This Mortal Boy
“In the emotional catharsis experienced by the imprisoned Paddy Black, she demonstrates how redemption may be grasped even at the final hour of the darkest day.”
Wall Street Journal
A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
An utterly compelling recreation of the events that led to one of the last executions in New Zealand.
WINNER OF THE OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS 2019
WINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARDS 2019
WINNER OF THE NEW ZEALAND BOOKLOVERS PRIZE FOR FICTION 2019
WINNER OF THE NZ HERITAGE BOOK AWARDS 2018
Albert Black, known as the ‘jukebox killer’, was only twenty when he was convicted of murdering another young man in a fight at a milk bar in Auckland on 26 July 1955. His crime fuelled growing moral panic about teenagers, and he was to hang less than five months later, the second-to-last person to be executed in New Zealand.
But what really happened? Was this a love crime, was it a sign of juvenile delinquency? Or was this dark episode in our recent history more about our society’s reaction to outsiders?
Black’s final words, as the hangman covered his head, were, “I wish you all a merry Christmas, gentlemen, and a prosperous New Year.” This is his story.
Praise