‘Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma’By Claire Dedererc.2023, Alfred A. Knopf$28/288 pages Recently, I listened to an audio version of “The Sorcerer’s Stone,” the first of J.K.
Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series. I cheered when Rowling said Dumbledore is gay. Yet, I wondered, should I read the Potter books (no matter how much I love them) when Rowling has made hurtful remarks about trans people?
That is the question many fans ask today: What do we do when artists make art we love, but behave badly? “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,” by memoirist and critic Claire Dederer delves into this vexing question.
This perplexing query has no “right” answer that works for everyone. Yet, if you enjoy art, you’re likely to keep wrestling with it.