O. J. Simpson

The O. J. Simpson trial was the staple of the daily news for most of 1995. It riveted public attention, the must-see constant in news accounts from January to October. O.J. Simpson: World News Anchor is a unique peak at the trial, but more importantly, concurrent world happenings, many possibly overlooked by a public obsessed with its daily OJ fix. Consider this published quote from CNN's Larry King: "If we had God booked and O. J. was available, we'd move God." Consider that a reported 23 print and 27 broadcast companies, and upwards of 2,000 journalists, were on-hand. One poll showed three out of four people knew who OJ's sidekick, Brian "Kato" Kaelin, was, but couldn't name the vice president, Al Gore. It's estimated American businesses lost more than $20 billion because the proceedings diverted the attention of on-the-job employees. The book's daily quatrains highlight the world's human drama as this American judicial spectacle unfolded.