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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
R E V I E W
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I have always been interested in this story. Wondering how a star NFL football player went from top plays to jail for life. Aaron’s story was always mind blowing to me when I watched documentaries on his story. Hearing Aaron’s story from someone so close to him was truly the best way to understand everything. I think this was truly a wonderful well done book on the way Aaron and his family grew up to the way fame took over. I think sometimes people are raised one way that they may only know how to live that way. Aaron’s brother talks about how his parents did go to jail and were around drugs and it was a big effect to them, I can see how that effected the way Aaron and Jonathon were living their lives. I am not saying it was ok for what Aaron did at all, but I think Jonathon did a wonderful job seeing both sides. Seeing what was wrong and what could have played an effect in Aaron’s life. Overall if you want to know more on how Aaron was raised and the whole story I think this is a great story!
.
I have always been interested in this story. Wondering how a star NFL football player went from top plays to jail for life. Aaron’s story was always mind blowing to me when I watched documentaries on his story. Hearing Aaron’s story from someone so close to him was truly the best way to understand everything. I think this was truly a wonderful well done book on the way Aaron and his family grew up to the way fame took over. I think sometimes people are raised one way that they may only know how to live that way. Aaron’s brother talks about how his parents did go to jail and were around drugs and it was a big effect to them, I can see how that effected the way Aaron and Jonathon were living their lives. I am not saying it was ok for what Aaron did at all, but I think Jonathon did a wonderful job seeing both sides. Seeing what was wrong and what could have played an effect in Aaron’s life. Overall if you want to know more on how Aaron was raised and the whole story I think this is a great story!
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Everyone in this story --- the people Aaron Hernandez murdered, Aaron himself, and, too, his brother who "wrote" this with the "help" of supposed journalist, Lars Anderson --- acted from impulses cultivated and encouraged by a toxic cultural aggrandizement of stereotypical masculinity combined with an equally virulent worship of wealth, using both as measures of success and worthiness in the world.
Aaron was raised in a poisonous family, misogyny, homophobia, and abuse were the stuff of his youth, and he was rewarded for parroting those behaviors and beliefs, and punished for being true to who he was and how he felt.
Football is proven to be damaging unto lethal for those who play it; the NFL and football business interests from the childhood to public school to NCAA to professional level have long lied about its harmful effect on players because it personifies the same toxic tropes of heterosexual masculinity and financial achievement glorified and propagandized throughout this country.
Sadly, this book doesn't go even a millimeter beneath the surface of the story --- obviously one more after-death attempt to make money off of Aaron Hernandez, his own brother continuing the thoughtless, heedless exploitation of Aaron that began with his father, his high school coaches, his colleges, and the NFL/sports network behemoth that profits from chewing up and grinding to death athletes who, often, have few (if any) other options in life --- certainly none that reward them financially and "American-dream" wise as does the giant corporate pro-sport world. Unfortunately, these athletes are --- for the most part -- exploited, ruined, and discarded.
And because this book doesn't begin to address any of that in any sincere way, or make any effort to offer sociological insight or answers, it is just one more abuse of Aaron and for that reason, One Star, because I can't seem to give it zero stars.
Aaron was raised in a poisonous family, misogyny, homophobia, and abuse were the stuff of his youth, and he was rewarded for parroting those behaviors and beliefs, and punished for being true to who he was and how he felt.
Football is proven to be damaging unto lethal for those who play it; the NFL and football business interests from the childhood to public school to NCAA to professional level have long lied about its harmful effect on players because it personifies the same toxic tropes of heterosexual masculinity and financial achievement glorified and propagandized throughout this country.
Sadly, this book doesn't go even a millimeter beneath the surface of the story --- obviously one more after-death attempt to make money off of Aaron Hernandez, his own brother continuing the thoughtless, heedless exploitation of Aaron that began with his father, his high school coaches, his colleges, and the NFL/sports network behemoth that profits from chewing up and grinding to death athletes who, often, have few (if any) other options in life --- certainly none that reward them financially and "American-dream" wise as does the giant corporate pro-sport world. Unfortunately, these athletes are --- for the most part -- exploited, ruined, and discarded.
And because this book doesn't begin to address any of that in any sincere way, or make any effort to offer sociological insight or answers, it is just one more abuse of Aaron and for that reason, One Star, because I can't seem to give it zero stars.
sad
medium-paced
Very insightful as it was written by his brother. It definitely shed light on the man that was Aarom Hernandez.
Since this is a true story, I am sensitive to all this family suffered regarding the trouble life of Aaron.
I remember seeing and hearing about this in the news and didn't quite understand it. I figured a book written by his brother would bring the truth as the title suggests, but sadly it wasn't very informative.
A lot of the chapters where about Jonathan and his career and where it took him, the failure of his first marriage and him building a new future without his brother.
The book never went into detail on why the cops suspected him and the evidence that convicted him. As for the other crime he was accused of , I had to read the page three times looking for the verdict and finally looked it up on line.
I remember seeing and hearing about this in the news and didn't quite understand it. I figured a book written by his brother would bring the truth as the title suggests, but sadly it wasn't very informative.
A lot of the chapters where about Jonathan and his career and where it took him, the failure of his first marriage and him building a new future without his brother.
The book never went into detail on why the cops suspected him and the evidence that convicted him. As for the other crime he was accused of , I had to read the page three times looking for the verdict and finally looked it up on line.
short and sweet. a simple telling of a brother's rise and devastating fall. good quick read; somewhat insightful about what he went through with a history of physical and sexual abuse, feeling the need to stay in the closet in the NFL, and brain damage (CTE). he had the worst known case of CTE when he died.
3.5
This was hard to read and digest. I also question the accuracy of some of the narrative--is Hernandez really being honest about things, or is he too clouded by his love for his brother? Did A. Hernandez really come out to their mother while in prison? Was he really innocent as he claimed, or was his CTE a factor in erratic, violent, and bizarre actions? Should he have been convicted for life and put behind bars, or should he have been committed to a mental institution to be treated for his remaining time on earth? Would that have prevented his suicide? Also, their mom sucked. It was always all about her, and it was super gross, no matter the other gross trauma going on. Really depressing book, but fascinating to think about the CTE aspect and what tremendous damage was done to A. Hernandez's brain from an early age.
This was hard to read and digest. I also question the accuracy of some of the narrative--is Hernandez really being honest about things, or is he too clouded by his love for his brother? Did A. Hernandez really come out to their mother while in prison? Was he really innocent as he claimed, or was his CTE a factor in erratic, violent, and bizarre actions? Should he have been convicted for life and put behind bars, or should he have been committed to a mental institution to be treated for his remaining time on earth? Would that have prevented his suicide? Also, their mom sucked. It was always all about her, and it was super gross, no matter the other gross trauma going on. Really depressing book, but fascinating to think about the CTE aspect and what tremendous damage was done to A. Hernandez's brain from an early age.
