Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir

Don't send your naive college kid abroad! I have all of the sympathy in the world for Amanda Knox but she definitely put herself in her own mess. I don't know if her explanations of her "quirky" actions put her in any better light but the forensics speak for themselves. The killer was Rudy Guede. He fit the profile and more importantly his DNA was found all over the murder scene. I still don't feel that Amanda provides a satisfactory answer as to why she did not check Meredith's room when she found the house unlocked and blood in the bathroom. She also paints her and Meridith's relationship as a little too perfect. I can see why the police may have honed in on her at first.

Amanda's problems really took a turn for the worse when show more Guiliano Mignini was assigned as prosecutor. I have previously read The Monster Of Florence so his name was very familiar to me. In the 70's and early 80's The Monster of Florence murdered in a really vicious way young couples who were romantically trysting. The American author Douglas Preston came to Italy to research the case for a book. Guiliano reopened the Monster of Florence case and somehow concocted the idea that Preston and his Italian associate were involved. Guiliano is well know for coming up with far out theories and then trying to make the evidence fit that. Preston had the sense to high tail it out of Italy but when under Guiliano's spotlight Amanda did not. In fairness she explains her decision to stay because she wanted to help the investigation and she lacked the funds to come back again. This was a once in a lifetime trip and Amanda was trying to hang on. It is in this context that Guiliano investigates Amanda Knox. Guililano's reputation is in in tatters from the Monster of Florence case and now here is is a chance to resurrect it with another high profile case. It is not good enough that a drifter with a criminal past broke into the house and killed Meredith Kercher,. Guiliano comes up with a sex games gone wrong scenario even though there is no evidence to support this. It fuels media interest though.

If you followed the case at all there won't be any new ground breaking information provided here. What you get is Amanda's perspective on the case and an insiders view of the Italian justice system which made me glad for my rights as an American. By the way Guiliano Mignini was recently ordered to serve a sixteen month prison sentence for the harassment of individuals pertaining to the Monster of Florence case. Now that's justice. Sadly due to his incompetency Meredith Kercher will be denied hers. show less

Reams of paper have been wasted on this trial. This and Raffaele Sollecito's books are the only ones you "need" to read. The rest are just full of idle speculation and rumor. At the same time this book should never have been written. Ms. Knox should have been off doing whatever it was she wanted to do after her year of Study Abroad in Italy. Still we all know what happened.

For those of you that are still "on the fence" about Amanda's culpability, well you must still believe the earth is only 6,000 years old and that the jury is still out on Galileo. There was never ever a shred of evidence that Knox or Sollecito committed any crime whatsoever and an overeager media, public, police, and a prosecutor literally bent on a 17th century show more witch trial ended up taking one tragedy and trying to make it into three, the lone perpetrator safely ensconced behind bars for most of the time this mess went on. The fact that Knox and Sollecito were both attractive and Knox American (and a sexually active female) strangely, or maybe not so, worked against them.

The writing isn't great, but how can it be and stick to the facts? There is enough mystery and suspense and truly bizarre hijinks without any authorial tricks. It reads more like testimony than biography and doesn't always convey what a fiction writer could have added to make the narrative a little more exciting at times. Still, this wasn't the writer's goal and at times the necessity to reveal in detail certain personal details that should quite rightly have remained private can still make the (sane) reader squirm.

(In my initial review I egregiously forgot to mention the hideous and nauseating misogyny involved in not only Knox's persecution but also in Kercher's murder. The equally disturbing male fantasy aspect is likewise a key driver in the whole sorry affair.)

There are the usual superfluous photographs that we've all seen a million times, but at least Knox could pick out the pose this time.

I hope she and Raffaele make scads of filthy lucre off the affair, enough to never worry about money to at least make up for some of the misery and the loss of some of the best years of their lives.

I also hope somebody also remembers Meredith Kercher and her sad and terrifying violation and murder at the hands of some Ivory Coast drifter. That's what we should have been talking about the whole time. show less

Most people have at least heard of the Amanda Knox case where a young American woman doing a year abroad in Italy gets charged and convicted with the murder of her roommate. Waiting to Be Heard is Amanda Knox's memoir, and as someone who followed the case fairly closely, I found it a mesmerizing read.

Amanda is truly a fascinating character. While I was very skeptical that she committed this murder - - and there's almost no hard evidence that she did - - I also didn't feel she was very likable or thoughtful. This book really reinforced my preconceived notions on both fronts.

So, at the very beginning of this case, I thought perhaps she was guilty (when the fake DNA evidence was announced in the media), but by the end, I was very certain show more she was completely innocent of the murder and had no knowledge of it even though the media picture was very distorted. I really had a ton of empathy for her - -being in a foreign country and basically being railroaded through their ridiculous judicial process by a crazy prosecutor.I think I expected to feel a LOT more sympathetic to her situation while reading her memoir (even more than I was before), but the book kept screaming at me - - NARCISSIST, NARCISSIST!!. Intellectually, I still feel the whole situation was absolutely a horrendous and utter nightmare, no matter what kind of person she is. But I just feek that she was arrogant and stupid almost beyond belief. After reading the book, I feel she really did contribute in many ways to what happened to her (which is sort of blaming the victim, and I acknowledge is wrong of me). I just am not finding her likable even though she keeps describing herself as such a good person. I especially found the part where they extract her confession to be interesting. I did not really find her narrative of it that compelling. I couldn't help but feel that it is ONE thing to confess to the murder yourself or to place yourself at the scene in order to get out of the interrogation. Apparently that is a lot more common than you would ever anticipate (look up false confessions for interesting reading), and she was only 20 years old. I can totally see doing that. But to actually implicate and point the finger at her boss, Patrick? That, to me, is so morally abhorrent that I really find it hard to believe a good person would do that. I felt that way somewhat during the case itself, but when I read her account, I actually saw it as even worse. During the case, I kinda thought it was a language thing - - that she just didn't understand what they were asking about Patrick, but after reading her account, I didn't come away with the feeling that she didn't get the language . . .just that she was exhausted and wanted to be done with the interrogation (which was really bad, and Italy should be embarrassed). I guess it is hard to say what I would do in that situation - - but I just kinda feel that they'd have to literally be beating me hard to implicate a person I knew with certainty had nothing to do with it.All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who had an interest in the case, or just wants to follow a story that if it was written as fiction, people would say was too unbelievable. show less

If i was did not think she was innocent before this book would have turned me around. The book was also well written and also very nail bitting. The lack of evidence in this case is so shocking. I hope she finally gets to live a life after this third trial.

Amanda Knox made worldwide headlines for more than four years. As the American college student accused of killing her roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy she was both vilified and supported. Along with the newspapers and tabloids the line was drawn with two factions quickly forming; those believing she was guilty and those unequivocally convinced of her innocence. Her case spawned media frenzy, online blogs, endless news articles, books and even a made-for-television movie. Despite mounting evidence that she, and then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, had nothing to do with the murder they were convicted and sentenced to 25 and 24 years respectively to Italian prison. After an appeal and a new trial the verdict was overturned, both show more Amanda and Raffaele were acquitted and Amanda (very quickly) returned to the United States. This is Amanda’s story in her own words.

I listened to this book on audio (read by Amanda herself) and admittedly, I was not expecting a lot when I plugged in the first disc. I was very quickly, very pleasantly surprised. First of all, whether it is her talent, excellent editors or a combination of the two, it is a well-composed book. Amanda tells her story honestly, even the not so flattering parts. She admits to being young and naïve, trying to prove that she is an independent woman … and admits to going about that in a rather foolhardy way. Amanda does not sugar coat her lifestyle, nor does she make excuses for herself. A few times she meanders onto the “in hindsight” path and admits she did not make the best choices, but is there anyone who does not say that exact same thing about some aspect of their life? She writes HER STORY. She does not speculate on what was going on all around her, things she was not privy to from her jail cell. She does not lash out at the Italian officials. She tells the reader about the discomforts of being in an Italian prison, but shares the good things too. This IS her story and she tells is well.

I cannot help but draw comparisons to the book released several months ago by Raffaele. They each tell their story, from two different perspectives. Neither wavers in the facts of the case. Neither blames the other for their circumstances. That indicates, despite their age, the strength of character each possesses which allowed them to get through their ordeal. In my humble opinion, Amanda did a better job of telling her story.

Since I listened to the audio version I feel a need to comment on that as well. Although, always to my surprise, some authors do not do their books justice when they read them, this is definitely not the case with Amanda Knox. I do not think anyone else could have read her words any better. When she speaks about her family her voice holds tenderness and when she reads the more difficult parts you can hear that in the timbre of her voice. In the beginning you get the voice of the young schoolgirl she was as she embarked on her adventure and towards the end you hear the woman she has become.

If you were even the slightest bit captivated by the murder and trial while it was going on, whether you believed her innocent or guilty, this book is a must read. show less

I thought this was decently written and revealing about what happened from her perspective. I had heard of this case, but not the details, before reading this book. The author writes engagingly and it is an interesting read. It is a shame that Meredith's family will probably never know exactly what happened or get any true closure over her death - which is the real miscarriage of justice in the end.

What I'm about to write may offend some people - but it is my current opinion and perspective from what I am aware of regarding the Italian justice system (from police to courts et al). This is not the first book or item I've read about the Italian Justice system and their egregious errors in pursuing Justice. I've read at least two books show more about the Monster of Florence; and was surprised to find a main prosecutor of the case against the Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito case was also the same individual who re-opened the Monster case to attack rivals and detractors (on the basis of a fortune teller's comment no less). As well as a few others about unsolved or badly botched investigations resulting in the incarceration of innocent people. Italy is not that large, and this may be a regional problem because I do not think Rome itself suffers as much from this type of problem. Put bluntly using "investigative intuition", superstition, and whatever takes your fancy instead of relying upon evidence (properly processed - another HUGE endemic problem), facts, and proper investigation techniques is ludicrous. It is absolutely no surprise that they can't find murderers and solve crimes properly, much less punish the actual perpetrators. Add to that the propensity of the Italian press to sensationalize and not bother with facts and you have a perfect storm. show less

Amanda Knox spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit. In the fall of 2007, the 20-year-old college coed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate was murdered in their apartment. After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011, an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge. Free at last, she returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now.Filled with details first recorded in the journals Knox kept while in Italy, Waiting to Be Heard is a remarkable story of innocence, resilience, and courage, and of one young woman’s hard-fought battle to overcome injustice and win the freedom she deserved. show more With intelligence, grace, and candor, Amanda Knox tells the full story of her harrowing ordeal in Italy—a labyrinthine nightmare of crime and punishment, innocence and vindication—and of the unwavering support of family and friends who tirelessly worked to help her win her freedom. Waiting to Be Heard includes 24 pages of color photographs. show less