The Other Side of Suffering

February 13, 2012
Ramsey (The Death of Innocence), who along with his second wife, Patsy, was thrust into a media firestorm after the murder of their six-year old daughter, JonBenét, in 1996, writes a comprehensive memoir he refers to as his “untold faith journey.” Despite the titular indication that Ramsey has overcome his life’s tragedies, he spends a substantial amount of time rehashing claims regarding JonBenét’s murder. His persistence seems to indicate that he still feels compelled to explain himself, and perhaps he is not quite past the point of caring what other people think of him. While he is quick to draw similarities between his life and that of the biblical Job, his tendency to jump time frames makes it difficult to determine exactly when he went from being a superficial, immature Christian to a man of deep faith. On occasion, Ramsey, a businessman who served a stint in the military, disconcertingly speaks with unexplained authority regarding profiling child abusers and the use of medication for dealing with grief. Still, Ramsey’s reflections on other issues, including the death of an older child and Patsy’s losing battle with ovarian cancer, come from a place of obvious deep personal anguish.