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The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understand My Brother

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Description

The unvarnished true story of the tragic life and death of Aaron Hernandez, the college All-American and New England Patriots star convicted of murder, told by one of the few people who knew him best, his brother. To football fans, Aaron Hernandez was a superstar in the making. A standout at the University of Florida, he helped the Gators win the national title in 2008. Drafted by the New England Patriots, in his second full season with the team he and fellow Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski set records for touchdowns and yardage, and with Tom Brady, led New England to Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. But Aaron’s NFL career ended as quickly as it began. On June 26, 2013, he was arrested at his North Attleboro home, charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, and released by the Patriots. Convicted of first-degree murder, Aaron was sentenced to life in prison without parole. On May 15, 2014, while on trial for Lloyd's murder, Aaron was indicted for two more murders. Five days after being acquitted for those double murders, he committed suicide in his jail cell. Aaron Hernandez was 27 years old. In this clear-eyed, emotionally devastating biography - a family memoir combining football and true crime - Jonathan (formerly known by his nickname DJ) Hernandez speaks out fully for the first time about the brother he knew. Jonathan draws on his own recollections as well as thousands of pages of prison letters and other sources to give us a full portrait of a star athlete and troubled young man who would become a murderer, and the darkness that consumed him. Jonathan does not portray Aaron as a victim; he does not lay the blame for his crimes on his illness. He speaks openly about Aaron’s talent, his sexuality, his crimes and incarceration, and the CTE that ravaged him - scientists found that upon his death, Aaron had the brain of a 67-year old suffering from the same condition. Filled with headline-making revelations, The Truth About Aaron is a shocking and moving account of promise, tragedy, and loss - of one man’s descent into rage and violence, as told by the person who knew him more closely than anyone else. Read more

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Top Amazon Reviews

    • It is the truth about Aaron Hernandez
I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. Jonathon was truthful about his brother's changing personality, the struggles he had and the wrong people he chose to be friends with. He was truthful about their upbringing, his Dad's violent temper and the struggles him and Aaron had growing up. Very sad, but very realistic, at least with me. I have never been able to wrap my head around why Aaron would do the things he did. After reading this book, I understand a little better what CTE did to this young man. I'm not excusing at all what he did but I do believe CTE played a big role in what happened. I actually cried when I read what Jonathon did at seeing his dead brother for the first time. A brother he loved, who was his best friend growing up, a brother he still loves despite all that happened with Aaron. This was one of the best and saddest books I have read in a long time. I hope all the families, including Aaron's, may someday find peace. Thank you Jonathon for helping me to better understand who Aaron was. This book was far better then the book Jose Baez wrote. Even though it was a good read for me, I came away with the impression that Baez truly never spent that much time with Aaron. I didn't feel he knew him as much as he would like the public to think he did. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2018 by Special K
    • So freaking good.
I read the book in 3 days. I couldn't put my Kindle down. Jonathan tells the story so well and with so much respect for all involved. He had every right to set the story straight on Aaron. The story is heartbreaking. What do you do when someone you love, your sibling at that, commits an unthinkable crime? Do you stop loving and supporting them? Do you act like they don't exist? Or do you move heaven and earth to figure out what went wrong? Aaron's story is a cautionary tale. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2024 by Saira
    • The saddest thing in life is wasted talent
In a style that’s simple and achingly raw, Jonathan Hernandez tells the story of his brother and best friend, Aaron. He doesn’t try to canonize Aaron or make excuses for his behavior, he simply lays out the story of a great athlete and loving kid brother whose downfall came fast and deadly. Along the way, Mr. Hernandez mixes everyday family stories with painful revelations about beatings from an otherwise loving father who died suddenly when Aaron was a teenager, Aaron’s years’ long molestation by a male babysitter, his drug use, poor choices in friends, off-the-chart CTE numbers and self-hatred due to his secret homosexuality. As a writer myself, I admire the way Mr. Hernandez takes a story we all know the ending of and tells it so compellingly that I flew through it in one sitting while dreading every new development. Mr. Hernandez also isn’t afraid to turn the mirror on himself, admitting his own shortcomings, making us feel the pain he felt during the ordeal and wondering, more than once, whether there was more he could have done to save his brother. Mr. Hernandez says one of the main reasons he wrote The Truth About Aaron was to encourage people in pain to seek help. I hope that happens, because in my opinion, it took a lot of courage to write this book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018 by Will Fuller
    • So sad knowing that the brother is now also deteriorating mentally
After reading, I was curious about what Jonathan aka DJ Hernandez is doing in recent years, and was shocked to learn that just two months ago (April 2025) Jonathan was convicted and sentenced for behavior that seems eerily like CTE symptoms. The diagnosis can't be made during a person's life because it requires autopsy of the brain, but news reports state that Jonathan has been diagnosed with severe mental illness which is presumed to be a cause of his behavior. Considering that Jonathan had almost the exact same experience as Aaron of practically living and breathing football until after college, and in this book mentions at least one head injury of his own, he certainly could have CTE as well. There is no way to know during his lifetime, but in this book Jonathan quotes the CTE expert as mentioning a possible familial hereditary susceptibility to the disease. Regardless, it's sad to learn of anyone's mental decline. I do want to also point out that, in this book, Jonathan depicts himself as a very peaceful, great guy whose only flaw was "maybe prioritizing football over [his] wife." News reports contradict this depiction and describe a man who himself was prone to conflict and aggression, in addition to his own substance abuse that this book implies would be out of character for Jonathan. It's important to always keep in mind when reading a memoir that the author has a natural bias and almost always wants to paint themselves in a better light than reality, especially if they have something to prove. Knowing more of the perspective and context about the Hernandez family does help enlighten us about what may have been going on in both brothers' minds when they were younger. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025 by Jess
    • Good Read
Gives the reader a good sense of sig. events in his life, impact of , etc. The family dysfunction pre high school was sad. I got the impression there was even more but was leftout, maybe that's for the best as what was written was just heartbreaking. Agree with others there is a certain amount of self exoneration, understandable but not necessary. It is hard to know what is going on when communication breaks down within a family. At times it is a family story, at times it felt like jerry springer, and at times there are scenes out of Goodfellas, Definitely wanted to know more about how that came to be. What was really going on at his other residences, how did he come to align himself with that. The last few chapters felt rushed, I am sure there is more information , but respect for the brother to write any of this within just a year or so of it happening, must have been so painful. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2018 by SG!

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