Blackburn

by Bradley Denton

Book Overview

Jimmy Blackburn grows up in the Midwest believing the things that adults tell him. He questions his teachers and they lie to him. He questions his parents and his father beats him. He questions the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312087055
• ISBN13: 9780312087050
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A challenge to society's values

All of us have thought about killing other people. It might be the mechanic who cheated you, the professor who unfairly gave you a bad grade, etc. That being said, Blackburn is a book in which the main character actually acts upon these urges.Jimmy Blackburn has been put down all his life. His parents abuse him, and he's looked at as a failure in life. So, when a cruel police officer harasses him outside a church, Blackburn, having had enough, kills him. This begins a crusade against unfairness and immorality in society. Blackburn begins a crusade against those who wrong others and him. The story is horrifying and thought provoking at the same time. Blackburn rises against society's ills. However, as the book winds down, he is seen not as a public crusader, but as a serial killer. Are his actions wrong because society doesn't condone murder or is he providing a public service by disposing of some of the scum out there? I found myself asking this question after finishing this book.Read this now. It is not an easy read, but you will be the better for it once you finish.

A moral killer? A modern classic!

BLACKBURN is one of those books that will change you. Once you've read it, you will never see the world the same way again. There are no convenient blacks and whites in this brilliant novel. Blackburn is a man we understand and sympathize with. EVEN WHEN HE KILLS PEOPLE! We laugh and cheer. EVEN WHEN HE KILLS PEOPLE! And when we think about that, we shudder because we know that what he's doing is WRONG, but it feels so right and that, my friends, is a very disturbing thing to think. This is one of those books you will never forget. Bradley Denton has turned out a modern classic that deserves a much wider audience. The question remains, though, and you can take this as a challenge if you like: Do you have what it takes to read this book? If so, you will never be the same.

I'm unable to forget this book

I read this book about 5 years ago and scenes from it still crop up in my mind out of the blue for no reason. I can't explain this. I guess it's one of the best books I've ever read.

A brave, intelligent, thrilling, moving novel

A brave, intelligent, thrilling, moving novel about a young man who takes action against what he deems to be wrong -- through violence. Funny, chilling, possibly a serial killer book, and very possibly not, it's a story that actually manages to challenge your moral sense, but not because it is particularly violent (although it is), rather because you end up sympathizing with the main character to the point where you accept his actions as valid, and you must sit down and ask yourself what all this means. I never did that with any book or film before, but I did with this one: It makes you think. Really. This is no wishy-washy criticism of society, but a harrowing, highly personal journey to the proverbial heart of darkness, whose themes include righteousness, responsibility, freedom (all sorts), and the consequences of one's actions -- implicit (as in the social implications of a failed upbringing) as well explicit (as in physical violence).It's refreshing to find that the word "media" rarely (if ever) appears in the novel; it simply doesn't seek to blame the violence of a nation on the media. Being an often deadpan, deeply ironic satire, this is a very, very funny book; but you'll cry as much as you will laugh. Jimmy Blackburn is a memorable character -- up there with the best of them -- and this is a book I could quote endlessly. Even though this is Important Literature it's immensely readable as well (usually a good combination).While Denton does not indulge in preaching (although there absolutely is a "modern society made me" theme) -- I believe the answer to the question of the righteousness of Blackburn's actions can only be found in your own moral stance. It should be an eye-opener even to the most jaded reader. As such, I heartily recommend this book to any citizen of the modern world.

Disturbing, moving, and unforgettable.

Blackburn is a character study. To call him a "serial killer" is not doing the character justice, but rather limiting him. He has a heart, soul, and a code of ethics by which he lives, and by which he kills. There is more to this book than Jimmy Blackburn and his victims. It is about family, and society, and how the character exists within each, and how each affect the character. When I finished this book, I found that I actually missed having Jimmy Blackburn around. I believe Bradley Denton felt this way too, and to bring closure to the character wrote the story "Blackburn Bakes Cookies" for his book One Day Closer To Death. I could speak at length about Blackburn, and not do it justice. I cannot recommend this book enough.