Biography of Gary Gilmore and his family, going back to earliest Mormons, by the murderer's brother. Shows how cruelty is fostered generation by generation, the near-impossibility of surviving abuse, the tragedy and heroism of the author. One of the best biographies I have ever read. ( )

Well written, almost poetic, very sad. Reveals much more about Gary Gilmore's home life and pathology than Norman Mailer's huge journalistic piece. You really feel Mikal's pain and intense isolation in this bizarre family. ( )

When I was told that induction was a long process, I immediately went on a quest to find an easy to read and entertaining book. Having recently finished Mailer's Executioner's Song, I quickly though of this book - the well reviewed memoir of Gary Gilmore's younger brother. Shot Through the Heart is the story of the Gilmore family - its history and mythology - a perhaps futile attempt for someone to understand how a monster was created. It is much more the story of Mikal, the successful brother left behind, than it is of the notorious Gary (Mikal himself refers the reader to Mailer's masterpiece), and as such is full of ruminations and self indulgences. Understandably, the younger Gilmore maintains less than objective sympathies for some family members, describing deplorable behavior in an apologetic tone. Similarly, he maintains the prejudices of his parents on the pages. In spite of this fact, however, the book, is saved by excellent writing and the fact that Mikal has a very unique story to tell.

I do need to mention that this review refers to Shot Through the Heart as a companion piece to the Executioner's Song - which introduces the main characters (including Mikal) in great detail. It is harder to judge the merits of the book in its own if one reads Mailer's first. ( )

I really don't understand the positive reception this book has garnered on a number of reader-rating scales. This was so bad, I couldn't finish it...not because of it's horrific content, but because I found it self-indulgent, whiny, uninsightful, and not very well written. I can't imagine that it got any better after the quarter of the book I managed to read. I wish I could give it a "0 star" rather than "unrated." While Gary Gilmore's case is interesting for its historical and social pertinence, the topics of both his execution and the family dysfunction that can contribute to the development of sociopathy have been presented in a more effective and moving manner in numerous other publications. ( )

If you have read "The Executioner's Song," then Shot in the Heart is a great follow up. I'm one of those people who has this undying curiousity regarding what makes people (especially "abnormal" people) tick and what makes criminals act the way they do. Mikal Gilmore is the brother of executed killer Gary Gilmore (the subject of the Executioner's Song) and he bares all in this honest and shocking story about his family life and the background of Gary Gilmore.

I would definitely read The Executioner's Song first, then this one...not just because the Mailer book is itself excellent and one of my top ten of all time books, but because you wouldn't understand Mikal's book without reading about his brother. ( )