The Executioner's Song

A novel that "follows the short, blighted life of Gary Gilmore, who became famous after he robbed two men in 1976 and killed them in cold blood. After being tried and convicted, he immediately insisted on being executed for his crime, so he fought a system that seemed intent on keeping him alive long after it had sentenced him to death. And that fight for the right to die is what made him famous"--Amazon.com.