“What do we do with the art of monstrous men?” While writing about the works of Roman Polanski, Dederer began to chew over the question of whether it is wrong for her to enjoy the work of someone who drugged and raped a thirteen year old. Not long after, the #MeToo movement hit America and she watched many fellow critics, artists, and fans experience the same inner turmoil she had been grappling with. Mostly, her chapters look at monstrous acts through the lens of a few well known artists known to be associated with said acts. Her analysis is thoughtful, self-admittedly (and unavoidably) subjective, but well roundly considered. I particularly enjoyed her analysis of JK Rowling’s controversy and found new insight there. As the book progresses, she veers from social critic to self-reflective and devotes almost a quarter of her book to reckoning the artists life with motherhood, and the monstrosity of being a bad mother. While Dederer does round-aboutly tie this into the question of how we treat monstrosity, I felt it was moreso self-indulgence than honest critique; after all, I don’t think bad mother’s get canceled the same way child rapists do. Still, many will find insight and feel comforted with that chapter. I didn’t necessarily agree with her conclusions, but I still found her process of analyzing the issue interesting and good food for fodder, and I would recommend it as worth a read for anyone lost in their feelings on this issue.