Helpful Score: 15
The money from the sale of this book goes to the Goldman family, as their award for in their wrongful death suit against OJ. The Goldmans own the rights to this book. OJ won't see a dime.
Anyway, an interesting read, and depending on where you stand on the issue of his guilt in the crime it may open your eyes a bit and see just what an arrogant killer he is. He basically feels she got what she deserved. If you're into true crime and criminal law, you'll be interested in this account/confession.
Anyway, an interesting read, and depending on where you stand on the issue of his guilt in the crime it may open your eyes a bit and see just what an arrogant killer he is. He basically feels she got what she deserved. If you're into true crime and criminal law, you'll be interested in this account/confession.
Helpful Score: 8
I borrowed this book from the library- couldn't see spending the money. Reading this book confirms my belief that O.J. is an idoit. It's not complicated to read - no big words. It's hard to believe he had the audacity to write such a thing. It seems there was more in the acknowledgements, prologue, afterword and resources than in the actual text of the book. It's not for everyone, but if you're curious go ahead and read it. We all know how the story ends and it's easy to read. I especially like the way the title is written on the cover: "if" is in tiny, tiny print.. you don't really notice it unless you look. Good luck to the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice. All victims deserve justice.
Helpful Score: 8
I have been haunted by these murders since they were committed in 1994. There was never any doubt that I'd read this book; I just had to. That said, I wish I hadn't. It was a complete waste of time. The prologue is very interesting and much more worthwhile than the meat of the book. OJ may or may not have done it with or without an accomplice, but Nicole was a promiscuous drug addict who had it coming. That's more or less the gist of the whole thing.
If you're like me, you'll read this book regardless of the reviews. If you aren't, you probably don't want to waste your time or your credit.
If you're like me, you'll read this book regardless of the reviews. If you aren't, you probably don't want to waste your time or your credit.
Helpful Score: 3
This book can only be critiqued each part at a time, since each contributor's style is so different.
[The introduction]
One can understand why the Goldman's reason for wanting to explain why they allowed the book to be published after they had so violently opposed it. One can only try to understand their anger & frustration of their son being brutally murdered, & injustice of having the killer walk free. But why they chose to express their anger in such venomous language used in the introduction to the book is difficult to understand. It took away from focusing on the facts, their explanation, & unfortunately, to some extent, sympathy for them. To have someone close to you die, especially in the prime of their life hurts, but by adding hate one is hurting themselves even more.
In Dunne's afterword he expresses admiration for Fred Goldman & âhow articulate he was when he stood before the news cameras.â It is too bad that it did not carry over to the written word.
[The prologue]
The prologue is very well written, perhaps the best written part of the book. The editor even states that he did not even believe that O.J was innocent based on how he had stated certain things or reacted to certain questions while his story was being taped. But one cannot help but wonder what would have been said if the editor had been one of the few that had not believed O.J Simpson was guilty, especially if they were to change their mind after hearing the confession. How much more interesting would that have been?
[The Confession]
For someone who was supposed to be considered a sports hero at one time, he sure whines a lot about how his marriage was, & how much Nicole was to blame for the marriage not having worked out better. In most relationships it seems that the one doing the most complaining is the one that has the least to complain about. Of course, there are always two sides to a story, & we can never know Nicole's side of it since little has been revealed besides the 911 calls.
In Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis", he wrote: "Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation, and conversation must have a common basis, and between two people of widely different culture the only common basis possible is the lowest level.â Being from two different cultures, experiences, & different stages of life, the marriage of O.J & Nicole could have only have been on that âlowest levelâ which ultimately brings despair &/or destruction to both people. None of this is discussed in the book, however. Their relationship is only described as âgreatâ, âfineâ, or âbadâ. âGreatâ, or âfineâ, when everything went smooth, & âbadâ when things did not go as he wished. Almost every page states a complaint about her moodiness, but based on the language Simpson uses to describe the incidents it is difficult to believe that he had not contributed to bring it about in any way. The best example of this takes place the night of the murder. He automatically assumes Goldman is there for a lover's tryst, rather than just to return some glasses. She could just as easily been waiting for someone else to visit, & Goldman might just as easily been there to just return the glasses before her actual date arrived. Who would know? How much of âCharlie'sâ talk could have been just hearsay? What woman hasn't had the same stories told about her before she even lost her virginity? Leora Tanenbaum's best-selling book is based on the subject, & expresses it best that âIt's amazing but true: Even today a common way to damage a woman's credibility is to call her a slut.â
Not only was this part disappointing for the reasons stated above, it was also disappointing due to the lack of details involving the actual murder After all, in a confession that is to be expected. But Simpson claims to have âblacked outâ during the killing. Even though the book is viewed as his confession, perhaps he was afraid to bring something up that had happened but highly publicized?
[The afterword]
This is Dunne's brief reflection on his job &his interaction with the bereaved during the time of the trial. Having been through similar experiences himself, he was able to be one of the few media people that could [to some extent] comfort, rather than aggravate their grief.
[The introduction]
One can understand why the Goldman's reason for wanting to explain why they allowed the book to be published after they had so violently opposed it. One can only try to understand their anger & frustration of their son being brutally murdered, & injustice of having the killer walk free. But why they chose to express their anger in such venomous language used in the introduction to the book is difficult to understand. It took away from focusing on the facts, their explanation, & unfortunately, to some extent, sympathy for them. To have someone close to you die, especially in the prime of their life hurts, but by adding hate one is hurting themselves even more.
In Dunne's afterword he expresses admiration for Fred Goldman & âhow articulate he was when he stood before the news cameras.â It is too bad that it did not carry over to the written word.
[The prologue]
The prologue is very well written, perhaps the best written part of the book. The editor even states that he did not even believe that O.J was innocent based on how he had stated certain things or reacted to certain questions while his story was being taped. But one cannot help but wonder what would have been said if the editor had been one of the few that had not believed O.J Simpson was guilty, especially if they were to change their mind after hearing the confession. How much more interesting would that have been?
[The Confession]
For someone who was supposed to be considered a sports hero at one time, he sure whines a lot about how his marriage was, & how much Nicole was to blame for the marriage not having worked out better. In most relationships it seems that the one doing the most complaining is the one that has the least to complain about. Of course, there are always two sides to a story, & we can never know Nicole's side of it since little has been revealed besides the 911 calls.
In Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis", he wrote: "Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation, and conversation must have a common basis, and between two people of widely different culture the only common basis possible is the lowest level.â Being from two different cultures, experiences, & different stages of life, the marriage of O.J & Nicole could have only have been on that âlowest levelâ which ultimately brings despair &/or destruction to both people. None of this is discussed in the book, however. Their relationship is only described as âgreatâ, âfineâ, or âbadâ. âGreatâ, or âfineâ, when everything went smooth, & âbadâ when things did not go as he wished. Almost every page states a complaint about her moodiness, but based on the language Simpson uses to describe the incidents it is difficult to believe that he had not contributed to bring it about in any way. The best example of this takes place the night of the murder. He automatically assumes Goldman is there for a lover's tryst, rather than just to return some glasses. She could just as easily been waiting for someone else to visit, & Goldman might just as easily been there to just return the glasses before her actual date arrived. Who would know? How much of âCharlie'sâ talk could have been just hearsay? What woman hasn't had the same stories told about her before she even lost her virginity? Leora Tanenbaum's best-selling book is based on the subject, & expresses it best that âIt's amazing but true: Even today a common way to damage a woman's credibility is to call her a slut.â
Not only was this part disappointing for the reasons stated above, it was also disappointing due to the lack of details involving the actual murder After all, in a confession that is to be expected. But Simpson claims to have âblacked outâ during the killing. Even though the book is viewed as his confession, perhaps he was afraid to bring something up that had happened but highly publicized?
[The afterword]
This is Dunne's brief reflection on his job &his interaction with the bereaved during the time of the trial. Having been through similar experiences himself, he was able to be one of the few media people that could [to some extent] comfort, rather than aggravate their grief.
Shelley M. (shelleylmb) - , reviewed If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great book, no matter where you stand on his guilt or innocence. OJ seems to be blaming the whole incidents of that night and leading up to that night on Nicole, never taking responsibility that HE in fact may be the problem in their relationship. It does not give a very flattering image of Nicole, nor her family. I wasn't happy about all of the cussing and such, but I guess in heats of passion that is what happens.
Helpful Score: 2
This book has a forward by the Goldman Family, which is truly touching - and an afterword by Dominick Dunne, which also served to balance the book.
The book is a result of a series of interviews between OJ and ghostwriter, Pablo Fenjves (whose name may be familiar to those who followed the trial). Fenjves certainly did an admirable job, recording OJ's rants, defensiveness and back-patting arrogance, with no comments of his own. We are all left to form our own opinions from what we read.
OJ DID sign off on ALL of the interviews, so clearly the words are from his mouth.
It's hard to stomach how OJ tries to paint himself as the "victim", while attempting to portray Nicole as a terrible, raging, drug addict WHO STALKED HIM! He seems to still be looking for pity and vindication for "all he endured". (HA!!!)
Reading between the lines, I felt that there was much love between them earlier on, but that seems to be when Nicole was much younger, and perhaps easier to control.
When she began to resent his obsession and control - their marriage began to deteriorate.
OJ does his best to sidestep the night in question, then adds some hypothetical accomplice named Charlie, to further distance himself from any responsibility.
OJ had become obsessed that no other man would have Nicole and snapped, probably after seeing Ron Goldman there - and poor Ron was just in the wrong place that night, and paid with his life.
It illustrates in OJ's own words what a narcissist, cowardly jerk he is and always will be.
So sad for his kids, the Browns and Goldmans...
The book is a result of a series of interviews between OJ and ghostwriter, Pablo Fenjves (whose name may be familiar to those who followed the trial). Fenjves certainly did an admirable job, recording OJ's rants, defensiveness and back-patting arrogance, with no comments of his own. We are all left to form our own opinions from what we read.
OJ DID sign off on ALL of the interviews, so clearly the words are from his mouth.
It's hard to stomach how OJ tries to paint himself as the "victim", while attempting to portray Nicole as a terrible, raging, drug addict WHO STALKED HIM! He seems to still be looking for pity and vindication for "all he endured". (HA!!!)
Reading between the lines, I felt that there was much love between them earlier on, but that seems to be when Nicole was much younger, and perhaps easier to control.
When she began to resent his obsession and control - their marriage began to deteriorate.
OJ does his best to sidestep the night in question, then adds some hypothetical accomplice named Charlie, to further distance himself from any responsibility.
OJ had become obsessed that no other man would have Nicole and snapped, probably after seeing Ron Goldman there - and poor Ron was just in the wrong place that night, and paid with his life.
It illustrates in OJ's own words what a narcissist, cowardly jerk he is and always will be.
So sad for his kids, the Browns and Goldmans...
Helpful Score: 2
This is a difficult book to review as I have a definite opinion of O.J. Simpson's guilt in the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman murders. However, setting that aside I will try to objectively tell you about the book.
O.J. Simpson was found not-guilty of criminal charges in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Following that decision in 1997 he was found guilty of the same murders in a civil court. He was fined 19 million dollars to be paid to the Goldman family and 12.5 million dollars to be paid to Nicole Brown Simpson estate for her children. He walked free and spent years avoiding payment by moving around, creating companies and finally settling in Florida. In 2006 Harper Collins announced an upcoming book where O.J. Simpson hypothetically explained how he would have committed the murders. In 2007 the rights of the book where awarded to the Goldman family.
The Goldman family views the book as his confession. The ghostwriter, Pablo F. Fenjves, uses the term âmalignant narcissism' once in his Prologue to describe O.J. Mr. Fenjves had a time with Mr. Simpson. First he gave details that only the murderer would know and then when the book was done he wanted those parts to be deleted.
The book starts when O.J. meets Nicole and goes through their 17 year old rocky relationship. Of course, O.J. makes himself out to be a saint throughout which automatically makes one suspicious because no one can be as perfect as he makes himself out to be. Then there are the details he gave but throughout it all he reminds Mr. Fenjves and the readers that this is a work of âfiction.â
O.J. Simpson was found not-guilty of criminal charges in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Following that decision in 1997 he was found guilty of the same murders in a civil court. He was fined 19 million dollars to be paid to the Goldman family and 12.5 million dollars to be paid to Nicole Brown Simpson estate for her children. He walked free and spent years avoiding payment by moving around, creating companies and finally settling in Florida. In 2006 Harper Collins announced an upcoming book where O.J. Simpson hypothetically explained how he would have committed the murders. In 2007 the rights of the book where awarded to the Goldman family.
The Goldman family views the book as his confession. The ghostwriter, Pablo F. Fenjves, uses the term âmalignant narcissism' once in his Prologue to describe O.J. Mr. Fenjves had a time with Mr. Simpson. First he gave details that only the murderer would know and then when the book was done he wanted those parts to be deleted.
The book starts when O.J. meets Nicole and goes through their 17 year old rocky relationship. Of course, O.J. makes himself out to be a saint throughout which automatically makes one suspicious because no one can be as perfect as he makes himself out to be. Then there are the details he gave but throughout it all he reminds Mr. Fenjves and the readers that this is a work of âfiction.â
Jeanette R. (thebeakeeper) reviewed If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer on + 167 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
they were supporting the book and were receiving proceeds. i mean- honestly, can you pass up a book written by a murderer where he confesses? (without confessing..huh?)
the book is pretty kooky. o.j. tells the story of he and nicole and he pretty much makes her out to be this crazy drug addicted, oj. obsessed hot mess of a woman. well- yeah, she probably was a mess being with him, but hello- what a mess he is! and relationships, no matter how bad, are two sided and he has to have had some role.
honestly, i didnt believe about 80 percent of the book because it was so weird. it flowed ok, but the chapter on the murders was so freaking random and it was like they'd written the book and threw in that chapter. i didnt get it. he doesnt describe what happened really. i felt like everything was blown out of proportion. i wanted the juicy details!
like i said, it was interesting, i skipped over a lot of the foreward and afterwards because they were long and everyone had the same thing to say.
the book is pretty kooky. o.j. tells the story of he and nicole and he pretty much makes her out to be this crazy drug addicted, oj. obsessed hot mess of a woman. well- yeah, she probably was a mess being with him, but hello- what a mess he is! and relationships, no matter how bad, are two sided and he has to have had some role.
honestly, i didnt believe about 80 percent of the book because it was so weird. it flowed ok, but the chapter on the murders was so freaking random and it was like they'd written the book and threw in that chapter. i didnt get it. he doesnt describe what happened really. i felt like everything was blown out of proportion. i wanted the juicy details!
like i said, it was interesting, i skipped over a lot of the foreward and afterwards because they were long and everyone had the same thing to say.
Helpful Score: 2
A chilling read, if there was ever a doubt about the man's guilt after reading this his depravity shows clearly.
Helpful Score: 1
I have to admit, I debated whether or not I even wanted to read this book. The best parts of the book were the Prologue by Pable F. Fenjves and the Afterword by Dominick Dunne. The part that O.J. wrote put Nicole in a very bad light, and I felt guilty even reading it. No honest man would ever admit to doing something he didn't do, especially something as brutal and sadistic as what the killer did to Ron and Nicole, so the book only makes me think, more than ever, that O.J. literally got away with murder. I borrowed this book from the library but wish I had bought it just so some of the money would have gone to the Goldman family and the foundation they founded in honor of Ron. I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend this book to anyone, but it's a quick read for anyone that followed the trial and wants to hear how O.J. could possibly justify doing what he did.
"I didn't really do it although I had good reason to because Nicole was such a slutty cokehead and would have driven any other honest citizen to the brink, but resisted because down deep I really loved her. I felt it was my duty to let all you fans know my position on this matter, and I know you're particularly interested in my take on how it hypothetically could have happened. It's all here." Well that's not a quote from the book, but it is pretty much what it's about, and if you're interested in cheap thrills, you won't find it here. If you have a professional interest in the OJ trial, this might be a unique opportunity to explore a criminal mind. The ghostwriter of this book (an actual witness at the trial) did contribute an interesting and insightful preface. But for me, this slim volume neither entertained nor edified.
Helpful Score: 1
This is worth the read but only the pages that tell the particulars of the night of the crime. The evidence in the trial supports all of the "facts" that OJ tells about that infamous night that two people were murdered. I believe that he is truthful about these facts although he tells the story as "what if this happened?", not as "this is what happened." It fills in the blanks and the mistakes in the prosecution's theory of the case. The facts as told put a chill down my spine as I read. I am confident that his version IS what happened, as all of the pieces of the puzzle fit. The rest of the book is, in my opinion, a tired, rambling memoir of a fallen idol who is a legend in his own mind.
The book was O.K. It would be just like someone who has gotten away with murder to write this kind of book. How conceited can you get. Hope he rots in jail. Thinks he can get away with anything.
So incredibly poorly written. Very arduous getting through it and ultimately never got anywhere because he never presents anything concrete. And of course never admits anything. Don't waste even a few precious hours of your life.
Very interesting book.
This book can only be critiqued each part at a time, since each contributors style is so different. [The introduction] One can understand why the Goldman's reason for wanting to explain why they allowed the book to be published after they had so violently opposed it. One can only try to understand their anger & frustration of their son being brutally murdered, & injustice of having the killer walk free. But why they chose to express their anger in such venomous language used in the introduction to the book is difficult to understand. It took away from focusing on the facts, their explanation, & unfortunately, to some extent, sympathy for them. To have someone close to you die, especially in the prime of their life hurts, but by adding hate one is hurting themselves even more. In Dunnes afterword he expresses admiration for Fred Goldman & how articulate he was when he stood before the news cameras. It is too bad that it did not carry over to the written word. [The prologue] The prologue is very well written, perhaps the best written part of the book. The editor even states that he did not even believe that O.J was innocent based on how he had stated certain things or reacted to certain questions while his story was being taped. But one cannot help but wonder what would have been said if the editor had been one of the few that had not believed O.J Simpson was guilty, especially if they were to change their mind after hearing the confession. How much more interesting would that have been? [The Confession] For someone who was supposed to be considered a sports hero at one time, he sure whines a lot about how his marriage was, & how much Nicole was to blame for the marriage not having worked out better. In most relationships it seems that the one doing the most complaining is the one that has the least to complain about. Of course, there are always two sides to a story, & we can never know Nicoles side of it since little has been revealed besides the 911 calls. In Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis", he wrote: "Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation, and conversation must have a common basis, and between two people of widely different culture the only common basis possible is the lowest level. Being from two different cultures, experiences, & different stages of life, the marriage of O.J & Nicole could have only have been on that lowest level which ultimately brings despair &/or destruction to both people. None of this is discussed in the book, however. Their relationship is only described as great, fine, or bad. Great, or fine, when everything went smooth, & bad when things did not go as he wished. Almost every page states a complaint about her moodiness, but based on the language Simpson uses to describe the incidents it is difficult to believe that he had not contributed to bring it about in any way. The best example of this takes place the night of the murder. He automatically assumes Goldman is there for a lovers tryst, rather than just to return some glasses. She could just as easily been waiting for someone else to visit, & Goldman might just as easily been there to just return the glasses before her actual date arrived. Who would know? How much of Charlies talk could have been just hearsay? What woman hasnt had the same stories told about her before she even lost her virginity? Leora Tanenbaums best-selling book is based on the subject, & expresses it best that It's amazing but true: Even today a common way to damage a woman's credibility is to call her a slut. Not only was this part disappointing for the reasons stated above, it was also disappointing due to the lack of details involving the actual murder After all, in a confession that is to be expected. But Simpson claims to have blacked out during the killing. Even though the book is viewed as his confession, perhaps he was afraid to bring something up that had happened but highly publicized? [The afterword] This is Dunnes brief reflection on his job &his interaction with the bereaved during the time of the trial. Having been through similar experiences himself, he was able to be one of the few media people that could [to some extent] comfort, rather than aggravate their grief.
Would not pay money or credits for a book that will give O. J. Simpson another platform to speak from.
do not care to ever read this book.
