The Executioner's Song -

: On January 17, 1977, he became the first person executed in the United States after a decade-long moratorium on the death penalty.

Winner of the 1980 , this "nonfiction novel" is a massive, meticulously researched deep dive into the life and death of Gary Gilmore . It isn't just a true crime story; it is a sprawling, uncomfortable portrait of the American West, the legal system, and the nature of a man who fought to be executed. The Story: Nine Months of Chaos The Executioner's Song

If you have ever stared at a 1,000-page book and thought, “There is no way I am finishing this,” you clearly haven’t picked up The Executioner’s Song . : On January 17, 1977, he became the

: Following a volatile relationship with a woman named Nicole, Gilmore went on a robbery and killing spree, murdering two innocent men. The Story: Nine Months of Chaos If you