The Executioner's Song cover art

The Executioner's Song

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About this listen

 In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, a convicted killer becomes the first prisoner to be executed in the United States.

The Executioner's Song follows the true story of cold-blooded murderer Gary Gilmore, who, after being tried and convicted, insisted on being executed for his crimes. To do so, he fought a system intent on keeping him alive long after it sentenced him to death.

Norman Mailer tells Gilmore's story with impressive authority and compassion. The Executioner's Song is a trip down the wrong side of the tracks, right into the heart of American loneliness and violence–it is impossible to put down and difficult to forget. 20th Century Biographical Fiction Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Heritage Literary Fiction True Crime Crime Fiction Mormon Biography
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I thought some of the dialogue was repetitive and made the book unnecessarily long.

Good story and well written by Mailer.

OK but very long

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This was a sprawling, disturbing and overly detailed story. Brilliant narration, but ultimately tiresome listen.

Impressive but too long

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I have read this book 2 times and watched the movie even more times. My adhd found it irritating how the performer pronounced Gilmore and Excecution. other than that small thing I loved it all!!!

Just as good as reading it.

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...having, sadly, been living next door to a sociopathic narcissist for 20 years, i was once again able to advance my own understanding of complicated personality disorders....while being taken on an amazing journey in literature. unlike my neighbor, or should i say through the knowledge gained from being targeted by her warped mind, i was able to feel gary's potential and humor and pain...while still holding on to the believe that no one has the right to cause havoc in other peoples lives without facing justice....and so, all one can do when encountering these people is to stay away....sad....

...an amazing work....

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The definitive story of the complicated Gary Gilmore
Possibly Mailers best work
No sympathy/no disgust
Many many lives destroyed by this one time news interest
and future cult hero Gary Gilmore
Now hopefully seen as not the psychopath or serial killer that people imagine him as. Just as a man who’s spent most of his life in prison. Given the option of the rest of his life in prison or death he took the death penalty
And that’s when the state didn’t know what to do

The Executioner Song

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