His Name Is Ron

Rating:
Summary: The Proper Perspective of the OJ Trial
Review: Fred Goldman has always impressed me. Here is a guy who was forced to deal with his tremendous grief in a very involuntarily public fashion, who totally kept his act together while expressing as much rage as possible without comprising his credibility. There was no rush to forgiveness of his son's killer, as we too often see as a symptom of this country's desire to conflate unconditional forgiveness with "enlightenment." Did most rational people secretly hope Fred would shoot OJ outside the courtroom or run him over with his car in the streets of Brentwood? Of course. However, the Goldman family didn't need the additional difficulty of Fred's arrest, and their case didn't need anything to detract from the monumental evidence supporting OJ's commission of the murders. Sadly, it was Johnnie Cochran and his "Scheme Team" that derailed the locomotive of justice, through at least race-mongering and conspiracy theory.

"His Name Is Ron" allows the Goldmans to vent some of their anger, and recounts the life and death of their son and subsequent trials with great detail, dignity, and a surprisingly amount of objectivity. They didn't need the money for the book: its writing arose to counter "works" from the dark side, including from the killer himself, and from a desire to set the record straight about their son. The Goldmans were never baited by the black-white race card played by the defense team; they, like so many of us, hated OJ because of what he did, not who he was. Expressions of the Goldmans' understandable erosion of faith in the legal system are balanced with a continued recognition that, defects notwithstanding, we still need fair legal representation for criminals and to at least attempt to conduct fair trials. Certain Goldman family members even remain opposed to the death penalty, despite the fact that OJ made many nation-wide change their mind in favor of capital punishment.

For anyone who wasn't familiar with all the finer points of the Trial/Blunder of the Century, this book is gives a clear and informed account, and is particularly eye-opening with respect to the pain endured by the Goldman family. As the litany of horrors described grew, so did my admiration for Fred, Kim, Patti, etc., and for their ability to not suffer nervous breakdowns. The non-exhaustive list of insult added to the Goldmans' injury includes watching OJ laugh and joke with his oily lawyers, taunt the victims' families, and recount his golf game during the trials; witnessing a juror throw a black power salute to the criminal defense team, definitively acknowledging the trial boiled down to nothing more than race; being scolded by courtroom officials for drinking bottled water during the trial, and risking losing courtroom seats that weren't filled every day; lectures about courtroom decorum from the trashy family of Nicole Brown; an interloping mother of the deceased, who had no involvement with the family until she saw dollar signs from Ron's death; and death threats made against the family and its legal counsel.

Sadly, I recently heard that the Goldmans have yet to see any money from OJ- not because they need the money, but because every dollar gained represents one lost by the killer. I also believe that Safe Streets, the victims-rights organization that Fred Goldman become a part of, is no more. This country needs a lot more advocacy for real victims than for criminals, and people like Fred Goldman help us make gains to that end, turning pain into progress. One final wish is for the Goldmans to realize their dreams of OJ's premature (though by now, already too late) death sometime soon.

Rating:
Summary: It will touch you to your very soul.
Review: I have read many books on the O.J. Simpson debacle. This book rings the truest of them all. Ron Goldman was a very special person and truly loved by his family and those who knew him. I am sorry that I wasn't one of them, for I would have truly been blessed. This book is written by his family and they let you into their world with such candor that it leaves you breathless and heartsick at times. I found myself so wrapped up in it that when I was through it was as if I was leaving an important part of my life behind. All I can say is that with the passing of Ron Goldman from our own nasty little world, heaven became a better place. To the Goldman's....if you read this please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and you and Ron have truly touched my life. He may be gone from this world, but he will live on in my heart forever. God bless you.

Rating:
Summary: Was I there? Do the Goldmans love me, too?
Review: I have read this book over and over.
It is written in such present tense, that I am right
there, feeling the emotions.
Nearly every time I check my messages on my answering
machine.......I think of Ron's messages those couple days.
I have never seen such injustice.
*
Lawyers and judge Ito were too star struck
to even realize there were two Precious Stars
crying out the name of their killer....
....O.J. SIMPSON! Brutal murderer...and arrogant
about it.
I love the Goldmans and they don't even know me!
They don't know how many prayers and tears I have
for them!
I keep the hardback book on my coffee table.....
I pick it up often......
sometimes just to look at the pictures.

* We did have a case here in Louisville several years
ago. Mel Ignato got away with murder, also.
Due to an incompetent prosecuting attorney;
....Ernie Jasmine! and, like O.J. it was a slam dunk
case! I'm just waiting for O.J. to go into the ministry
like Mel Ignato did!

Rating:
Summary: Was I there? Do the Goldmans love me, too?
Review: I have read this book over and over.
It is written in such present tense, that I am right
there, feeling the emotions.
Nearly every time I check my messages on my answering
machine.......I think of Ron's messages those couple days.
I have never seen such injustice.
*
Lawyers and judge Ito were too star struck
to even realize there were two Precious Stars
crying out the name of their killer....
....O.J. SIMPSON! Brutal murderer...and arrogant
about it.
I love the Goldmans and they don't even know me!
They don't know how many prayers and tears I have
for them!
I keep the hardback book on my coffee table.....
I pick it up often......
sometimes just to look at the pictures.

* We did have a case here in Louisville several years
ago. Mel Ignato got away with murder, also.
Due to an incompetent prosecuting attorney;
....Ernie Jasmine! and, like O.J. it was a slam dunk
case! I'm just waiting for O.J. to go into the ministry
like Mel Ignato did!

Rating:
Summary: His NAme is Ron Our Search for Justice
Review: I think this is one of the saddest, yet most hopeful books I have ever read.. The Goldman family handled their tragedy with grace and dignity, and set an example for the entire world in which to follow.

Rating:
Summary: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RON
Review: It's all in this book. The complete story is told primarily by Fred Goldman,father of the murder victim. Well,the Goldmans finally got their long-deserved justice on February 4,1997 when O.J. Simpson was found liable for the murders of his beautiful ex-wife Nicole and Ron Goldman. This is a combination of the biography of Ron Goldman,and the Nicole and Ron criminal and civil trials. As said on the last page,Ron would have been so proud to know that O.J. was found liable. At least the Goldmans hold O.J. responsible for the murders. If you want to know the true complete story,this is the book to read.

Rating:
Summary: The FInal Verdict
Review: This book is a collective family effort - except for Brian. It is very readable, but has no index; it is not a reference work. It assumes that OJ was a lone murderer, but the facts given here say otherwise.

Chapter 15 (pp.117,128) says Ron's waiter's clothes were found at his apartment; he returned from Mezzaluna and changed. If he punched out at 9:58, walked home a half-mile (10:10), changed clothes, walked to that borrowed car (10:15), drove to Nicole's house and found a parking spot on the next block (10:30), then the earliest time he could have been attacked was 10:35. There wasn't enough time for OJ to kill both, dispose of bloody clothes and shoes, and be back home at 10:45 to talk to the limo driver.

Page 152 says Ron filed for bankruptcy in 1992. Who then would lend him money to start a restaurant/club (p.320)?

Page 26 says Ron "never included acting or modeling" in his plans. Page 54 says he worked as a model for a clothing store (on a restaurant menu). Page 61 says Ron appeared on the "Studs" TV show.

Page 93 says Ron was jailed for driving a Jeep but gives no explanation. DWI? Unlicensed? Uninsured?

Pages 239-240 tells how the second trial was fixed: the defense had to either accept the authenticity of each item of evidence or explain the reason for the challenge. This "guilty until proven innocent" attitude stacked the deck against OJ. (Shouldn't the side presenting the evince should authenticate it?) This led to the rejection of the first judge, but another bent on conviction was substituted: he uttered a gag order that prevented the defense from replying to any false reports in the media.

Page 244 quotes a book "that Ron may have been a target". Some say the 25 to 30 stab wounds show a personal hatred. Was Patti's first husband a murdering drug dealer? Was he released from prison a few months before the murders?

Page 252 tells how the police found fresh bright red blood. This means they were killed after 11:30, when OJ was at the airport, and proves him innocent.

Page 268 says "we encouraged the legislature to pass and urged the Governor to sign" a special law for their court case. What an admission of fixing the trial!

Page 293 discusses the "Bruno Magli" shoes. Lange and Vannatter tell how Nicole's sister picked out a low-cut pair of shoes as the ones bought for OJ at Easter. They are not the high-cut shoes in that picture!

Page 298 quotes Wm. Bodziak as saying "the sole is unique to Bruno Magli shoes", but others say that Silga sole was sold to other manufacturers. I visited a store and looked at their Bruno Magli shoes: each style had a different sole.

Page 325 says "two professional assassins". The autopsy of Nicole says two knives: a single-edged hunting knife, and a double-edged stiletto. The autopsy of Ron says "stab wounds on right front chest" (left-handed) and "stab wounds on right back" (right-handed). The "curved" wound on Ron suggests a third knife and killer.

Page 325 refers to OJ's denial of hitting Nicole. We now know there was a legal paper signed by OJ that would forfeit his prenuptial agreement if he ever hit Nicole after 1989.

Pages 261-2 discuss the physical evidence. Stephen Singular's "Legacy of Deception" says "all the blood evidence is suspect". This book tells who planted the glove. If the murders occurred after 11:30 then all the blood evidence was planted, especially the stains on the Bronco's console.

Rating:
Summary: A true hero, finally given his identity!
Review: This book is my favorite of all time. I came here to purchase the paperback, but I have owned the hard cover since its printing.

If you have any soul at all, this book will not let you forget you read it, and it will touch your heart - deeply. Within the first few pages, you are either sobbing, very angry at our so-called "justice" system, or both.

This book gives Ron Goldman his life back... in a sense. He died trying to save someone else, and he was swept under the circus tent - hidden for too long.

This book is beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, heart-breaking, facination
Review: This book will put you directly in the midst of the Goldman trauma. A perspective of the victim like this should be the basis for every criminal trial in America that is dealing with the loss of human life. While I read this book, I felt as close to being victimized by this tragedy, yet knowing I really wasn't. The Goldman's are incredibly strong people-they can endure anything after going through this.The account of the civil trial was awesome. Dan Petrocelli was truly amazing and was able to prove every point without a doubt. I felt like I was sitting right there in the court room. And the victim impacts statements at the end of the book were unbelievably dramatic, they should have been able to say them in open court. Everyone who wants to know the impact of domectic violence and crime in Americal should read this book. This book is truly a tribute to Ron

Rating:
Summary: Lest we forget..........
Review: With all the hoopla surrounding the so-called "Trial Of The Century," when the bogus issues of corruption, prejudice, and tainted evidence were introduced into this trial by shameless defense attorneys whose cheek and gall seemed endless, the N and R words were mentioned frequently.

They were not, however, "Nicole" and "Ron." They were "Nigger" and "Race." Racism was turned into the real crime, while the two victims in this case, Nicole and Ron, were treated as throwaway non persons who had simply evaporated, not been butchered like pigs to the slaughter.

At least Nicole's murder made her "famous." Ron, however, was dismissively referred to as her "friend," the second, forgotten victim who had also died, and his family, in this heartbreaking book which will bring tears to the eyes of an icicle, speaks out for him, because he can no longer speak. They speak out for other murder victims, who also can no longer speak. And they speak out for the countless millions of violent crime victims worldwide, because they too, cannot speak. Up until now, their silence has been deafening, while we are inundated with daily images of not only the killer Simpson, but other killers and criminals, being informed by a sadly misguided media and judicial system, that they are the true "victims" in this society. But, as any person who passionately believes it is time equally balance the rights of victims against the rights of offenders will attest, these people are not victims. They are criminals, undeserving of sympathy.

In penning this exhaustive memoir of the most stressful and harrowing period of their lives, the Goldmans have allowed us into their hearts and shared with us their grief, their anger, their outrage in a way that is rivetingly honest, raw, emotional, and heartbreaking. Most of all, they have shared Ron with us, transforming him from a seemingly abstract figure portrayed on television screens and newspaper covers to a person of flesh and blood, a person who could have been anybody's son, anybody's brother, and anybody's friend. There, but for the grace of God, go I.

Ron, I wish I'd known you. I can tell just by looking at your smile what a beautiful human being you were. But you are not a "were" to your family and friends or to the people who never knew you but have grown to care about you. You still "are" and your presence is felt, stronger than ever.

But this book is not only for you, Ron. It is also for the millions of families who believe that tragedies like yours are so far removed from their lives that they can never happen to them. For the best parts of our lives can be found in the hearts of those who loved us.