Making Peace With Monsters

Listen nowDownload file
Embed player
Original Air Date: 
November 22, 2017

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the good in our lives, to be grateful for family and friends. But can we make one suggestion? This year, think about someone who could use a friend. That’s the theme of this story — it’s about a lonely, disturbed teenager. A kid who desperately needed someone to reach out to him. His name was Jeff. Or as you know him, Jeffrey Dahmer — the serial killer.

"My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf
Bookmarks

What do you do when your buddy in high school turns out to be the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer?

Length: 
3:03
Still from "My Friend Dahmer"
Audio

Filmmaker Marc Meyers talked to Charles Monroe-Kane about the challenges of finding reliability in a character like Jeffrey Dahmer while not denying the monster he would ultimately become.

Length: 
20:02
Still from "My Friend Dahmer"
Articles

So can we empathize with people who become monsters? Derf Backderf — whose teenage self appears in Meyers' film — certainly thinks so.

Length: 
8:40
Show Details 📻
Last modified: 
October 16, 2018