Scan barcode
lowlifeform's review against another edition
i REALLY wanted to like this, but unfortunately the author refused to distinguish between fact and fiction. i don't mind speculation, in fact i really enjoy it! but it MUST be clear what is and isn't true...
lergoo's review against another edition
5.0
This book focuses on the life of Henry Darger, a man who did not have a lot of luck in life. Poor, abused, institutionalized and the list goes on. Jim Elledge, after more than 10 years of research, tries to clear a lot of misconceptions that are being thrown around about Henry Darger. How he might've been a serial killer, an abuser and even a pedophile. This book lays bare Henry's life from his birth to his death, and it is indeed a tragic one. It gave a lot of really interesting but sometimes quite saddening views into the life of this outsider artist.
I found it to be a really worthwhile read and if you want a peep through the keyhole into Henry Dargers' life, then I would highly recommend this.
I found it to be a really worthwhile read and if you want a peep through the keyhole into Henry Dargers' life, then I would highly recommend this.
library_raider's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Transphobia, Mental illness, and Abandonment
heavenwallgate's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second time reading this book, but I’d forgotten a good bit of it so really it felt like the first. I do really appreciate Elledge’s commitment to pushing back against the unfounded narrative that Darger was a pedophile and/or serial killer, and I think he makes a lot of intriguing connections that suggest a queer subtext to his art. However, I don’t think the dramatic/novelistic tone always works. Elledge seems very attached to the idea that Darger and his friend Whillie were in a romantic relationship, and while I think it’s likely they were, the book treats it as a hard fact rather than speculation which I think detracts from its credibility. I also think Elledge brushes over potential trans readings of Darger’s art and writing very quickly, which I found disappointing.
aabha's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I could take the child Darger in my arms and comfort him, protect him and love him. He would have been an incredible artist eve then, just that his art would have taken a different direction. Much love to Jim elledge for studying and demistifying some of the myths surrounding Darger.
More...