“We’ve advanced far beyond the days of Salem, 1692. Now we’re all experts at witch-burning.” -Amanda Knox

That line from Free: My Search for Meaning sums up the book even better than the sales copy. The story isn’t about the case as much as it is about the author’s reaction to what happened to her during four years of wrongful imprisonment in her early 20s in Italy.

Reviewing non-fiction about someone’s tragedy is hard because it requires separating feelings about the author and her trauma from the actual writing. I read, listen to, and watch a lot of true crime, focusing on legal systems and the impact of crime, investigation, and conviction. I adored A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold who painted her son Dylan in a way only his mother could in the wake of the Columbine shooting, converting her horrible experience into her life’s work of raising awareness.

Free is somewhat like that. In processing why Amanda’s prosecutor targeted and character-assassinated her, she’s come away to heighten awareness of the dangers of the international media headlines that distorted an innocent childhood soccer nickname, “Foxy Knoxy,” into the moniker for a perverted killer who deserved life in prison.

We are not the things people say about us online. Period.

Amanda makes the point loudly and clearly, and I wholeheartedly agree with her urging for stronger online protections, accountability, and cultural reform so that women who are comfortable in their skin or, God forbid, “sexy” are not harshly judged by all who hold purity as the expectation of womanhood.

She mentions the “Lewinsky scandal” and wonders why it isn’t the “Clinton scandal” since he was the married man at the other end of that affair. He had what Amanda didn’t: male privilege. The same thing Rudy Guede has having already been released from prison without his name and reputation being tied to a case perpetually linked to this author.

Free has some shining moments where Amanda conveys a message of hope in dire situations, like during prison. Those chapters are among my favorites because the universal lesson of “every day is what we make of it” is something we can all learn from. Prison gives you a pile of potatoes in Italy? You make gnocchi.

Self-discovery is never an easy process for any young adult. Amanda was able to use her talents, will, and relative privilege to help her fellow inmates, forge a lifelong bond with a prison chaplain (as an atheist), and become enlightened far beyond her years.

However, at some point, Free devolves into a blame narrative. Much of the book focuses on Amanda seeking to get Dr. Giuliano Mignini, her prosecutor, to admit that he’d been wrong in his dogged pursuit of her, and in advocating for her repeated conviction. From a storytelling perspective, it felt overdone and like a desperate plea for a different type of exoneration: One at the hand of her pursuer.

Overall, Free: My Search for Meaning is a well-written, pensive exploration of the sensational case of Meredith Kercher’s murder from the perspective of someone who will forever be inextricably tied to something she did not do. I close this book with the feeling that despite Amanda’s hopeful messages, there is still a growth opportunity for the author. It's easy for me to say as a reviewer, but Amanda's account feels like it reinforces her place at the center of Meredith’s murder.

Given the platform this book affords her, perhaps Amanda’s incisive account could have demonstrated a stronger understanding of the reasons the Kercher family might not choose to engage with her. Not an apology for wrongdoing, but maybe one about their loss. Perhaps something about how Meredith's murder affected Amanda in the context of what it means to be a daughter or friend. Was there a burial ceremony? How did Amanda feel about not being able to attend? Had she wanted to comfort the Kerchers despite the allegations of her being the killer, or did these things not cross her mind because all she could focus on was her desire to go home? I can’t help feeling like there was more to be said than that Amanda and Meredith thrifted together and she barely knew Meredith in their brief five weeks of friendship before her death.

Amanda believes this crime has multiple victims, and I agree. So many lives were upheaved and ruined, but after reading Amanda’s account, which casually mentions her now being a podcaster, I can’t help feeling that the author herself continues to be at the center of this case, using the notoriety for personal gain may be more than as a springboard for meaningful criminal justice change. If she is pursuing that avenue, beyond giving a few talks here and there, her efforts are not well covered within Free. Perhaps that isn’t the story she meant to tell, but I walk away with a different feeling from when I read Sue Klebold’s memoir. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is other than to say despite the offering of food for thought about the dangers of unchecked character assassination in a digital world, Amanda’s determination to be seen as truly innocent is clouded by a lens of victimhood and vitriol shrouded in olive branches.

Thank you to Amanda Knox, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC of Free: My Search for Meaning.

This book kept my full attention for its entirety and I couldn’t put it down. Everyone should read this book

The first section of this book is really strong and full of insights that reminded me a lot of when I worked in a jail library. I was impressed by the introspection and the wisdom in the framing of finding inner-freedom in incredibly difficult circumstances. Narratively, it really loses steam as it progresses, but it was an interesting read overall. With thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because I would love to see an Amanda Knox redemption arc but this wasn’t very well written, it didn’t flow, and I felt like Amanda came off as very snobbish. I don’t know why I got this impression but it’s just my takeaway.

I really enjoyed this memoir. I lt was nice to finally hear Amandas version of the event thats lead up to and followed Merediths death. The media coverage of this was incredibly biased and all the documentaries and shows they made imitated the media. This was easy to read with lots of information.

After reading Amanda Knox memoir, I feel so angry that she was accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Movies have scenes where someone becomes so fatigued by hours of interrogation that they sign anything to make it stop. How much worse it must be in a foreign country when you barely understand the language. There is hope for innocent victims of the legal system, but the general public still remembers the biased story printed by the media. I’m so glad Amanda Knox has been able to overcome and live a happy life.

**Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy!*

What Amanda Knox went through was torture, and it is incredibly important that her experience in the Italian justice system is continued to be discussed. She discusses the injustices she faced by the government, the guards, and even the other inmates. She went through hell and I am glad she is able to tell her story.

All that being said, I am not very impressed with the memoir and dnf @ 30%. The stories seem disjointed, making it hard to pull together a mental timeline. The writing is also very rudimentary. It has the tone of a Common App essay, following a basic cause-and-effect sentence structure for most of the essays. Each essay is tied up with a nice Aesop-ian soundbite. Some are more impactful than others.

While the memoir as a whole falls flat for me, there are still some great insights that I enjoyed reading, and it was very eye-opening and scary to learn about her story. I would've expected this to have taken place in the 1980s not the 2010s :/

Hear what Amanda Knox has to say about her captivity. In Free, we learn more about her trials and tribulations.

I found this very similar to her 2013 memoir and decided about 1/3 of the way through that I would wait for the audiobook version at publication. The chapters read more like individual short stories and kept my attention for the 1/3 that I read.