Sunday, December 15, 2024

Books read in 2024: No. 50 -- The Faithful Executioner

by Joel F. Harrington

Started: Dec. 7
Finished: Dec. 15

Notes: As the year is winding to a close and I've been reading a fair number of biographies these past 12 months, I thought I'd delve into another one. This one is based upon a journal of a Renaissance-era executioner. Sounds interesting to me.

Mini review: This turned out to not only be a well written book, but quite the intriguing one as well. The Nuremberg executioner who left behind his journal, plus other historical documents, reveal that at least this executioner was not the cruel, evil, unthinking creature such figures are often personified as. Also, this book suggests that the supposed cruelty of earlier eras isn't perhaps as cruel as our modern minds might think, and that our modern day might prove quite cruel and even evil to those of earlier generations. Worth a read.

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