Book · 1979 · Biography
The executioner's song
- mentions
- 6
- people
- 3
- podcasts
- 2
- episodes
- 4
- recommendations
- 2
I'm still reading the Executioner song which I've talked about on here before and that's really great but it's sort of my bedtime reading so I'm reading like 40 pages before bed every night and it's a 900 page book.
What they say about it
- Comparing with similar non-fiction“similar works of non-fiction”2
The best things said about it
I'm reading The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer.
The extreme violence of Gilmore's execution, which inspired a 1979 Pulitzer Prizewinning journalism based novel called The Executioner Song, sparked a renewed debate over the brutality of capital punishment and whether it's compatible with modern society.
I picked up Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song for some reason. I cannot believe you have not read this book.
Unlike other similar works of non-fiction like In Cold Blood and The Executioner's Song, the author here really takes on the weight of these crimes.
And i would say you know the Executioner song uh Norman Miller's book is is an to go beyond True Crime and and one of the problems with those books and i don't want to focus too much on the negativity is there's a there's a remarkable lack of interest in the victims.
Why people recommend it
The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer is a sweeping, Pulitzer Prize-winning true crime masterpiece that details the final months and execution of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore in Utah, alongside the profound fallout felt by those around him. John Williams enthusiastically recommended the massive nine-hundred-page volume on The Book Review, sharing that he was working through it forty pages at a night as bedtime reading and expressing disbelief that anyone could avoid reading it. Conversely, Michael Phillips and Eric Schlosser discussed the book on Behind the Bastards and The Book Review from a more analytical and critical perspective. They examined how Gilmore's execution by firing squad reignited national debates regarding the morality and brutality of capital punishment. Schlosser specifically critiqued Mailer's approach, comparing it to other true crime literature and arguing that, despite its immense literary power, the narrative exhibits a notable lack of sustained interest in the actual victims of the crimes. Despite these critical conversations, podcast guests consistently recognized the book as a monumental achievement in non-fiction storytelling, cementing its legacy as a complex, unflinching examination of American violence, justice, media sensationalism, and the stark realities of capital punishment.
Every mention
John Williams I'm still reading the Executioner song which I've talked about on here before and that's really great but i… 3
“I'm still reading the Executioner song which I've talked about on here before and that's really great but it's sort of my bedtime reading so I'm reading like 40 pages before bed every night and it's a 900 page book”
“I picked up Norman mailer's the Executioner song for some reason I cannot believe you have not read this book”
“I'm reading the Executioner song by Norman mailer”
Eric Schlosser but unlike other uh similar works of non-fiction like in Cold Blood and the Executioner song uh the author… 2
“but unlike other uh similar works of non-fiction like in Cold Blood and the Executioner song uh the author here really takes on the weight of these crimes”
“and i would say you know the Executioner song uh Norman Miller's book is is an to go beyond True Crime and and one of the problems with those books and i don't want to focus too much on the negativity is there's a there's a remarkable lack of interest in the victims”
Michael Phillips The extreme violence of Gilmore's execution, which inspired a 1979 Pulitzer Prizewinning journalism based n… 1
“The extreme violence of Gilmore's execution, which inspired a 1979 Pulitzer Prizewinning journalism based novel called The Executioner Song, sparked a renewed debate over the brutality of capital punishment and whether it's compatible with modern society.”
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“what about Gary Gilmore um famously from the book to the Executioner song and movie yeah he um he was executed in Utah”
“stuff I haven't you know my ignorance is always ging and there's a really there's a a lot of like lovely stuff in here from Boswell but the big surprise to me has been Norman maer which i' I've read him like little pieces you know here in their executioner song”