How (Not) to Act During a Robbery

El Guapo I love Bas "El Guapo" Rutten. The Dutchman was a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, 3-time King of Pancrase, and an all-around badass. Following his illustrious fighting career, he transitioned into MMA commentary. I've found his commentary insightful and think that he comes across as a very humble and approachable person. Recently, I learned that Fuel TV was producing a show for Rutten called "Punk Payback." I immediately thought that the show would be a spin-off of MTV's "Bully Beatdown," a show in which professional MMA fighters confront and beat up bullies. To me, this would make sense: Bas Rutten was bullied when he was younger and openly talks about developing self confidence/awareness through the martial arts. I just watched a 10-minute clip of Punk Payback and am surprised to report that it isn't this kind of show. Instead, the episode I saw featured Rutten providing colorful commentary on how to resist/disarm armed...

Getting Choked Unconscious

I got choked unconscious yesterday. Don't worry, I wasn't a victim of a serial strangler. Instead, I fell victim to a bow-and-arrow-choke (see below), a nasty submission move in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I've been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) for the past 6 months. I love it. I haven't loved a physical sport/activity as much since I first got into popping, back in 1999. I train about 5-6 times per week at Balance Studios in Philadelphia, PA. I can't say enough good things about Balance Studios. People are very friendly; the instructors are top-notch; the atmosphere is low-key and unpretentious; and to top if off, people are really good at BJJ! World Champ, Ruben "Cobrinha" Charles does a bow-and-arrow choke Typically, classes begin with about 30 minutes of drilling techniques. This is a part of class in which you pair off with someone and work on a series of techniques. On some days, you learn a sequence of submission ...

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