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schwelo's review against another edition
I lost interest. It’s very long and ultimately I felt I didn’t want to put that much energy into the story of a murder, no matter how well it was written.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
I did it! While this book is over 1000 pages long, and thus an accomplishment in itself, this book is also the last one in the reading challenge that was going around at the beginning if 2015: a book written the year I was born. Woo hoo!
But apart from my own accomplishment, this book is very worthy of the respect and notice it has received. Long, but not difficult. I'm not convinced that all of the pages about the journalists were necessary, but otherwise, it was engaging. It also raised some fascinating issues. Not just the death penalty, but also Mormonism and the theological ramifications of it, right to die and death with dignity language and arguments, promiscuity and divorce, and our penal system and its ability to reform. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
But apart from my own accomplishment, this book is very worthy of the respect and notice it has received. Long, but not difficult. I'm not convinced that all of the pages about the journalists were necessary, but otherwise, it was engaging. It also raised some fascinating issues. Not just the death penalty, but also Mormonism and the theological ramifications of it, right to die and death with dignity language and arguments, promiscuity and divorce, and our penal system and its ability to reform. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
meklepfer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
The story was interesting, but it was too long with too much fluff. I didn't care about all the secondary characters and almost stopped reading several times because it felt like work to get through those chapters.
solstraalen's review against another edition
Stopped reading after the arrest. Got what I needed from Gary and his clique, at least for the time being
brdwilliams's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
2.0
This was a slog. It has been on my list to read since law school and while I can see how it may have once had impact in conversations about the death penalty, the language is absolutely galling with 2024 eyes, and I couldn't help but think about how much investigative journalism could have been done about systemic and racial injustice with the untold funds Mailer and all if the other journalists has to cover this sensational case. I would like to think that if this book came out today it would have been EDITED HEAVILY, wouldn't have even been in contention for a Pulitzer, and would have given far more time to the voices of Gilmore's victims and the systemic injustice inherent in the death penalty instead of turning Gilmore into a celebrity martyr. Honestly, I hated this book and it reaffirmed my feelings about "the canon" and how we need to stop elevating and excusing problematic books as "products of their time" and instead publishing/assigning/funding/celebrating newer books on mass incarceration, the death penalty, wrongful conviction and the like rather than continuing to make legends out of white male murders and their white male documentarians!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Murder, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism
horfhorfhorf's review against another edition
2.0
Liked it, didn't love it. More thoughts to follow.
jenmat1197's review
informative
slow-paced
2.5
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 didn't not like the writing style. It read like someone taking notes instead of a novel.
I don't recommend this tomb.