Why people recommend it
Norman Mailer's monumental true-crime masterpiece The Executioner's song is a sweeping, meticulous examination of the life and execution of Gary Gilmore. On The Book Review, John Williams repeatedly shared his enthusiasm for the massive nine-hundred-page volume, describing it as his dedicated nightly reading ritual before bed. Williams also expressed astonishment that others had not yet encountered the towering classic, praising its incredible narrative power. Eric Schlosser discussed the book on the podcast by contrasting its approach with other true-crime works like In Cold Blood, noting that Mailer confronted the immense weight of the crimes head-on. However, Schlosser also offered a critique, arguing that true-crime books, including Mailer's, often exhibit a troubling lack of focus on the actual victims. Readers recommend this classic work because it transcends standard genre conventions, offering a chillingly objective yet deeply sociological portrait of the American justice system, the media circus surrounding capital punishment, and the bleak realities of the American West. Mailer's journalistic rigor and novelistic flair combine to create an immersive, unsettling, and unforgettable exploration of violence, apathy, and fate.
Who recommended it
- John Williams Recommended
- Eric Schlosser Discussed
John Williams — 3 mentions
“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”
“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”
Eric Schlosser — 2 mentions
“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”
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- Beyond Entrepreneurship
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Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“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”
“what about Gary Gilmore um famously from the book to the Executioner song and movie yeah he um he was executed in Utah”