Book Review - Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

-
What do we do with the monsters of the art world? From Roman Polanski to Woody Allen to Anne Sexton and Joni Mitchell, from "geniuses" like Picasso and Hemingway to modern punk music and JK Rowling, Dederer throws a wide net of monsters and wrestles with the question we all want an answer to: when does someone's art allow us to overlook their monstrous deeds?

Of course, there are no easy answers here. Claire Dederer narrates every moment, wondering about the ethics of revisiting Annie Hall and Manhattan. Each new art piece expanding our definition of monster and wondering about our consumption. And there's rarely a monster you can think of that isn't mentioned: Michael Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, and the list goes on and on. Each chapter is assigned a theme from drunkards, to women abusers, to anti-Semites--it's beyond thorough.

But let's also be clear, it's deeply fascinating. Claire Dederer's prose is something I haven't seen since Tressie Cottom's Thick in 2019. Each essay alone is gorgeous, and the forms are varied. Personal narratives and definition arcs along with linguistic explorations give a sense that these ideas were toiled over. And she's never afraid to bring us to these conversations. There's a sense that we're witnessing ideas first hand, even when the writing clearly demonstrates something far more sophisticated.

What I appreciated most was the drawing of monstrousness to the self. Dederer is revealing about herself and the audience. Her switches from "I" to "We" and back again often demonstrate that idea with finesse. We become part of the narrative, and the text in some way causes a large retrospection of this subject. Where are we in this? And how are we complicit? 

From beginning to end, I was astounded by Monsters--I simply didn't want it to end. The conversation feels rich, and it's a conversation that we're not having enough of. From "cancel culture" to the role of women to the comparison of how men's deeds compare to those of women, there's no stone unturned here. We need work like this. It's vital. As of now, Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma is the best book this year.

Release date: April 25, 2023
MSRP: $24.99

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

-
Image
I get it. I really do. Barbara Kingsolver's modern envisioning of David Copperfield comes in the form Demon Copperhead. Like David Copperfield , Demon Copperhead takes a look at orphans and the services that are provided and fail them. David Copperfield isn't the only inspiration, this book will give many vibes similar to Beth Mercy's Dopesick as well. That is to say, this is bleak. And it's never not bleak.  Demon is born into poverty, and we see that poverty play out in the most grim of ways. Overdoses, uncaring foster parents, and exploitive child work practices all become mere backdrops. What first becomes harsh and shocking, soon numbs your senses. Kingsolver builds the most disturbing images and then somehow beats you down by showing you something equally grotesque. Characters make bad decision after bad decision, heroes will fail you, and our main character Demon is on the receiving end of all of it. It's overwhelming. And fascinating. For the first 300 pag
Read more

Audible Review - Dykes to Watch Our For

-
Image
From 1983 to 2008, Alison Bechdel's suburban sapphists gave us the foundations of much of our queer representation. Will & Grace, The L Word and Queer as Folk can all attribute their foundations to Bechdel's comic strip. In 2020, The Essential Dykes to Watch Our For was released, and became my own personal obsession. Since then rumors swirled about a Netflix show, but as of 2023, nothing.  Thankfully, this June (for Pride month) Audible released Dykes to Watch Our For, reenvisioned into 20 minute sitcom-like episodes. The translation feels impossible. How does a comic, an almost strictly visual medium, translate to an audio only sans any visuals? The answer: effortlessly. Through both sharp written scripts and outstanding voice acting, Dykes to Watch Out For comes alive. Each character you know and love, whether it's Mo, Lois, Clarice, or the many others, sound exactly as you would imagine. Performances feel emphatic and funny. Meanwhile, the narrator is none other tha
Read more

Book Review - Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

-
Image
Yellowface is my kind of read. It has everything I want. Good writing. Great characters. And a page turning plot. It's also, at times, laugh out loud funny, and it is never--even in it's less than perfect second half--boring for a moment.  The story revolves June Hayward, an author who has achieved virtually no success, and her friendly acquaintance Athena Liu, a literary bestselling tour-de-force author. When an unfortunately (and entirely insane) accidental death occurs to Athena while they are celebrating in Athena's apartment, June steals her manuscript. Our protagonist, June Hayward, then goes on to rewrite and sell Athena's work as her own. Of course, this all spirals out of control as June's paranoia and twitter's unrelenting trolls drag this brand new bestselling author.  At the heart of the story is plagiarism, but this story also raises the questions of who gets to tell what story. Does June have the right to tell the story of Chinese immigrants, even
Read more