Books › If I did it
If I did it
First published 2006 · 254 pages
A surreal, deeply unsettling descent into the mind of a killer masquerading as a hypothetical exercise.
What it feels like
Reading this book is a profoundly unsettling experience, plunging you into a surreal landscape where reality and hypothetical fiction blur. The narrative moves at a propulsive, almost frantic pace, driven by a disturbingly casual and self-serving voice that attempts to rationalize the unthinkable. As you navigate the claustrophobic, dread-soaked atmosphere of the text, the sheer audacity of the author's defensive posturing becomes chilling. Yet, this macabre journey is anchored by the righteous, grounding commentary of the victims' families, which cuts through the gaslighting with sharp, undeniable truth. It is a dark, gripping read that will captivate true crime aficionados and anyone fascinated by the grim psychology of guilt, offering a visceral look at the intersection of celebrity, tragedy, and justice.
- Mood
- unsettling
- macabre
- dread-soaked
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- chilling
- defensive
- self-serving
- surreal
- righteous
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- psychology of a killer · evasion of guilt · domestic abuse · public spectacle · the nature of truth
- The writing
- Disturbingly casual and conversational, sharply interrupted by the stark, grounding reality of the victims' families.
- The arc
- Begins with morbid curiosity and descends into a profound, chilling sense of disgust and sorrow.
- Who it's for
- True crime readers fascinated by criminal psychology, high-profile justice, and the dark, defensive mechanisms of the human mind.
Content notes
- domestic violence
- murder
- graphic violence
- gaslighting
- victim blaming
About the book
In 1994, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were brutally murdered at her home in Brentwood, California. O.J. Simpson was tried for the crime in a case that captured the attention of the American people, but was ultimately found not guilty of criminal charges. The victims' families brought civil cases against Simpson, and he was found liable for willfully and wrongfully causing the deaths of Ron and Nicole by committing battery with malice and oppression. In 2006, HarperCollins announced the publication of a book in which O.J. Simpson told how he hypothetically would have committed the murders. In response to public outrage that Simpson stood to profit from these crimes, HarperCollins canceled the book. A Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the Goldmans in August 2007 to partially satisfy the unpaid civil judgment, which has risen, with interest, to over $38 million. The Goldman family views this book as his confession, and has worked hard to ensure that the public will read this book and learn the truth. This is the original manuscript approved by O.J. Simpson, with up to 14,000 words of key additional commentary.--From publisher's description.
Description from Open Library.
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