Truman Capote, In Cold Blood

Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion! This week’s book is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Truman Capote was a celebrated American writer known for his literary classics, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and In Cold Blood (1966), which he described as a “non-fiction novel.” His works have inspired over 20 films and television adaptations. Born Truman Streckfus Persons in 1924, he spent his early childhood in Alabama before moving to New York City, where he was adopted by his stepfather and took the Capote name. He began his career as a copy boy at The New Yorker and gained recognition with his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). Capote’s writing spanned fiction and journalism, with In Cold Blood earning widespread acclaim.

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.  As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.