Shot in the Heart

In 1977 Gary Gilmore, the convicted murderer of two young Mormons, was executed by firing squad. It was the first execution in the United States in over a decade and made headlines, in large part because Gilmore refused all appeals and essentially insisted that he be shot. Years later Gilmore's youngest brother, Mikal, recalls the visits he made to Gary in the days before his execution (the only significant time they spent with each other in their lives) and re-creates the history of an American family inextricably tied up with violence. Haunting, harrowing, and profoundly affecting, Shot in the Heart exposes and explores a dark vein of American life.