Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

31 reviews

erinbarton's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

jayisreading's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.0

I wish this essay collection worked for me, given my interest in the topic. but I found it rather disappointing. I think the questions that Dederer wanted to address are crucial ones for all of us to contend with. Can you actually separate art from the artist? Is it ethical to consume media by problematic (or “stained,” as she describes it) people, some of whom are labeled geniuses? How should we be engaging with problematic media, if at all?

I will say that I think it’s a little unfair to expect concrete answers from her, considering that it’s a bit more complicated than giving a simple “yes” or “no” response. However, a reader only has so much patience for any amount of waffling; by the third or fourth chapter, I was tired of it. I think it’s fine if an author wants to take a moment to think about a particular topic on-page, but they need to give the reader a reason to stick around for it. In other words, what’s at stake? Why should we care? Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a point to any of these essays that gave me any indication as to why what Dederer wrote mattered. She had numerous missed opportunities to do in-depth analyses with the issues she raised. Instead, she provided a lot of surface-level observations that gave the reader very little to work with, other than to quizzically wonder, “Why should I care about your feelings over your favorite artist being problematic?” Relatedly, I saw a few reviewers comment that this book reads more like a memoir, which I’m inclined to agree with, especially when one takes into account the handful of personal anecdotes that Dederer hardly connected (if at all) to the topic at hand. In addition, I felt that she often failed to give enough context when she called a number of individuals “monsters.” Sure, readers could do separate research on some of the mentioned figures in the book to learn more about their wrongdoings, but part of an essayist’s responsibility is to provide even some of that context and nuance.

Again, the questions posed in this book are important ones. However, I think Dederer could have afforded to spend more time with these essays to better establish the points she wants to make, as well as to reorganize her ideas so that they are more closely connected.

Note: Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a finished paperback copy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Death, Transphobia, and Suicide

emily_pns's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

dinocraniac's review

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

Book with a topic made for me! Separating the art from the artist has always been such a struggle for me. Dederer's book was so captivating and most of the time I didn't want to stop reading. However, there were parts that were incredibly uncomfy to read. Such a jarring and horrifying opening to the book. Like actually an insane way to open a book. And the whole chapter about Lolita. Ending was a bit weak as well, at least the second to last chapter. Throughout the book it annoyed me how she kept saying "we", only to be like "not we, I". She would correct herself and then keep doing it like please get your shit together. But anyway. Overall a really good book, highly reccomend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

kirstym25's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism and Infidelity

erika_winters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This was a really insightful book of essays containing cultural critiques while combining Dederer’s personal experiences and views. A major question she tackles throughout the essays (which delve into Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Pablo Picasso, Doris Lessing, Joni Mitchell, etc.) is: can we still love art created by monstrous people? This is something that Dederer personally grapples with throughout and has a bunch of mixed emotions about; but we all do, really. The only reason this didn’t get a perfect 5 star rating is because I felt like some essays were lacking in some way; I am greedy and wanted more discussion or more details about people I didn’t know about before reading the essays, such as Ana Mendieta, a feminist sculptor and painter, who died tragically from what Dederer believes to be a domestic violence situation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Discusses extremely disgusting behavior by some of the worst sexual predators in the art, film, and music worlds. Proceed with caution if you are wary of these topics.

milanaaaah's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

What do we do with the monsters who create art we love? What do we do with the monsters we love? We do we do with the monster in ourselves? 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Rape, and Alcoholism

hduc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book deals with monstrous people. Of course there will be disturbing stories. But fear not, take one or two pages at a time. You would come out of this book a heart lighter.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia, Self harm, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, War, Violence, Sexism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Genocide, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

vouija's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Antisemitism

chelseadoherty's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual assault, Addiction, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Drug abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Mass/school shootings, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, and Suicide