Book: The Executioner's Song

 Book: The Executioner's Song

Author: Norman Mailer

Pages: 1057

This is my 18th read for the year

This is a non-fiction book about convicted criminal Gary Gilmore.  In the 70s Gary had been released from prison and started out on the straight and narrow.  Soon, though, Gary found himself falling into old ways and it lead to him killing two men.  He is sentenced to death, and asked to be executed by firing squad.  The state did not want to agree to Gary being executed, but Gary insisted.  His fight for the right to die is what made him famous.

Okay - so this book won a Pulizer Prize.  I have mixed feelings about it at best.  For one - it is about 600 pages too long in my opinion.  The story of Gary gets lost in the first 500 pages with the back story of every character that was interviewed, came in contact with, witnessed Gary Gilmore's case.  It just droned on and on with useless information that did not further my interest in Gary Gilmore.  The second half seemed to pull itself together a bit more, but not enough for me to understand why in the world this person got as much attention as he did.  Was it because he WANTED to die and the state kept Staying his execution?  I didn't like a single character in this book.  Even with all the attention to Gary and what he was doing - never cared at all for him in the end.  Well - except for his one relation Vern.  But otherwise, no.  I did not like the writing style.  It read like someone taking notes instead of a novel.  

I am tackling some of the Rory Gilmore reading list this year, and this was on it - if you were wondering why I chose it.  Actually the idea of it sounded right up my alley - true crime.  But it was disappointing

I don't recommend this tomb.  

Stars: 2.5