Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy (Perennial Classics)

Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy (Perennial Classics)
Average customer rating:

A Masterfully told account of the tension between therapist and patient

Yalom tackles the inescapable issues of being human

fascinating

Tales of a Psychologist

Thank You Dr. Yalom

Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy (Perennial Classics)
Irvin D. Yalom
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060958340
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Book Description

The collection of ten absorbing tales by master psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom uncovers the mysteries, frustrations, pathos, and humor at the heart of the therapeutic encounter. In recounting his patients' dilemmas, Yalom not only gives us a rare and enthralling glimpse into their personal desires and motivations but also tells us his own story as he struggles to reconcile his all-too human responses with his sensibility as a psychiatrist. Not since Freud has an author done so much to clarify what goes on between a psychotherapist and a patient.

Customer Reviews:

A Masterfully told account of the tension between therapist and patient.......2007-08-31

In the tales that Dr. Yalom relates in this book, he shares the accounts of his patients' problems, however, and more profoundly he shares a great deal of himself and how he responds to these problems. The image that emerges is that of a therapist who is not always right, nor always agreeable, but always human. His defects are made endearing by the fact that he is aware of them and struggles with them. He is a first rate storyteller and the glimpse he allows us into the therapeutic relation is quite worthwhile.

Yalom tackles the inescapable issues of being human.......2007-08-10

A friend gave me this book a few days ago. My friend is very well-educated, has lived all over the world, and has experienced more than most people. When he gave me the book, he said to me, "This book reflects my vision of the world". How could I help but be intrigued? Opening the book, he then read the following passage from the Preface: "Four givens are particularly relevant for psycho-therapy: the inevitability of death for each of us and for those we love; the freedom to make our lives as we will; our ultimate aloneness; and, finally, the absence of any obvious meaning or sense to life." When I recently read the novel LIFE AND FATE, which takes its characters through the massive Battle of Stalingrad and Stalin's Great Terror, I couldn't help thinking how poor in material for great novels is the typical life of a prosperous, well-educated professional living today in the OECD. Compared to the intensity of the experiences described in LIFE AND FATE, even wonderful writers like Ian McEwan are boring. But, as the Preface accurately foreshadows, there is nothing boring about LOVE'S EXECUTIONER, because my friend is right-- the four issues described in the Preface do indeed define the human condition. In a sense, LOVE'S EXECUTIONER offers, in the broadest possible sense, the ancient wisdom found in Psalms 90: "Teach us to number our days: that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Dr. Yalom is quite frank about what he considers the "magical" thinking and "delusion" involved in religious belief, however. Aside from his commitment to unflinchingly acknowledge the truths he describes in his Preface (and therefore, "Teach us to number our days"), Dr. Yalom's faith resides in the healing potential of the relationship between the therapist and the patient. This could be generalised to incorporate the Second Commandment to "Love thy neighbour as thyself" with its emphasis on human relationships and mutual openness, but one senses that Dr. Yalom would acknowledge this point, at best, with a sardonic shrug--"Whatever gets you through the night." Yalom is his own main character, and LOVE'S EXECUTIONER is a dramatic account of how the "character" Dr. Yalom undergoes dramatic encounters with deeply troubled characters not unlike the way the "character" Dante encounters vividly depicted souls in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Like Dante's DIVINE COMEDY, LOVE'S EXECUTIONER is episodic. The ten tales all vary and will affect individual reader's differently. For some reason, I found the case of the morbidly obsese woman deeply moving, while being most unsettled by the cases of the elderly neurobiologist and the elderly accountant--perhaps because they were the patients most similar to me. thers will relate to other patients, but what Yalom consistently does in each of these stories is to bring out the fascinating richness and complexity of human beings, the many layers and conflicting motivations and emotions, and by doing so he fully justifies the intense struggles and engagement of "Dr. Yalom", the character, in his efforts to diagnose and heal his patients, all of whom, whether likable or not, seem intensely alive in the pages of LOVE'S EXECUTIONER. This not to say that Yalom is a genius of the order of Dante, of course, but these tales have an intensity that can be compared to the effect of great literature. Dr. Yalom derives his authority, not from artistic genius (although he is a skillful and sophisticated writer) but from the fact that he is intimately familiar with terrain that frightens and intimidates most of us: severe psychological distress, grief, suicidal feelings, depression, unresolvable anxiety. Like Dr. Szczeklik, the author of CATHARSIS, Dr. Yalom maintains his poise under circumstances in which most of us would be acutely uncomfortable, and probably ineffectual. The fact that these two doctors can calmly navigate the ground of life and death, of insanity and inner darkness, sets them apart and makes their books compelling.

fascinating.......2007-05-22

I am generally not a fan of modern psychological methods and their inability to face the spectre of death and the fundamental decay of our 'modern' civilisation (primitive cultures were much more sensible in their organization in comparison with the capitalist terror we have created).. This is precisely why dr. yalom's book appeals to me.. It is a certain breed of existensial psychology that looks at death head on.. but credit must also be given to yalom's obvious personal report with his patients and his understanding of humanity (something experience seems to play a key role in)..
I have never been so struck by the personal accounts of the theraputic process in the very moving stories yalom has compiled here.. I found myself completely absorbed from the first pages on.. I feel that i have greatly benefited from reading this book.

Tales of a Psychologist.......2007-05-07

Irving Yalom is very frank and very blunt about countertrasference situations with his patients. Very interesting vignettes that I highly recommend for students, professionals, and faculty alike.

Thank You Dr. Yalom.......2007-04-29

An incredible book. Dr. Yalom restored my faith in therapists and human beings. I have read the book twice and given to many friends as gift. The most healing aspect of the book is one's realization that EVERY individual is flawed, conflicted, volunerable ... and the journey of self-discovery and acceptance is the only path to reaching inner-peace and content.

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Torment In Art
Lionello Puppi
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847814068
Release Date: 1991-10-15

Average customer rating:

Great ending to what otherwise I found stale
"He is Recalled to Life..."
The Political Intrigue of Dickens
A Masterpiece Novel Set Before The French Revolution
Much to Offer

A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics)
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141439602
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Richard Maxwell.

Customer Reviews:

Great ending to what otherwise I found stale.......2007-07-21

It always takes me a while before I really get interested in any story. Unfortunately this story took until almost the end before it really grabbed me. It may not be that bad for you, but I found some of the sentences extremely long. After reading David Copperfield I'm put off by his diction or older cliches, as long as the story is compelling. Many of his descriptive narratives were just too long and drawn out. I think there might have been some clever metaphors that I was just to lazy to think about; or as an excuse I don't know that much about that time in history. The end was full of action and suspense, I don't know if it was more disappointing that the story ended or that the first five-sixths of the book was flat. I hope your experience will be better than mine.

"He is Recalled to Life...".......2007-07-09

Everyone knows the opening line of this novel: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," but have you ever stopped to think about what it actually means? Putting a context on famous lines of literature is (for me at least) one of the best parts about reading classic novels, something that everyone should attempt to do at some stage during their lifetimes. "A Tale of Two Cities" definitely falls into that category, as it contains some of Dickens's best and most complex work. The title stems from the fact that it is London and Paris - rather than any individual character - which make up the central character of the novel, and the way in which these two cities guide the fates of their inhabitants.

This is certainly one of Charles Dickens's more unique novels, being one of only two of his works (the other being Barnaby Rudge (Penguin Classics)) that is best described as historical fiction. Incorporating events of the French Revolution such as the storming of the Bastille, the September massacres and the infamous Revolutionary tribunals that sent thousands to their deaths at the gulliotine, the novel is set against a wide sweep of history that provides the context for the intrigues of his characters. As Dickens himself articulated, characters are not as developed as they are in his other works, and are revealed through action rather than dialogue or exposition. Thus, "A Tale of Two Cities" is far from a character study, though Dickens provides several vivid scenes that give us insight into the players, whether it be the monotonous shoe-making of Doctor Manette, the lethargic leaning of Sydney Carton or the frantic knitting of Madame Defarge.

Pulling together a complex story of betrayal, intrigue, danger, hidden identities and past secrets, Dickens weaves his three protagonists (insofar as you could say this novel *has* protagonists) into a complicated tale set against the dangers of the French Revolution: Doctor Manette, a freed prisoner of the old aristocratic regime, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat who has denounced his heritage, and Sydney Carton, a brilliant English lawyer with a wastrel lifestyle (who is also the most vivid character in the novel). Each man becomes swept up in the events of the Revolution, each facing their inner demons and the secrets of the past that rise up to threaten their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

As is to be expected, at the centre of this maelstrom is a young woman, with whom all males are besotted. She is a typical Dickensian heroine: meek, virtuous, beautiful, tearful, and the object of everyone's dearest affections. As someone who has read several Dickens books, she is a somewhat frustrating character - is there really a difference between Lucie Manette and say, Rose of Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) or Agnes of David Copperfield (Penguin Classics) or Biddy of Great Expectations (Penguin Classics)? Lucie is the paragon of Victorian expectations in a woman, the domestic goddess, the angel of the house, the damsel in distress (in fact, the most memorable aspect to her character is Dickens's mention of her talent at arranging furniture. I'm not kidding). Yes, she is a product of the time, and no doubt a reflection of Dickens's own longings (considering his own domestic lifestyle was far from ideal), but you can't help but wish that Dickens had taken the time to explain why Lucie had such an extraordinary effect on the men around her, rather than just tell us that such a thing was so.

Despite this, Dickens has a tightly plotted novel, which gradually reveals the intricate connections between each character as the story progresses. By any other author, these connections would seem melodramatic or too coincidental, in Dickens's hands, they take on the sense of an inevitable pattern taking shape, almost a fateful air. Juggling the intimate details of the inner turmoil relationships of the characters with the grander scale of the political upheaval, Dickens strikes the perfect balance between the two, personified in the cities themselves. London becomes the place of peace and security, but also dignified secrecy and disclosure (as Dickens famously ponders in the opening chapters, pointing out that we - as human beings - are all mysteries to each other), whereas Paris is swept up in violence, blood-lust and a witch hunt for enemies of the new order. Yet as Richard Maxwell points out in his enlightening introduction to this edition, the two cities exist together in the course of the novel - without Paris, Carton's melancholic and wasteful life was in vain; without London, there is no safe haven for the Darnay family to flee to.

Dickens also has room for his own commentary on the Revolution, and is careful in his portrayal of those involved, making none of them totally evil, nor completely virtueous. Everyone involved is painted in shades of grey, making the Revolution itself a complicated process of upheaval, cruelty, justice, madness, victory and tragedy. Just as the revolt of the people is perceived as justified against the tyranny of the aristocracy that abuses their position so appallingly, the madness that follows becomes just as horrifying as the rule of that which preceded it. As it stands, Dickens ends the novel by alluding to the execution of Madame Roland, who was said to have cried out just before her death: "O Liberty, what crimes are committed in thy name!" This is one of my favourite Dickens's novels, and leaves you with plenty to mull over long after you've finished reading.

The Political Intrigue of Dickens.......2007-07-03

** This review is a synthesis of the three Charles Dickens books that I've read: A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics), Great Expectations (Penguin Classics), and David Copperfield (Penguin Classics). The rationale for reviewing in this manner is to provide a foundation point of reference for those not new to Dickens' work.

In the last two years I have read, in this order, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield. All three of these books were exceptional reads, and if you are thinking about dipping your toes in the waters of Charles Dickens you can't go wrong with any of them. However, notwithstanding the fact that these three books are all in the upper echelon of world literature, I have no difficulty in distinguishing between them and coming to the conclusion that they are properly ordered, from "most best" to "least best": David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations.

It seems generally to be the case that, for those who have read just one of Dickens' books, Great Expectations is the book most people have been exposed to. And most people who read Great Expectations love it. The genre is probably best described as romance meshed with individual tragedy among numerous characters. However, perhaps the strongest part of the book is the manner in which the secondary characters present a contrast to the primary story. I liked the book very much, but I think it suffers from two flaws not present in the other works reviewed here. First, the characters are not as believable as in the other two works. Second, the plot follows an unlikely path, especially in the end. Concerning this second point, it should be noted that Dickens struggled with the ending of this work, and I think it shows.

Tale of Two Cities ranks second in this group in my mind. This book is a combination of political intrigue, romance, and personal triumph. I rank this book above Great Expectations for the sole reason that the characters in this book are so strongly developed. I don't think I have been exposed to more memorable characters in any book I've ever read. The story is interesting, too, because it takes place against the backdrop of a historical event, the French Revolution. I think Dickens had an easier time writing a convincing plot in this story than in Great Expectations because he had the aid of a real historical event.

Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities are both excellent books, but David Copperfield is simply the best piece of literature I've ever read. To be sure, I'm only 24 and have only read 10 pieces of classic literature since my high school years. However, David Copperfield so outdid anything I've read that I feel more than comfortable in recommending it as certainly one of the best books of all time. Dickens did a remarkable job of capturing a wide variety of human emotions and mindsets. He was aided in this by two things. First, the length of the book gave him space to fully develop his sentiments. Second, the book is written in a first-person autobiographical voice, which I think made capturing sentiments much easier than in attempting to narrate them in the third-person. Further, because the book chronicles David's life from childhood through middle-age the reader is exposed to a wide variety of human thoughts. The characters, for the most part, are more believable and the plot is generally good; I took offense to only one chapter in the whole book.

Now, if you haven't read any of Dickens' books, I don't recommend starting with David Copperfield. I would start with Great Expectations and work through a couple others before David Copperfield. In terms of the plots, David Copperfield is much more similar to Great Expectations than Tale of Two Cities. So if you loved Great Expectations I think you will be well satisfied with David Copperfield. The plot from Tale of Two Cities is the odd-ball of this trio. In any case, all three of these books are great pieces of literature... enjoy.

A Masterpiece Novel Set Before The French Revolution.......2007-07-01

Charles Dickens, who lived from 1812 to 1870, is the best know male English writer of the 19th century. He authored 22 novels plus numerous short pieces. Most of his writing was first written in serialized form, later published as single novels.

A young Dickens at the age of 12 had the unenviable job of attaching labels 10 hours a day at the Warren's boot blacking factory. That experience shaped much of his writing career. Still in his teens he became a law clerk, then later in his twenties a journalist. The last job as a reporter led to the serialized writing of his novels. His works were social commentaries with larger than life characters, or colorful caricatures, living in the slums of London. He was a critic of poverty, social injustice, and the slow moving court system.

Those themes permeate most of his novels. A few novels are different, including the present A Tale of Two Cities, written towards the end of his writing career. This is a historical novel set in England and France during the years leading up to the French Revolution, starting around the year 1775. At first glance it appears less complicated than his other works, but on closer inspection one will find that the novel is relatively complicated. It is a three part story with time shifting and with many characters, and with lots of intrigue and drama.

Without giving away critical plot elements - and it is a complicated plot which most will have trouble remembering anyway - the story opens in England as a bank representative, Lorry, travels to Dover to meet a young woman, Lucie Manette. They proceed to Saint Antoine near Paris in search of Lucie's father, Dr. Manette, who was in prison, but who has now been released. During the incarceration, he has lost his mind.

Action then shifts back to England, five years later, to the trial of Chalres Darnay for spying. Lucie and her father testify at the trial. Darnay is acquitted and released. In Paris, Darnay's uncle, the Marquis, is involved in a street accident and other plot elements. Back in England, Darnay marries Lucie. Then, Darnay returns to Paris to help a friend of the Marquis and is imprisoned as an emigrant or aristocrat. The rest of the novel involves the return to Paris of Lucie, her father, and Lorry, and their struggle to get Darnay released. Will they be able to free him from prison or will he be executed?

Beyond the intrigue and drama, the novel is a vehicle for Dickens to describe the horrors of the French Revolution in a serial form, later made into a novel.

I enjoyed the read and would recommend the book.

Much to Offer.......2007-04-02

A Tale of Two cities is a vivid story of the French Revolution filled with imagery and motifs that are thick in the literature. So many stories collide in as the numerous characters are all connected some way, some how. There's a dramatic love triangle, a revenge story, a recovery from an eighteen year imprisonment and much more.

Charles Dickens writes as someone from his day would, filled with commas and metaphors. For children under thirteen this might be inappropriate, not because of content, but because they might not understand it enough to appreciate all it has to offer. It shows the immoral side of humanity, even though revenge isn't the only purpose. The aristocrats were mercilessly taken from there homes and to La Guillotine.

Motifs such as The Sea, Redemption, Secret Sins, Letters, and many others reinforce what is trying to be demonstrated. They are occurring events or ideas that keep the book interesting. So many of these characters come to their doom and it the affects the reader just as it would if you were actually watching it. Dramatic foreshadowing is also very affecting, but the actual events are even more thrilling.

Overall, I recommend this book to all willing to read, it's a wonderful book to enhance your literary vocabulary. It has tastes for men with its brutal wars and battles, but also has a sense of feminism as the love story will interests the women.

Average customer rating:

A Great Story!!!
Great Read
Totally Compelling...
Good Quick Read
Sleep toward heaven

Sleep Toward Heaven: A Novel
Amanda Eyre Ward
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060582294
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Book Description

Amanda Eyre Ward's debut novel is an intimate portrait of three women whose lives collide during a brutal Texas summer.

In Gatestown, Texas, twenty-nine-year-old Karen Lowens awaits her execution with a host of convicted serial killers on death row. In Manhattan, Dr. Franny Wren, also twenty-nine, tends to a young cancer patient, and resists the urge to run from her fiancé and her carefully crafted life. In Austin, Texas, brassy Celia Mills, a once-vibrant librarian, mourns her murdered husband.

Over the course of the summer, fate pushes these eerily recognizable women together, culminating in a revelation of the possibility of faith, the responsibility of friendship, and the value of life. Sleep Toward Heaven is a luminous story of murder and desire, solitude and grace -- a rare literary page-turner where redemption seems perpetually within arm's reach.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Story!!!.......2007-09-30

I couldn't put it down! The characters are well developed and the plot is well thought out. Never boring! A MUST READ!!!

Great Read.......2007-09-09

I read this book in 2 days. Just could not put it down. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. Wonderful writter. Looking forward to future works.

Totally Compelling..........2007-08-03

I read this book in 2 days. If I didn't have to work in the middle of that (darn it!) would've been a few hours! What an amazing first novel. Ward brings 3 women together in a very believable set of circumstances. You feel each woman's pain so clearly you feel you know them. I actually teared up at the end! It leaves you wanting more: what happened next with Franny and Celia? Questions on the death penalty, forgiveness and life itself will haunt you. If you like books like Memory Keeper's Daughter and Time Traveler's Wife, you will become as totally engrossed in this book as I did. I'll definitely seek out Ms. Ward's next book.

Good Quick Read.......2007-04-16

Worth reading. If you want a quick, easy, entertaining story, you've got it here!

Sleep toward heaven.......2007-03-15

This book had me from the first page. It is a story that I never would have thought would capture my attention but it really is a page turner. You are enveloped in the lives of the women and it is quite a poignant book.

Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

Average customer rating:

the Hobo Philosopher
Don't waste your time - Disgraceful
One of the worst scholarly books ever written
Not the best
CONFIRMING THAT WE DON'T ALL "WANT THE SAME THING"

Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679772685
Release Date: 1997-01-28

Amazon.com

In a work that is as authoritative as it is explosive, Goldhagen forces us to revisit and reconsider our understanding of the Holocaust and its perpetrators, demanding a fundamental revision in our thinking of the years between 1933-1945. Drawing principally on materials either unexplored or neglected by previous scholars, Goldhagen marshals new, disquieting primary evidence that explains why, when Hitler conceived of the "final solution" he was able to enlist vast numbers of willing Germans to carry it out. A book sure to provoke new discussion and intense debate.

Book Description

This groundbreaking international bestseller lays to rest many myths about the Holocaust: that Germans were ignorant of the mass destruction of Jews, that the killers were all SS men, and that those who slaughtered Jews did so reluctantly. Hitler's Willing Executioners provides conclusive evidence that the extermination of European Jewry engaged the energies and enthusiasm of tens of thousands of ordinary Germans. Goldhagen reconstructs the climate of "eliminationist anti-Semitism" that made Hitler's pursuit of his genocidal goals possible and the radical persecution of the Jews during the 1930s popular. Drawing on a wealth of unused archival materials, principally the testimony of the killers themselves, Goldhagen takes us into the killing fields where Germans voluntarily hunted Jews like animals, tortured them wantonly, and then posed cheerfully for snapshots with their victims. From mobile killing units, to the camps, to the death marches, Goldhagen shows how ordinary Germans, nurtured in a society where Jews were seen as unalterable evil and dangerous, willingly followed their beliefs to their logical conclusion.

" Hitler's Willing Executioner's is an original, indeed brilliant contribution to the...literature on the Holocaust."--New York Review of Books

"The most important book ever published about the Holocaust...Eloquently written, meticulously documented, impassioned...A model of moral and scholarly integrity."--Philadelphia Inquirer

Customer Reviews:

the Hobo Philosopher.......2007-10-01

Wow! I am rather surprised at all these negative reviews here. I seem to be in the minority in valuing this book as a rather obvious extrapolation of what was the actual case. I felt that the author went out of his way to over document this book so that what he had to say could not be denied.
There may in fact be some references that are off somewhat in one small aspect or another, I wouldn't really know but there is much too much to be ignored or dismissed here.
What the author establishes is also more than consistent with the German historical record - there "distaste" for the Jews goes way, way back.
I found nothing in this book shocking or exaggerated based on my previous readings.
If these outraged reviewers here are trying to promote the notion that the German people were "unaware" of what was happening to the Jews in Germany, they are being more than ridiculous.

Don't waste your time - Disgraceful.......2007-09-26

As an avid reader of WW2 history I found this book to be biased, flawed and almost unreadable. I am no racist or Holocaust denier, and what the Nazis did to the Jews, Slavs and other minority groups was absolutely terrible. However, if one wishes to read well researched historical facts about the people who were responsible then don't bother with "Hitler's Willing Executioners". If the publisher had any sense of reality or fact they would have laughed Goldhagen out of their office. I could go on, but it really isn't worth my time - don't waste yours on this book.

One of the worst scholarly books ever written.......2007-05-15

I don't even have to give you my opinion. Goldhagen shows what a biased, vengeful and spiteful person he is with his flawed research and undocumented claims. This book is the reason why you should start checking the footnotes if you didn't before. You cannot take people's research for granted. Example: p. 166 footnote #13. Read that one in the back. He didn't have time to actually calculate how many people were actually perpetrators, he simply believes the number was gigantic! He says that word for word! HA! There are DOZENS of "facts" like this. Other whoppers: p. 339. Goldhagen here actually creates his own German fantasy about how Germans made love next to concentration camps and how disgusting that is, yet it is completely without proof and later turns out to be his own fictional description that he hopes will convince you of how terrible Germans are. I am not even German and I was offended.

Not the best.......2007-05-14

Buy "Ordinary Men: The Story of Police Battalion 101 and the Holocaust" first. That is a much better book - more readable, less cluttered, and overall just a better book.

But if you already have read "Police Battalion 101," or are just interested in this subject, then buy this book. While it is not the best, it is good. In other words, it is not a good stand-alone book, but in conjunction with other research, it is OK.

CONFIRMING THAT WE DON'T ALL "WANT THE SAME THING".......2007-03-06

This book certainly could have used a good editor to make it more readable and to make its thesis clearer amidst a sea of often repetitive and barely comprehensible academic verbiage. Nevertheless, its premise is a compelling one that deserves to be aired in this era of feel-good multiculturalism in which many people (in the U.S. anyway) assume that--a la the innocence of an Anne Frank--people all over are basically good, want the same thing, have the same values, etc. September 11 finally threw some cold water in the face of some one-worlders to understanding how much hatred there is, on totally irrational religious and political grounds, of one people toward another...and indeed Goldhagen's premise could probably be applied to other countries and cultures of today as much as he applied it to the Germans (and he could have applied it, too, to Poles and Austrians and, later, Russians as well!)

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The Executioner's Song
Norman Mailer
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375700811
Release Date: 1998-04-28

Amazon.com

The Executioner's Song is a work of unprecedented force. It is the true story of Gary Gilmore, who in 1977 became the first person executed in the United States since the reinstitution of the death penalty. Gilmore, a violent yet articulate man who chose not to fight his death-penalty sentence, touched off a national debate about capital punishment. He allowed Norman Mailer and researcher Lawrence Schiller complete access to his story. Mailer took the material and produced an immense book with a dry, unwavering voice and meticulous attention to detail on Gilmore's life--particularly his relationship with Nicole Baker, whom Gilmore claims to have killed. What unfolds is a powerful drama, a distorted love affair, and a chilling look into the mind of a murderer in his countdown with a firing squad.

Book Description

Winner of the 1980 Pulitzer Prize

In what is arguably his greatest book, America's most heroically ambitious writer follows
the short, blighted career of Gary Gilmore, an intractably violent product of America's
prisons who became notorious for two reasons: first, for robbing two men in 1976, then
killing them in cold blood; and, second, after being tried and convicted, for insisting on
dying for his crime. To do so, he had to fight a system that seemed paradoxically intent on
keeping him alive long after it had sentenced him to death.

Norman Mailer tells Gilmore's story--and those of the men and women caught up in his
procession toward the firing squad--with implacable authority, steely compassion, and a
restraint that evokes the parched landscapes and stern theology of Gilmore's Utah. The
Executioner's Song is a trip down the wrong side of the tracks to the deepest sources of
American loneliness and violence. It is a towering achievement--impossible to put down, impossible to forget.

The Silent Executioner (Being the Second in the Series of Fantomas Adventures)

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The Silent Executioner (Being the Second in the Series of Fantomas Adventures)
Marcel Allain , and Pierre Souvestre
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Fantomas (Penguin Classics)
The Daughter of Fantomas

ASIN: 0688072658

Execution: The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death

Average customer rating:

The Cave of Thorns.
Broken on the wheel
The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death
The Very Dark Side of Human Imagination
history buffs will appreciate this deep look at the darker side of societies

Execution: The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death
Geoffrey Abbott
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold
More Macabre Miscellany: An All New Collection of 1,000 Hideous and Horrifying Facts
Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die
The History of Torture and Execution: From Early Civilization through Medieval Times to the Present
The Instruments of Torture

ASIN: 0312352220
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Book Description

From the preparation of the victim to the disposal of the body, Execution is everything you ever wanted to know about capital punishmentand a lot you never thought to ask. Cave of Roses: A rare Swedish method of execution in which the victim was confined to a cave full of snakes and poisonous reptiles. Bastinado: Involved the victims being caned gently and rhythmically with a lightweight stick on the soles of the feet until the mental collapse and eventual death of the victim. Sewn in an Animals Belly: A living person is sewn into the belly of an animal and left to die. The Spanish Donkey: This method of torture consisted of seating a victim on top of a wall that resembled an inverted v, with weights attached to the ankles, the weights being slowly increased until the victims body split in two. Including death by cannibalism, a thousand cuts, and more, Execution is an insightful and interesting look at the grim and gritty history of sanctioned death.

Customer Reviews:

The Cave of Thorns. .......2007-08-16

This is a great book, read the whole thing in the Loo. I am fascinated by all things macabre, and to find a book that is just NOTHING but descriptions of various kinds of executions and killing devices is like finding a rare gem. I have to say that out of all the different ways one can go, I would choose the Guillotine because it's quick but it's also such a marvelous contraption. This book is full of history, background and some seriously disgusting facts. All I have to say is that a lot of Christian martyrs got to test out the executioner's equipment for the rest of society. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes the darker side of life, but who also is a history buff.

Broken on the wheel.......2007-07-13

This book definitely cheered me up. There is nothing like reading about mind-bendingly horrendous torture after a hard day on the job. I recommend this to all who dwell on the dark side.

The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death.......2007-03-19

I LOVE Amazon! So efficient and quick! The book is beautiful. I will continue to use this web site for many more things. Thank you so much! jeanne

The Very Dark Side of Human Imagination.......2006-07-07

In this excellent work, the author makes the statement that "... [the human] ability to conjure up methods of torture and death is .... infinite". Indeed, after reading this book, one cannot agree with him more. In a rich and most elegant (and often tongue-in-cheek) prose, the author clearly describes in excess of 69 ways used throughout history to officially execute human beings, frequently with various accompanying methods of torture. These execution methods are presented in alphabetical, as opposed to chronological, order; hence, the book can be read all at once or in dribs and drabs without any loss of continuity. The descriptions are agonizingly detailed and, well, quite colorful. In many cases, several fascinating anecdotes are provided to further enrich the reader's reading experience; these include personal information on some of the executioners and their many clients, the nature of the crimes committed and the attitudes of the attending crowds - all this weaved in the backdrop of the times in which these people lived (and died). This well-written book should be of interest, not only to those interested in the gory, the horrific and the macabre, but also to ordinary history buffs.

history buffs will appreciate this deep look at the darker side of societies.......2006-05-03

Surprisingly considering the topic of historical references to torture and execution techniques, this tome is a enthralling well written look at how it was applied in western society over the centuries. The book is arranged in alphabetical order with the sizes of each entry varying based on available information and to a degree frequency of usage. The fascination is typically with the smaller sized less known entries. Though more information is valuable on the "popular" techniques such as Madame Guillotine, lethal injection, or hanging, the methods that most people have never heard of like being sewn inside an animal's stomach, the Spanish Donkey or Flayed alive, etc., which are relatively one or two paragraphs are the ones that hook the audience. Though the Guantomino crowd might insist this book is barbaric, history buffs will appreciate this deep look at the darker side of governments and societies.

Harriet Klausner

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The Suficiency of the Book
FAVORITE BOOK
Older women, younger men, what's not to like
For Morrow Fans:
Oh Well

The Last Witchfinder: A Novel
James Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Second Coming of Charles Darwin
Towing Jehovah (Harvest Book)
Labyrinth
The Cat's Pajamas & Other Stories
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel

ASIN: 0060821795
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Book Description

From a writer who has been lauded as "an original -- stylistically ingenious, savagely funny, always unpre-dictable" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and "unerring" (San Diego Union-Tribune), who has been compared to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, and John Updike, a writer whose pen has given us a devastating lampoon of the nuclear-arms race and an audacious answer to the outrageous question "What if God had a daughter?" -- from this writer, the critically acclaimed James Morrow, comes a novel of history, adventure, science, sex, satire, absurdity, and philosophy.

Jennet Stearne's father hangs witches for a living in Restoration England. But when this precocious child witnesses the horrifying death of her beloved Aunt Isobel, unjustly executed as a sorceress, she makes it her life's mission to bring down the Parliamentary Witchcraft Act. A self-educated "natural philosopher," Jennet is inspired in her quest by a single sentence in a cryptic letter from Isaac Newton: It so happens that in the Investigations leading first to my Conjectures concerning Light and later to my System of the World, I fell upon a pretty Proof that Wicked Spirits enjoy no essential Existence. Armed with nothing but the power of reason and her memory of Isobel's love, Jennet cannot rest until she has put the last witchfinder out of business.

Abrim with picaresque adventures -- escapades that carry Jennet from King William's Britain to the fledgling American Colonies to an uncharted Caribbean island -- our heroine's search for justice entangles her variously in the machinations of the Salem Witch Court, the customs of her Algonquin Indian captors, the designs of a West Indies pirate band, and the bedsheets of her brilliant lover, the young Ben Franklin. Finally, in a reckless and courageous ploy, Jennet arranges to go on trial herself for sorcery, the only way she can defeat the witchfinders now and forever. Rich in detail, rollicking in style, and endlessly engaging, The Last Witchfinder is a tour de force of historical fiction.

Customer Reviews:

The Suficiency of the Book.......2007-08-29

How do you explain this book? It comes wrapped in a mantle of "literature" that unravels itself slowly in a reading experience of incomparable luxury that circles back in on itself as literature. There are the big ideas, the big characters, the theme. And it is narrated by Mathematica Principia, Newton's child bound for three hundred years and surely connected in the ether with Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Test.

This is the story of Jennet Stearne, daughter of a witchfinder, and her journey which culminates in her tome, "The Sufficiency of the World" in which she observes that the wondrous of what we see is enough, that demons and angels are more than what we need to consecrate to that experience. And, yet, in its final pages, the narrator, yes a book, makes clear that we see the world short of all of its richness if we do not make room for the possiblilty of each, and, most critically, love.

There is much here remarked upon by previous reviewers. The narrative is fascinating. Issac Newton. Algonquins. Ben Franklin. Shipwrecks. The Junto. America abirth. The writing is always clever and heart wrenching at the same time. There is nothing here that you are supposed to feel that you won't, nothing you are supposed to think about that you won't. What more from a book?

I am the 20th reviewer. If you get this far, buy the book. Don't buy it used. Jim Morrow spent seven years writing it. He needs to eat for the next seven.

FAVORITE BOOK.......2007-08-09

This probably is my absolute favorite historical fiction book. I just loved it. I leant it out to a friend to read and never got it back and I immediately purchased a new one.

Older women, younger men, what's not to like.......2007-07-29

I enjoyed this book. It does go a bit overboard with the historical "moments" in her life, but it is certainly good to have a strong, forthright female character from the period that isn't part of a romance novel!

For Morrow Fans:.......2007-07-25

You have to love Morrows writing.... This was a really great book...
It was a little different than say 'Towing Jehovah' but it was recognizably 'Morrow'... Bern From Florida

Oh Well.......2007-07-22

I had great hopes for this book but by the 100th page, I had lost interest and found myself quickly skimming through the rest in search of some paragraph that would pique my interest. Morrow, sad to say, appears to have spent 7 years on this book.

Death At Midnight: The Confession of an Executioner

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Thought provoking
An Excellent Read
Great Book
Chilling true story
A good book but...

Death At Midnight: The Confession of an Executioner
Donald A. Cabana
Manufacturer: Northeastern
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Legal System | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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The Jail: Managing the Underclass in american society
Within These Walls: Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain
She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
The Day the Voices Stopped: A Schizophrenic's Journey from Madness to Hope
Never Too Young to Know: Death in Children's Lives

ASIN: 1555533566

Book Description

While an increasingly outspoken American public is quick to endorse the death penalty, the voices of those who experience the chilling reality of executing another human being are seldom heard.

Donald A. Cabana chronicles a personal journey through the nation's prison system that culminated in giving the order to execute two death row inmates. Cabana's compelling account brings the reader inside the "secretive, mysterious world of the execution chamber" to witness the process of an execution and to experience the emotions of the executioner and the man strapped in the chair known as "black death."

Customer Reviews:

Thought provoking.......2007-01-05

This is an extremely thought provoking book. Dr Cabana's style is very easy but he certainly draws the reader in to the extremely challenging issues that he has faced.

An Excellent Read.......2005-04-20

Dr. Cabana writes an eloquent narrative about his experiences in the correctional system. He also provides the reader with a unique perspective on the death penalty. Who better to give an accurate account than one who was there. When I started reading this book, it grabbed me in a way that I was unable to put it down until I had read every last word. In my opinion, Dr. Cabana is a realist and though I don't share his opinion on the death penalty, I respect that he doesn't feel the need to hide his opinion from the world. I highly suggest this book to anyone who is looking for insight in to how the correctional system works or anyone who values a good narrative.

Great Book.......2003-04-30

This was a great book. It was very easy to read and will keep your interest. Dr. Cabana is an expert on this subject and is able to give the reader an idea of what it is like to be responsible for executing those on death row. This book ties in Dr. Cabana's experience in corrections and how being an executioner had a lasting impact on him. The story is sureal and one that the reader will not forget. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

Chilling true story.......2002-10-24

This book chronicles a prison warden's career through the prison system. His recollection of specific incidents (e.g., a hostage situation) is vivid and heart-wrenching. Cabana's moral struggle with carrying out an execution is not presented philosophically, but instead relates what it's actually like to give the order to have someone put to death in the gas chamber. Whether you agree with Cabana's (arguably compassionate) viewpoints on the correctional system or not, this book is a page-turner because of his interesting life events. For those who are looking for a death penalty discussion, this book is a good accompaniment to "Dead Man Walking."

A good book but..........2001-09-01

The title of this book is a little misleading. I would not call it the confession, but rather biography of Donald Cabana who worked in the prison system for a number of years and, as warden, oversaw the execution of two people.

The book is very well written, easy to understand and is, in my opinion, quite humble. Donald Cabana had a remarkable and varied career. His feelings about capital punishment, especially after personally overseeing executions, are interesting to read about. There are not too many books from this unique point of view.

If you're looking for detail on the death penalty process or execution technology then there are better books to read. If you are looking for an interesting biography with some insights into relationships between prison staff and inmates, then this is the perfect book.

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