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. ( )

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. ( )

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 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.

( )

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 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. ( )

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 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. ( )