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The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox
The sexually violent murder of twenty-one-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, on the night of November 1, 2007, became an international sensation when one of Kercher’s housemates, twenty-year-old Seattle native Amanda Knox, as well as her Italian boyfriend and a troubled local man Knox said she “vaguely” knew, was arrested and charged with the murder. The Fatal Gift of Beauty is award-winning author and journalist Nina Burleigh’s mesmerizing literary investigation of the murder, the controversial prosecution, the conviction and twenty-six-year sentence of Knox, the machinations of Italian justice, and the underground depravity and clash of cultures in one of central -Italy’s most beloved cities.
When Perugia authorities concluded that the murder was part of a dark, twisted rite—a “sex game”—led by the American with an uncanny resemblance to Perugia’s Madonna, they unleashed a media frenzy from Rome to London to New York and Seattle. The story drew an international cult obsessed with “Foxy Knoxy,” a pretty honor student on a junior year abroad, who either woke up one morning into a nightmare of superstition and misogyny—the dark side of Italy—or participated in something unspeakable.
The investigation begins in the old stone cottage overlooking bucolic olive groves where Kercher’s body was found in her locked bedroom. It winds through the shadowy, arched alleys of Perugia, a city of art that is also a magnet for tens of thousands of students who frequent its bars, clubs, and drug bazaar on the steps of the Duomo. It climaxes in an up-close account of Italy’s dysfunctional legal system, as the trial slowly unfolds at the town’s Tribunale, and the prosecution’s thunderous final appeal to God before the quivering girl defendant resembles a scene from the Inquisition.
To reveal what actually happened on that terrible night after Halloween, Nina Burleigh lived in Perugia, attended the trial, and corresponded with the incarcerated defendants. She also delved deeply into the history, secrets, and customs of Perugia, renowned equally for its Etruscan tunnels, early Christian art, medieval sorcerers, and pagan roots.
The Fatal Gift of Beauty is a thoughtful, compelling examination of an enduring mystery, an ancient, storied place, and a disquieting facet of Italian an obsession with female eroticism. It is also an acute window into the minds and personalities of the accused killers and of the conservative Italian magistrate striving to make sense of an inexplicable act of evil. But at its core is an indelible portrait of Amanda Knox, the strangely childlike, enigmatic beauty, whose photogenic face became the focal point of international speculation about the shadow side of youth and freedom.
When Perugia authorities concluded that the murder was part of a dark, twisted rite—a “sex game”—led by the American with an uncanny resemblance to Perugia’s Madonna, they unleashed a media frenzy from Rome to London to New York and Seattle. The story drew an international cult obsessed with “Foxy Knoxy,” a pretty honor student on a junior year abroad, who either woke up one morning into a nightmare of superstition and misogyny—the dark side of Italy—or participated in something unspeakable.
The investigation begins in the old stone cottage overlooking bucolic olive groves where Kercher’s body was found in her locked bedroom. It winds through the shadowy, arched alleys of Perugia, a city of art that is also a magnet for tens of thousands of students who frequent its bars, clubs, and drug bazaar on the steps of the Duomo. It climaxes in an up-close account of Italy’s dysfunctional legal system, as the trial slowly unfolds at the town’s Tribunale, and the prosecution’s thunderous final appeal to God before the quivering girl defendant resembles a scene from the Inquisition.
To reveal what actually happened on that terrible night after Halloween, Nina Burleigh lived in Perugia, attended the trial, and corresponded with the incarcerated defendants. She also delved deeply into the history, secrets, and customs of Perugia, renowned equally for its Etruscan tunnels, early Christian art, medieval sorcerers, and pagan roots.
The Fatal Gift of Beauty is a thoughtful, compelling examination of an enduring mystery, an ancient, storied place, and a disquieting facet of Italian an obsession with female eroticism. It is also an acute window into the minds and personalities of the accused killers and of the conservative Italian magistrate striving to make sense of an inexplicable act of evil. But at its core is an indelible portrait of Amanda Knox, the strangely childlike, enigmatic beauty, whose photogenic face became the focal point of international speculation about the shadow side of youth and freedom.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
107 people are currently reading
1005 people want to read
About the author
Nina Burleigh
16 books57 followersNina is an award-winning author and journalist and documentary producer with wide-ranging interests including politics, history, conservation, exploration and science. She has written seven books and has been published in the New Yorker, Time, New York and People, among many other journals and rags. She publishes a national political substack called American Freakshow. She has occasionally shellacked her hair for television, including Good Morning America, Nightline, and various programs on CNN and C-Span, as well as flogged books on NPR and countless radio outlets.
The daughter of author and artist Robert Burleigh and Berta Burleigh, a teacher who emigrated to the USA from Iraq in the 1950s, Nina was born and educated in the Midwest, has traveled extensively in the Middle East and lived in Italy and France. She covered the Clinton White House for Time and reported and wrote human interest stories at People Magazine from New York. She is an adjunct professor at New York University and has lectured in Norway, Mexico, Italy and around the US..
Her first novel, Zero Visibility Possible, will be published in 2024, the first in a trilogy of dark satires about characters grappling with aspects of climate change, conspiracy theories and disinformation.
Her nonfiction books include The Trump Women: Part of the Deal, a lively study of the women in Trump's world; Unholy Business, a true tale of how modern science is being used to support the curious world of biblical relic trade and forgery; her book about Napoleon's scientists in Egypt, Mirage, was selected by the New York Times as an editors' choice and won the Society of Women Educators' Award in 2008.
The daughter of author and artist Robert Burleigh and Berta Burleigh, a teacher who emigrated to the USA from Iraq in the 1950s, Nina was born and educated in the Midwest, has traveled extensively in the Middle East and lived in Italy and France. She covered the Clinton White House for Time and reported and wrote human interest stories at People Magazine from New York. She is an adjunct professor at New York University and has lectured in Norway, Mexico, Italy and around the US..
Her first novel, Zero Visibility Possible, will be published in 2024, the first in a trilogy of dark satires about characters grappling with aspects of climate change, conspiracy theories and disinformation.
Her nonfiction books include The Trump Women: Part of the Deal, a lively study of the women in Trump's world; Unholy Business, a true tale of how modern science is being used to support the curious world of biblical relic trade and forgery; her book about Napoleon's scientists in Egypt, Mirage, was selected by the New York Times as an editors' choice and won the Society of Women Educators' Award in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 170 reviews
April 26, 2016
I am utterly fascinated frighteningly obsessed interested to a normal degree about true crime. Accordingly, I am an avid watcher of Dateline and 48 Hours and any other show that spends an hour in the dark heart of man. Being a criminal defense attorney, I suppose I could chalk it up to curiosity. But that would be a lie. In truth, I have a fever, and the only cure is more Keith Morrison.
I’ve been following the Amanda Knox murder trial for years, now. I first saw it on a primetime special, when the story initially broke, and have checked in periodically since. It has everything that you want in a murder mystery, especially (a) a murder; and (b) a mystery. The location helps set the story apart: the ancient and beautiful Italian city of Perugia. It also features an attractive white female victim, which is – to be brutally honest – the sine qua non for a television producer to feature a case. The bonus twist to this story – the propellant that made this murder a lasting international sensation – is the identity of the alleged killer, who also happened to be an attractive white female.
In 2007, American Amanda Knox was arrested for the murder of British roommate Meredith Kercher. Though the title of Nina Burleigh’s book is taken from Byron referring to Italy, “the fatal gift of beauty” really refers to Amanda herself. It was her youthful beauty, her sexuality, and her guilelessness that allowed an unscrupulous and possibly-mad Italian prosecutor to turn an obvious case of break-in/rape/murder into an orgiastic Satanic ritual, with Amanda Knox in control.
I think it’s safe to say that if Knox looked like a stack of old telephone books, the case never would have proceeded as it did.
She didn't, though, and a long nightmare ensued.
On the night of December 4, 2009, Knox and her Italian boyfriend Rafaele Sollecito were found guilty of Kercher’s murder. It is here that Burleigh’s book begins, at what seemed like the end (published in 2011, two years after Knox’s conviction, this edition has been revised in 2012 to reflect the reversal of the trial court’s decision).
After this prologue, Burleigh devotes the first two parts of her book (there are four parts in all) to a rather fragmented scene-setting. She bounces from Italy to Seattle and back to Italy again in describing the participants, the murder scene, the city of Perugia.
The book’s construction belies a simple chronological approach, and instead strives for something more. There is a sympathetic telling of African-Italian Rudy Guede’s upbringing. Guede – the actual murderer in this case – came from a hardscrabble immigrant family, was given a chance to live with a wealthy Italian family, blew that, and ended up a smalltime break-in artist whose DNA eventually ended up on a dead girl. Burleigh also does a nice job describing the gothic history and decayed present of Perugia, where all the problems of a modern city exist on ancient cobblestoned streets.
Woven throughout this text is a meditation on young womanhood. In this way, The Fatal Gift of Beauty partially plays out like In Cold Blood as written by Susan Faludi (or an episode of Girls written and directed by David Simon). It’s an interesting angle, and certainly relevant; it’s hard to dispute that certain narrow cultural views of women, especially Italy’s Madonna/whore dichotomy, played a large role in shaping the prosecution. (YouTube videos of Knox partying – like every single other college student in history – helped ensure her initial conviction. Meanwhile, the British tabloids always made great hay out of the fact that Knox was – gasp! – sexually active).
While reading these contemplations, it’s easy to think that Burleigh felt some sort of kinship to Amanda Knox, especially as she described Knox’s transformation from soccer-loving tomboy to legitimate beauty, and the impact this had on others and herself. This is a typical female coming-of-age story, with all the awkwardness, fits-and-starts, and constant second-guessing that entails. Unfortunately, Knox’s entrée to young adulthood also meant being sucked into the gravitational pull of a sensationalized murder.
I applaud Burleigh’s attempt to transcend the bounds of straightforward true crime reporting. Ambition is never a bad thing. The attempt for a higher literary plane, however, can lead to a certain amount of confusion. Those unfamiliar with the case will likely have a hard time navigating the chronological fluidity, the narrative reshuffling, and the meandering digressions. And there is also a little matter of the prose, which often veers into purple and silly.
The initial shakiness of parts one and two disappears in the second half of the book. Here, Burleigh follows a more traditional path: investigation, trial, aftermath. She does a nice job explaining and comparing the Italian legal system to our own. It is tempting to think that an American court never would’ve allowed such a shoddy railroading of a suspect…but American courts do it all the time. Nothing happened in Italy that doesn’t occur in Texas criminal courts every day. And at least in Italy, the appellate process allows for a de novo review.
Lost in this story – and in most accounts of the Knox murder trial – is the victim. That’s not Knox’s fault, or even Burleigh’s. When Prosecutor Mignini (who threatened American author Douglas Preston while he was researching his book on the Monster of Florence) decided to build a case upon the basis of his own superstitions and belief in the occult, he’s the one who changed the focus of the story. He created a second and third victim, young adults who had to spend years in prison due to an unethical prosecutor’s fever dreams.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of Knox’s innocence, and the fact that most of the “evidence” against Knox either doesn’t exist or was grossly distorted, The Fatal Gift of Beauty does not attempt any sort of defendant’s brief. Burleigh never set out to prove that Knox had been wrongfully convicted. There is no point-by-point destruction of the prosecution’s flimsy case, their ethical breaches, or their forensic ineptitude.
There are many other places to find that information. Burleigh is more interested in contemplating the unfortunate intersection of a young American woman and an old Italian culture. It makes for a thoughtful look at a case that was anything but.
I’ve been following the Amanda Knox murder trial for years, now. I first saw it on a primetime special, when the story initially broke, and have checked in periodically since. It has everything that you want in a murder mystery, especially (a) a murder; and (b) a mystery. The location helps set the story apart: the ancient and beautiful Italian city of Perugia. It also features an attractive white female victim, which is – to be brutally honest – the sine qua non for a television producer to feature a case. The bonus twist to this story – the propellant that made this murder a lasting international sensation – is the identity of the alleged killer, who also happened to be an attractive white female.
In 2007, American Amanda Knox was arrested for the murder of British roommate Meredith Kercher. Though the title of Nina Burleigh’s book is taken from Byron referring to Italy, “the fatal gift of beauty” really refers to Amanda herself. It was her youthful beauty, her sexuality, and her guilelessness that allowed an unscrupulous and possibly-mad Italian prosecutor to turn an obvious case of break-in/rape/murder into an orgiastic Satanic ritual, with Amanda Knox in control.
I think it’s safe to say that if Knox looked like a stack of old telephone books, the case never would have proceeded as it did.
She didn't, though, and a long nightmare ensued.
On the night of December 4, 2009, Knox and her Italian boyfriend Rafaele Sollecito were found guilty of Kercher’s murder. It is here that Burleigh’s book begins, at what seemed like the end (published in 2011, two years after Knox’s conviction, this edition has been revised in 2012 to reflect the reversal of the trial court’s decision).
After this prologue, Burleigh devotes the first two parts of her book (there are four parts in all) to a rather fragmented scene-setting. She bounces from Italy to Seattle and back to Italy again in describing the participants, the murder scene, the city of Perugia.
The book’s construction belies a simple chronological approach, and instead strives for something more. There is a sympathetic telling of African-Italian Rudy Guede’s upbringing. Guede – the actual murderer in this case – came from a hardscrabble immigrant family, was given a chance to live with a wealthy Italian family, blew that, and ended up a smalltime break-in artist whose DNA eventually ended up on a dead girl. Burleigh also does a nice job describing the gothic history and decayed present of Perugia, where all the problems of a modern city exist on ancient cobblestoned streets.
Woven throughout this text is a meditation on young womanhood. In this way, The Fatal Gift of Beauty partially plays out like In Cold Blood as written by Susan Faludi (or an episode of Girls written and directed by David Simon). It’s an interesting angle, and certainly relevant; it’s hard to dispute that certain narrow cultural views of women, especially Italy’s Madonna/whore dichotomy, played a large role in shaping the prosecution. (YouTube videos of Knox partying – like every single other college student in history – helped ensure her initial conviction. Meanwhile, the British tabloids always made great hay out of the fact that Knox was – gasp! – sexually active).
While reading these contemplations, it’s easy to think that Burleigh felt some sort of kinship to Amanda Knox, especially as she described Knox’s transformation from soccer-loving tomboy to legitimate beauty, and the impact this had on others and herself. This is a typical female coming-of-age story, with all the awkwardness, fits-and-starts, and constant second-guessing that entails. Unfortunately, Knox’s entrée to young adulthood also meant being sucked into the gravitational pull of a sensationalized murder.
I applaud Burleigh’s attempt to transcend the bounds of straightforward true crime reporting. Ambition is never a bad thing. The attempt for a higher literary plane, however, can lead to a certain amount of confusion. Those unfamiliar with the case will likely have a hard time navigating the chronological fluidity, the narrative reshuffling, and the meandering digressions. And there is also a little matter of the prose, which often veers into purple and silly.
The initial shakiness of parts one and two disappears in the second half of the book. Here, Burleigh follows a more traditional path: investigation, trial, aftermath. She does a nice job explaining and comparing the Italian legal system to our own. It is tempting to think that an American court never would’ve allowed such a shoddy railroading of a suspect…but American courts do it all the time. Nothing happened in Italy that doesn’t occur in Texas criminal courts every day. And at least in Italy, the appellate process allows for a de novo review.
Lost in this story – and in most accounts of the Knox murder trial – is the victim. That’s not Knox’s fault, or even Burleigh’s. When Prosecutor Mignini (who threatened American author Douglas Preston while he was researching his book on the Monster of Florence) decided to build a case upon the basis of his own superstitions and belief in the occult, he’s the one who changed the focus of the story. He created a second and third victim, young adults who had to spend years in prison due to an unethical prosecutor’s fever dreams.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of Knox’s innocence, and the fact that most of the “evidence” against Knox either doesn’t exist or was grossly distorted, The Fatal Gift of Beauty does not attempt any sort of defendant’s brief. Burleigh never set out to prove that Knox had been wrongfully convicted. There is no point-by-point destruction of the prosecution’s flimsy case, their ethical breaches, or their forensic ineptitude.
There are many other places to find that information. Burleigh is more interested in contemplating the unfortunate intersection of a young American woman and an old Italian culture. It makes for a thoughtful look at a case that was anything but.
August 18, 2011
I think I am in the minority with my feelings on this book. I did not love this book. I knew next to nothing about Amanda Knox and the horrible crime that she was found guilty of. Normally when you read a true crime book you learn so much more about the crime and the people involved. I did not find that to be the case with this book. I finished it not knowing anymore than I did when I started it.
The author did a lot of research and the book is filled with information but for me, it seemed like unnecessary information or redundant information. It told a lot about Italian history and Perugian history but it was too much. I would have liked to have had more detail on the crime and on Meredith and Amanda Knox. I came away feeling lost and confused.
I think the author did a good job of trying to show Amanda Knox as innocent and unfairly sentenced. That could be, but I didn't come away from the book feeling one way or the other.
If you are a true crime fan and familiar with the case it is worth reading. For one not so familiar with the case I don't know it this is the book to start with. As usual I say, read it yourself and then decide.
The author did a lot of research and the book is filled with information but for me, it seemed like unnecessary information or redundant information. It told a lot about Italian history and Perugian history but it was too much. I would have liked to have had more detail on the crime and on Meredith and Amanda Knox. I came away feeling lost and confused.
I think the author did a good job of trying to show Amanda Knox as innocent and unfairly sentenced. That could be, but I didn't come away from the book feeling one way or the other.
If you are a true crime fan and familiar with the case it is worth reading. For one not so familiar with the case I don't know it this is the book to start with. As usual I say, read it yourself and then decide.
January 3, 2012
This book is not what I expected. I expected it to be about Amanda and the trial. It is so much more. Yes the book discusses Amanda and some of the things she went through before the trial. Just a few things were said about the actual trial. Most people followed it while it was happening so you probably do not need the play by play of the trial.
This instead is a look at all the players in the case. The Judge,Amanda, Raffelle, Rudy, Meridith, the roommates, the Magistrate who serves as prosecutor and investigator even though he had no formal criminal investigation training. It also looks at the main police members involved. It tells of their backgrounds what kinds of family they came from.
As you read about the players and how the Italian court system works you can see how someone can be railroaded. Any member of the press whose story did not math those of the prosecution can be jailed. Also anyone who speaks out against the police can find themselves with a slander charge.
It was a interesting insight to the courts and how they are run. How others view Perguia and what it is really seen as. The books makes it out to be kind of a seedy place. Not necessarily unsafe but a lot of drugs and prostitution. I think the author said it best when she said The Italian court system is not wrong it is just different. Anyone facing a court system that they do not know the customs of would not know what to expect or how to behave appropriately. No matter what you feelings on Amanda's guilt or innocence this is an interesting read. You get the sense that the author believes she is innocent but yet she never comes out and directly says it, so you can make your own decision based on the players and how the case was handled.
This instead is a look at all the players in the case. The Judge,Amanda, Raffelle, Rudy, Meridith, the roommates, the Magistrate who serves as prosecutor and investigator even though he had no formal criminal investigation training. It also looks at the main police members involved. It tells of their backgrounds what kinds of family they came from.
As you read about the players and how the Italian court system works you can see how someone can be railroaded. Any member of the press whose story did not math those of the prosecution can be jailed. Also anyone who speaks out against the police can find themselves with a slander charge.
It was a interesting insight to the courts and how they are run. How others view Perguia and what it is really seen as. The books makes it out to be kind of a seedy place. Not necessarily unsafe but a lot of drugs and prostitution. I think the author said it best when she said The Italian court system is not wrong it is just different. Anyone facing a court system that they do not know the customs of would not know what to expect or how to behave appropriately. No matter what you feelings on Amanda's guilt or innocence this is an interesting read. You get the sense that the author believes she is innocent but yet she never comes out and directly says it, so you can make your own decision based on the players and how the case was handled.
January 18, 2012
This book should have been about 125 pages instead of over 300! I'm not happy with the detailed backround history of every policeman, judge, witnesses etc. as well as the total history of Italy. The timeline and revealing of the actual murder doesnt even happen until page 175 but I was already invested that far so I had to keep going.
The difference in handling legal matters in the US compared to Italy is appaling at best. The fact that they originally convicted Amanda purely on heresay, and the fact that for some reason she had been painted as a "sex goddess" was mind blowing. Considering the intense pressure by the authorities, the physical abuse (hitting Amanda several times in the head) and the lies they created it's amazing that she didnt go completely crazy. They became totally obsessed with her and disregarded true evidence (DNA) pointing to someone else committing the murder; but that person was a citizen of Italy and they couldnt bare to have that type of scandal in the media. They thought it was better to pay any person involved in the media to tell the side of the story that they deemed appropriate and less offensive to theiry Country.
It's awesome that Amanda did get a second chance and I hope this hasnt ruined her spirit and life.
The difference in handling legal matters in the US compared to Italy is appaling at best. The fact that they originally convicted Amanda purely on heresay, and the fact that for some reason she had been painted as a "sex goddess" was mind blowing. Considering the intense pressure by the authorities, the physical abuse (hitting Amanda several times in the head) and the lies they created it's amazing that she didnt go completely crazy. They became totally obsessed with her and disregarded true evidence (DNA) pointing to someone else committing the murder; but that person was a citizen of Italy and they couldnt bare to have that type of scandal in the media. They thought it was better to pay any person involved in the media to tell the side of the story that they deemed appropriate and less offensive to theiry Country.
It's awesome that Amanda did get a second chance and I hope this hasnt ruined her spirit and life.
April 9, 2013
A compelling, riveting read.
Burleigh took her time to research and explain the cultural / historical context that both Meredith Kercher and Amanda Knox came to meet during their study abroad experiences; which was incredibly helpful in terms of understanding how sexuality, college life, grief, etc could be (mis)construed by the different nationalities involved. It was chilling to imagine the dark side of getting "lost in translation", and, ultimately terribly sad to accept that what actually happened in the horrible moments Meredith was murdered remains a mystery.
Burleigh does not share whether she thinks Knox is guilty or not; and after reading it, I didn't come away with a strong opinion about Knox's guilt or innocence. The book does point out so many loose ends the police didn't properly investigate.
Unfortunately, the high profile nature of the case seems to have made the powers that handled the investigation defensive, rather than willing to accept that they could have done -- and still can do -- some things better to ascertain guilt or innocence beyond the shadow of a doubt. But the thing is, "the shadow of a doubt" standard rules American jury trials, not Italian ones.
Bottom line, the cultural differences that seem quaint and charming when you're on holiday, can be the exact opposite should you get caught on the wrong side of the law in another country. I definitely recommend.
Burleigh took her time to research and explain the cultural / historical context that both Meredith Kercher and Amanda Knox came to meet during their study abroad experiences; which was incredibly helpful in terms of understanding how sexuality, college life, grief, etc could be (mis)construed by the different nationalities involved. It was chilling to imagine the dark side of getting "lost in translation", and, ultimately terribly sad to accept that what actually happened in the horrible moments Meredith was murdered remains a mystery.
Burleigh does not share whether she thinks Knox is guilty or not; and after reading it, I didn't come away with a strong opinion about Knox's guilt or innocence. The book does point out so many loose ends the police didn't properly investigate.
Unfortunately, the high profile nature of the case seems to have made the powers that handled the investigation defensive, rather than willing to accept that they could have done -- and still can do -- some things better to ascertain guilt or innocence beyond the shadow of a doubt. But the thing is, "the shadow of a doubt" standard rules American jury trials, not Italian ones.
Bottom line, the cultural differences that seem quaint and charming when you're on holiday, can be the exact opposite should you get caught on the wrong side of the law in another country. I definitely recommend.
October 5, 2011
It's total coincidence that I read this as the Amanda Knox appeal was being decided, but it was a neat tie-in. Obviously, people are falsely accused of crimes every day, only a small minority of whom are pretty white college girls, but the Knox case is still wholly terrifying - this idea that people have just decided that you committed a crime despite the lack of any real evidence to the contrary.
Burleigh overstates her case somewhat - there's probably about 10% too much talk about how much Amanda loved smiles - but it's still a totally compelling book. Also, props for presenting Amanda as a complex character - she is not guilty of murder (there's zero physical evidence suggesting she was in the apartment when it happened and the official theory of a sex game gone wrong made zero sense), but she is probably kind of an asshole, a fact a lesser writer would have glossed over.
Burleigh overstates her case somewhat - there's probably about 10% too much talk about how much Amanda loved smiles - but it's still a totally compelling book. Also, props for presenting Amanda as a complex character - she is not guilty of murder (there's zero physical evidence suggesting she was in the apartment when it happened and the official theory of a sex game gone wrong made zero sense), but she is probably kind of an asshole, a fact a lesser writer would have glossed over.
November 20, 2015
I loved the detail, the inmersion in the case, the depiction of the involved. Very well researched, and proves Amanda is innocent.
October 23, 2012
This book should be read as a cautionary lesson to all parents and their young adult children who are about to venture abroad by themselves, either for pleasure, work, or schooling. No matter how savvy, mature and worldly they may seem, one needs to be aware of each visiting countries cultural sensitives, laws and ideologies. Perhaps if Amanda Knox had been more aware, things may not have escalated as they did, mostly without her even knowing it.
It seems that the Italian prosecutors and judges had blinders on when it came to Amanda who they feel beguiled her two alleged male accomplices and orchestrated the tragic rape and murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, who herself was in Italy going to school far from her home in the U.K. Nina Burleigh walks us through from the beginning when Amanda leaves her Seattle home to go to school in Italy to her release after being incarcerated for four years in Italy and returning to the U.S. and how she, to this day, is thought of by the Americans, Italians, and the Brits.
I think we are terribly naive to believe that all laws and outcomes will compare with those in which you live and that by simply being innocent will set you free, especially when you are young without many life lessons under you belt. We need to be aware when we venture outside our borders and this book gives us an example of the tragic consequences when we're not.
It seems that the Italian prosecutors and judges had blinders on when it came to Amanda who they feel beguiled her two alleged male accomplices and orchestrated the tragic rape and murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, who herself was in Italy going to school far from her home in the U.K. Nina Burleigh walks us through from the beginning when Amanda leaves her Seattle home to go to school in Italy to her release after being incarcerated for four years in Italy and returning to the U.S. and how she, to this day, is thought of by the Americans, Italians, and the Brits.
I think we are terribly naive to believe that all laws and outcomes will compare with those in which you live and that by simply being innocent will set you free, especially when you are young without many life lessons under you belt. We need to be aware when we venture outside our borders and this book gives us an example of the tragic consequences when we're not.
March 24, 2012
I had high hopes for this book, which sadly didn't materialize. Although I enjoyed the writing, and I am generally in favour of indepth character studies and background information, I have to agree with other reviewers on here, there is such a thing as too much information, especially when it leaves you not really knowing all that much in the end. One gets to know Amanda Knox, at least on some level, but who was Meredith? What was their relationship like? There are allusions to quarrels between them, but we never find out what they were about, or if in fact they did not like each other. The one thing I can agree on with the author, is that Ms. Knox was most likely wrongfully convicted based on the evidence that exists.
June 7, 2016
This book is not a flimsy true crime book, the kind that relies on rumor and previously published work. Burleigh did some serious research--historical, social, personal, forensic, and geographic. She provides immense background on all the major players and places, while also keeping a compelling narrative pace. This reads like a novel whose ending I unfortunately already know.
Amanda, Raffaele, Meredith, Rudy, and Mignini are all fully formed, cast as real people with real motives and life stories, not one-note characters who act for seemingly no understandable reason. There is remarkable depth provided on each, and readers are left with a keen awareness of, for instance, why Amanda might have been doing cartwheels outside an interrogation room, or why Mignini was convinced of a conspiracy.
The author manages to show how things were taken out of context, distorted, mis-reported, left out, kept secret, ignored, or wrongfully focused on, without ever editorializing or casting aspersions (well deserved aspersions, in my opinion) on investigators. Though this is a book with Amanda's face on the cover and name in the subtitle, I would argue instead that this is the definitive book on the entire case, and all of its parts and players. If you have any interest in this case, this is a must read.
In the case of this trial, to accurately and impartially report the facts is, in my opinion, to show the startling lack of evidence against Amanda and Raffaele. For this reason, it is subtly clear, but clear all the same, that the author believes Amanda should not have been found guilty. At the very end, when she summarizes the two sides of the case, she all but states that there is no real evidence against them. This does not make this book flawed, as many one-sided books are. She demonstrates her complete and full knowledge of the case, the laws, and the facts and assumes nothing. She does not say Amanda is innocent, nor does she dismiss the few things that do seem amiss with Amanda's side of the story. I am grateful the author went to such effort to understand all sides, but again, in this case, a full understanding of the facts seems to indicate a full understanding of the "rail road job from hell."
Amanda, Raffaele, Meredith, Rudy, and Mignini are all fully formed, cast as real people with real motives and life stories, not one-note characters who act for seemingly no understandable reason. There is remarkable depth provided on each, and readers are left with a keen awareness of, for instance, why Amanda might have been doing cartwheels outside an interrogation room, or why Mignini was convinced of a conspiracy.
The author manages to show how things were taken out of context, distorted, mis-reported, left out, kept secret, ignored, or wrongfully focused on, without ever editorializing or casting aspersions (well deserved aspersions, in my opinion) on investigators. Though this is a book with Amanda's face on the cover and name in the subtitle, I would argue instead that this is the definitive book on the entire case, and all of its parts and players. If you have any interest in this case, this is a must read.
In the case of this trial, to accurately and impartially report the facts is, in my opinion, to show the startling lack of evidence against Amanda and Raffaele. For this reason, it is subtly clear, but clear all the same, that the author believes Amanda should not have been found guilty. At the very end, when she summarizes the two sides of the case, she all but states that there is no real evidence against them. This does not make this book flawed, as many one-sided books are. She demonstrates her complete and full knowledge of the case, the laws, and the facts and assumes nothing. She does not say Amanda is innocent, nor does she dismiss the few things that do seem amiss with Amanda's side of the story. I am grateful the author went to such effort to understand all sides, but again, in this case, a full understanding of the facts seems to indicate a full understanding of the "rail road job from hell."
September 3, 2016
I admit it. Until I read this book, I thought this girl was guilty. For one reason, Italy was set against her and she was arraigned again (and found guilty again) even though her appeal overturned the first ruling. This is about being in the wrong place at the wrong time--namely Italy during a murder case. It is well written, thoroughly researched, and sets the tone of what Amanda Knox is really like--an awkward college girl with social mishaps mixed with too much dope. At times I felt the author was showing off some of the depths she dug to give us the story (the ending where she compares Amanda to the two Mary's of Perugia was a little far fetched and lost me) but I thought it was a good perspective of the facts. Amanda was unjustly accused and found guilty of a crime she obviously didn't commit. Regardless of whether you think she did, there never was enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. However Italy used Inquisition tactics to persuade a boggled jury, including police brutality, prejudice, and a computer-generated video of the avatar Amanda stabbing avatar Meredith repeatedly.
August 1, 2012
I am tempted to blame myself for not being a careful enough reader to really get a lot out of this book. I was on vacation, and didn't feel like taking notes. Maybe I need for things to be stated a little more directly-- was Amanda Knox involved in the murder of her housemate? After reading the book, I have no idea. Seems like Burleigh goes round and round saying this bit of evidence was fabricated and that bit was just plain wrong. . . but why did Knox lie repeatedly about the events of the evening and why don't we hear more from the person Burleigh suggests actually wielded the knife? On the other hand, Burleigh does a good job of spelling out how Italian culture shaped the public perception of Amanda and the entire murder.
February 12, 2014
Feel free to mock me for spending time reading this. It's just that this cutie has been re-convicted (last week??) and i had no clue what the conviction was about. The book? scattered, full of extraneous crap - really in need of a good editor. Wish there was a 1.5 star option, but one star is reserved for those i couldn't finish, and i read this... (forgive me, Mother).
Read
April 19, 2023Read our complete interview with Burleigh at http://mag.uchicago.edu
Read
June 1, 2025Comments after book club on Monday!
March 26, 2017
Absolutely fascinating book about the true story of Amanda Knox, an American girl studying in Italy who was falsely accused of murder and spent nearly four years in an Italian prison.
Nina Burleigh does an amazing job capturing the Italian setting, the combination of ancient culture, modern crime, violence, and corruption in the town of Perugia. She's not so successful writing about the young college students, however. There's an awful lot of finger-wagging and tut-tut-tutting and some almost comical cheap shots at Amanda's family. (How dare they not learn Italian? How dare they not eat Italian food? Damn those ugly Americans!)
Burleigh is obviously a journalist who's lived in Italy and covered the European beat for years. That's an advantage, of course, but it's not so helpful when her personal silliness and snobbery creep into the narrative. She keeps saying things like, "naturally, Amanda envied Meredith. How would a crass, vulgar, obnoxious American girl who ate with her fingers and picked her nose ever compete with a quiet, sophisticated European girl who comported herself like an adult? Meredith really knew her way around a bidet, while Amanda was barely potty-trained." Right, Nina. Meow! I mean, Ciao!
I kid you not, much of the author's "insight" is on this level.
The biggest disappointment is that the book ends with Amanda in prison. It seems to me the most dramatic twists came afterwards. How did she get released? How did she act when she got sprung? What did she learn from her experiences? What is she like today?
A very good book, but frustrating if you really wanted to know about Amanda Knox, and not hear a lecture from an ever so classy lady journalist about the appalling ignorance of young people, and Americans, and the human race as a whole.
Nina Burleigh does an amazing job capturing the Italian setting, the combination of ancient culture, modern crime, violence, and corruption in the town of Perugia. She's not so successful writing about the young college students, however. There's an awful lot of finger-wagging and tut-tut-tutting and some almost comical cheap shots at Amanda's family. (How dare they not learn Italian? How dare they not eat Italian food? Damn those ugly Americans!)
Burleigh is obviously a journalist who's lived in Italy and covered the European beat for years. That's an advantage, of course, but it's not so helpful when her personal silliness and snobbery creep into the narrative. She keeps saying things like, "naturally, Amanda envied Meredith. How would a crass, vulgar, obnoxious American girl who ate with her fingers and picked her nose ever compete with a quiet, sophisticated European girl who comported herself like an adult? Meredith really knew her way around a bidet, while Amanda was barely potty-trained." Right, Nina. Meow! I mean, Ciao!
I kid you not, much of the author's "insight" is on this level.
The biggest disappointment is that the book ends with Amanda in prison. It seems to me the most dramatic twists came afterwards. How did she get released? How did she act when she got sprung? What did she learn from her experiences? What is she like today?
A very good book, but frustrating if you really wanted to know about Amanda Knox, and not hear a lecture from an ever so classy lady journalist about the appalling ignorance of young people, and Americans, and the human race as a whole.
November 23, 2011
Nina's book is more about what JUSTICE is and isn't than an in depth look at those who were involved or trapped in the events - having said that I feel Nina did a superb job in presenting the personhood of Amanda - more to the point how Amanda's individuality sunk her ever deeper into the prejudices of the Italian justice system - and no, I don't believe for even one moment that our own fractured partisan judicial system is one whit better - this book strikes a more universal tone - Umbria serves as an example of how so many cases are more prejudged than judged. I've read a relatively small number of true crime books; Helter Skelter, In Cold Blood, The Executioner's Song, The Only Living Witness, Wisconsin's own Edward Gein: America's Most Bizarre Murderer, The Suspicion's of Mr. Whicher - all were fascinating as only tales of grisly murders can be - this book took a different angle - it covers how the innocent are made guilty. (That Amanda was called Bambi by her guards recalls Wisconsin's own judicial travesty - that being the lynching of Lawrencia Bembenek - nicknamed Bambi). My only objection is the resurrection of that old canard "the DRUGS!" - Beating that dead horse of Reefer Madness - people people - ALCOHOL is the number one drug that can translate a Dr. Jekyll into a maniacal Mr. Hyde. Long ago folks believed that the air was filled with daemons - I'm more of a mind that all those daemons walk about in the bodies of ignorant/evil humans. (In defense of Nina - my hang-up on blaming marijuana for crime would need another book - hardly Nina's focus in FGOB -I believe that somewhere within the pages it was briefly stated that getting high on THC wasn't the ticket to aggressive behavior)
October 3, 2011
I am a great fan of non-fiction true crime thus I was eager to read this since the accused Amanda Knox is currently in the news as her case is being reviewed by the Italian courts. Knox is a Seattle native, a junior at Univ of Wash who decides to take her junior year in Florence. She is barely settled in the town of Perugia with three female roomates in an old stone cottage, enrolls in the University for Foreigners and quickly gets caught up in the night life. Within weeks she has a boyfriend and within 6 days they are both accused of brutually murdering one of her rommates, a young English girl. The author is a journalist who exams every aspect of this case against the beautiful American, takes us through the trial but unfortunately leaves the reader with more questions than answers.At the center of this case is the Italian justice system and the childlike beauty of the American girl who many feel is her downfall. She is currently serving a 26 year sentence for murder. At the end of Sept the Italian panel will rule on the DNA used in this case.
October 3, 2011: An appeals court in Perugia finds Amanda Knox NOT GUILTY of all charges and she is free to leave Italy for home. The coverage was carried live on all channels.
Her then boyfriend, Raffaelo, is also cleared of all charges. One
man, is in prison for her murder, a drifter they all knew and whose DNA was found at the murder site. He is serving 16 years.......
October 3, 2011: An appeals court in Perugia finds Amanda Knox NOT GUILTY of all charges and she is free to leave Italy for home. The coverage was carried live on all channels.
Her then boyfriend, Raffaelo, is also cleared of all charges. One
man, is in prison for her murder, a drifter they all knew and whose DNA was found at the murder site. He is serving 16 years.......
January 17, 2016
While overall it was a pretty good book, The Fatal Gift of Beauty was not my idea of a great true crime story. I like the story to start at the beginning. Talk about the victims, the accused find out where they came from what makes them tick. Then the crime itself, the investigation, the detectives, lawyers and investigators involved and the evidence, then the trial, then the aftermath. The appeals, what happened to those involved along the way. This book bounces around a lot and doesn't seem to follow any order. One minute they were giving closing arguments and the next without any warning the verdict was over and they were in jail. So much of the story was bogged down with tales of satanic cults, ancient witches that I found myself skimming pages. While you certainly got to know Amanda and her family, a little about Raffaele and his family, and plenty about Rudy Guede, once again the victim is left almost out of the picture. I learned more about prosecutor Mignini and the various other lawyers and police than I did about Meredith Kercher. This book had potential. It was easy to read, and maybe others will like the style it's written in but as for me I have to say the style is not for me. Cudos to Nina Burleigh for all the research and effort she put into writing this story, maybe next time she'll follow a more chronological style.
April 1, 2012
I will review this more when I o to my own blog but this is one of the very books, that A) I skipped through some of and B) I gave up on. First, I skipped parts because if I wanted to read a book on the COMPLETE history of the town, or the formation of the Freemasons or any other of the many side roads this author took I would get a book ON that subject. Ultimately I stopped reading when I came to the realization that not only is it nearly impossible to find accurate information about this case as EVERY SINGLE article or book I have read has been slated and stated things that were not true. I simply cannot believe anything I hear from anyone on this case and did not finish as I do not want to hear and believe information that later will be found false.
July 11, 2012
The big problem with this book is that it was so convoluted - full of multiple page biographies and career breakdowns of every officer on the case, which I found completely unnecessary. Just a lot of fluff that wasn't interesting to read and did nothing to advance the story. A bit baffling considering the rest of the writing was quite good. Oh well.
June 10, 2018
Very descriptive about everything .... Very dragged out I had a hard time finishing the book even though I am very interested in the case. Gave way too much history on everything and everyone. At times I felt as if I was reading a tourist book on Italy. The only thing that made this book interesting was the fact that the case was interesting!
April 27, 2016
After reading Amanda's book I really wanted to read something else and particularly with an outside perspective.
The author is on Amanda's side but I thought she presented the case fairly.
This was a good read to get further insight into this tragedy and also a little history of Perugia.
The author is on Amanda's side but I thought she presented the case fairly.
This was a good read to get further insight into this tragedy and also a little history of Perugia.
October 23, 2016
This book reminded me of what a crazy situation this was. I still don't know what side in in, even after reading this expertly written book!
Received from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion
Received from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion
February 21, 2014
from kalireads.com:
Falling into the rabbit hole of media spectacle swirled with true crime drama that creates the Amanda Knox story is easy. Like Dorothy being swept up from Kansas and crashing down into Oz, Knox seems caught in a perfect storm of good looks and incomprehensible behavior that, when thrown to overzealous and conspiracy-seeking police and press, can be just as inescapable as any fairy tale.
I read Knox’s own memoir, Waiting to Be Heard, shortly after it was released in April of last year. Like so many others fascinated by the case, I was eager to hear Knox’s own recounting of events. When Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of Meredith Kercher’s murder for the second time at the end of January, I researched other books on the whole debacle and decided on Nina Burleigh’s The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox.
Burleigh’s book interested me, amongst all the others, as it addressed the petri dish which grew the police and media attention on Knox. I knew there was a man convicted of Kercher’s murder that no one seemed interested in. I knew Knox’s sexuality brought up as a piece of evidence used to indicate her guilt. I saw the list of sexist, appearance-based names Knox was called by the press.
Burleigh spends much time exploring the circumstances in which this perfect storm was created. She explains Perugia in detail: as an ancient city, “creative people who find themselves there today complain that the city retains a feudal mind-set that resists creativity and change.” In recent years Perugia has become a pit stop on organized crime trading routes, where prostitutes are trained before being moved along to larger cities. The headlines scream of crimes contradicting the laid-back and party-fueled college town atmosphere. The city’s beauty, Burleigh says, can be deceiving.
The Fatal Gift of Beauty also introduces another concept I wasn’t aware of, the idea of “cronaca nera” or a black chronicle. Burleigh explains that while murder is common in Italy, “a cronaca nera possesses an element of the macabre, diabolical, or obscene that journalists instantly recognize.” Of course it isn’t just Italians that are intrigued by this type of crime. Media in America pander to the white, beautiful girl.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Kercher murder media coverage, the buzz and chatter surrounding the beautiful white Amanda Knox, is the lack of equal coverage of Rudy Guede. Whenever the case comes up in discussion with those around me, I find myself explaining the basic facts to someone who is unaware a man is in prison for the murder of Meredith Kercher. I think (hope) this has changed now as more articles are released, and more people read Knox’s own memoir. Rudy Guede, for those who don’t know, was without a doubt involved in the crime. Physical evidence concludes that. His handprint was on a pillow under Kercher’s body, his DNA was on Kercher’s purse and in her body, and his bloody footprints (police originally claimed these were Sollecito’s) stepped through the crime scene.
Katie Crouch, who is writing a novel based on the events of Kercher’s murder, said in a Salon article, “It is strange, actually, that Knox has the starring role in this drama, as Rudy Guede had the most interesting life of them all.” I certainly agree. Why does the media insist on discussing the fairly unremarkable Knox, when a fascinating (black, male) character much more deserving of attention is kept at the sidelines.
Guede was born on the Ivory Coast, in Africa, to a polygamous, Christian father. Roger Guede was a bright guy with hopes of attaining a degree in mathematics, forced to give up his dream and work as a mason once he and his son immigrated to Italy. Rudy Guede was neglected from a young age, and his teacher, in The Fatal Gift of Beauty, remembers Rudy wandering the streets as a child. Teachers and neighbors would come together to feed Guede dinner. As a teenager, Guede was brought into a wealthy family, only to be kicked out of the family as his behavior became more erratic. He continued his wandering into adulthood, begging to sleep at friends’ homes or sleepwalking into stranger’s homes or businesses, eating their food and using their bathrooms. Despite all the evidence linking him to the scene and the somewhat bizarre aspect of his sleepwalking (what if this was a sleep-murder?), it is Knox the press wants.
People built myths around feminine beauty before they learned the written word. Helen and her beauty are at the center of the fall of Troy in The Iliad. Making appearance the focal point of any story, however, is like trying to summarize what is written in a book by glancing at its cover. We know very little of Helen’s actual character, other than the uproar raised by the men surrounding her. Helen of Troy is a contradictory figure in many ancient accounts, maybe sad and lonely, maybe nefarious and mocking men in the Trojan horse. All we know for sure is that she had a pretty face.
Knox, like Helen, was little in the press (definitely at first, now she is able to speak for herself) but her appearance, her supposed sexual activities, her inappropriate kisses and yoga poses. Knox behaved inappropriately, failing to properly emote over the death of her roommate and causing some serious cultural misunderstanding. Burleigh explains:
Italian police and press vilified Knox for her odd behaviors and lack of proper emotional display after the death of Kercher, her roommate. I sympathize with this, as I know so many young women who smile when they are nervous or fear they might cry. In uncomfortable situations, I tend to laugh.
In The Fatal Gift of Beauty, Knox describes herself as someone who loves to smile at strangers on the bus, trying to make them smile back at her. This can seem charming, but it also possibly could be some sort of nervous affectation. So much of the trouble Knox got in with the police stemmed from trying to anticipate the needs of those around her, with a dangerously naive lack of understanding of what was truly at risk. While her Italian roommate’s lawyer was at their home almost immediately after the murder, Knox didn’t think to imitate this behavior. Certainly, a girl who wants nothing more than to see those around her smile is at the most risk for giving a false confession when placed in a room with police officers who want nothing more than an admittance of some sort.
Burleigh, most alarmingly, spent time detailing the history of Giuliano Mignini, Perugia’s town magistrate. A man admittedly obsessed with conspiracy theories, he told Burleigh, ““Why do they call it a conspiracy theory?” he asked. “What does ‘conspiracy theory’ mean? How can you call a conspiracy theory the fact that more than one person did a crime together? Why are they called conspiracy theories? Caesar was killed by twenty senators, is that a conspiracy theory? It’s normal that people work together.” A man who cites the epic conspiracy of Caesar’s men to assassinate him as an example of normal human behavior should be cause for concern right away. At one time working closely with a psychic, Mignini developed a theory for a string of unsolved murders involving masons and satanic rites. Investigating this theory eventually led him to an abuse of office charge in 2010. This was the man investigating Kercher’s murder–a man not interested in looking at facts, but seeking to connect dots. He was interested in Knox’s behavior of hitting her head when trying to think during interrogation, because masons hit their foreheads in their rites.
The spectacle surrounding Knox has caused the police to lose sight of justice and, in their struggle to capture Knox, let the real killer practically go free. Guede is now able to leave prison to study. Guede, who has changed his story regarding the whereabouts of Knox and Sollecito during the crime multiple times, seems to be benefitting most from the police interest in Knox and Sollecito. Originally sentenced to thirty years, his sentence has now been reduced to sixteen years; this sentence is less than both Knox and Sollecito received at their most recent retrial. This is despite the fact that Guede is the only one involved with physical evidence linking him to the scene.
Falling into the rabbit hole of media spectacle swirled with true crime drama that creates the Amanda Knox story is easy. Like Dorothy being swept up from Kansas and crashing down into Oz, Knox seems caught in a perfect storm of good looks and incomprehensible behavior that, when thrown to overzealous and conspiracy-seeking police and press, can be just as inescapable as any fairy tale.
I read Knox’s own memoir, Waiting to Be Heard, shortly after it was released in April of last year. Like so many others fascinated by the case, I was eager to hear Knox’s own recounting of events. When Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of Meredith Kercher’s murder for the second time at the end of January, I researched other books on the whole debacle and decided on Nina Burleigh’s The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox.
Burleigh’s book interested me, amongst all the others, as it addressed the petri dish which grew the police and media attention on Knox. I knew there was a man convicted of Kercher’s murder that no one seemed interested in. I knew Knox’s sexuality brought up as a piece of evidence used to indicate her guilt. I saw the list of sexist, appearance-based names Knox was called by the press.
Burleigh spends much time exploring the circumstances in which this perfect storm was created. She explains Perugia in detail: as an ancient city, “creative people who find themselves there today complain that the city retains a feudal mind-set that resists creativity and change.” In recent years Perugia has become a pit stop on organized crime trading routes, where prostitutes are trained before being moved along to larger cities. The headlines scream of crimes contradicting the laid-back and party-fueled college town atmosphere. The city’s beauty, Burleigh says, can be deceiving.
The Fatal Gift of Beauty also introduces another concept I wasn’t aware of, the idea of “cronaca nera” or a black chronicle. Burleigh explains that while murder is common in Italy, “a cronaca nera possesses an element of the macabre, diabolical, or obscene that journalists instantly recognize.” Of course it isn’t just Italians that are intrigued by this type of crime. Media in America pander to the white, beautiful girl.
"Our first lesson should be to acknowledge and try to understand why we are so much more interested— obsessed even— with the occasional allegedly evil female and so bored with the much more common, and therefore more lethal, sexually aggressive, domestically violent male. When was the last time we saw a garden-variety wife- or girlfriend-beater or violent rapist perp-walked through one news cycle, let alone hundreds?" -Nina Burleigh, The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Kercher murder media coverage, the buzz and chatter surrounding the beautiful white Amanda Knox, is the lack of equal coverage of Rudy Guede. Whenever the case comes up in discussion with those around me, I find myself explaining the basic facts to someone who is unaware a man is in prison for the murder of Meredith Kercher. I think (hope) this has changed now as more articles are released, and more people read Knox’s own memoir. Rudy Guede, for those who don’t know, was without a doubt involved in the crime. Physical evidence concludes that. His handprint was on a pillow under Kercher’s body, his DNA was on Kercher’s purse and in her body, and his bloody footprints (police originally claimed these were Sollecito’s) stepped through the crime scene.
Katie Crouch, who is writing a novel based on the events of Kercher’s murder, said in a Salon article, “It is strange, actually, that Knox has the starring role in this drama, as Rudy Guede had the most interesting life of them all.” I certainly agree. Why does the media insist on discussing the fairly unremarkable Knox, when a fascinating (black, male) character much more deserving of attention is kept at the sidelines.
Guede was born on the Ivory Coast, in Africa, to a polygamous, Christian father. Roger Guede was a bright guy with hopes of attaining a degree in mathematics, forced to give up his dream and work as a mason once he and his son immigrated to Italy. Rudy Guede was neglected from a young age, and his teacher, in The Fatal Gift of Beauty, remembers Rudy wandering the streets as a child. Teachers and neighbors would come together to feed Guede dinner. As a teenager, Guede was brought into a wealthy family, only to be kicked out of the family as his behavior became more erratic. He continued his wandering into adulthood, begging to sleep at friends’ homes or sleepwalking into stranger’s homes or businesses, eating their food and using their bathrooms. Despite all the evidence linking him to the scene and the somewhat bizarre aspect of his sleepwalking (what if this was a sleep-murder?), it is Knox the press wants.
People built myths around feminine beauty before they learned the written word. Helen and her beauty are at the center of the fall of Troy in The Iliad. Making appearance the focal point of any story, however, is like trying to summarize what is written in a book by glancing at its cover. We know very little of Helen’s actual character, other than the uproar raised by the men surrounding her. Helen of Troy is a contradictory figure in many ancient accounts, maybe sad and lonely, maybe nefarious and mocking men in the Trojan horse. All we know for sure is that she had a pretty face.
Knox, like Helen, was little in the press (definitely at first, now she is able to speak for herself) but her appearance, her supposed sexual activities, her inappropriate kisses and yoga poses. Knox behaved inappropriately, failing to properly emote over the death of her roommate and causing some serious cultural misunderstanding. Burleigh explains:
"Americans traveling abroad must learn and respect other national norms and points of view. . . . Neither Knox’s parents nor she had the foggiest idea that her athleticism, sexuality, extroversion, naiveté, stoicism in the face of tragedy, and lack of gravitas would doom her in the eyes of Italians, whose young women are not athletic, who grieve openly, and who comport themselves with great formality— who dress and speak and act within a code of conduct that is far different from what passes for the same in Seattle or, for that matter, most American cities."-Nina Burleigh, The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox
Italian police and press vilified Knox for her odd behaviors and lack of proper emotional display after the death of Kercher, her roommate. I sympathize with this, as I know so many young women who smile when they are nervous or fear they might cry. In uncomfortable situations, I tend to laugh.
In The Fatal Gift of Beauty, Knox describes herself as someone who loves to smile at strangers on the bus, trying to make them smile back at her. This can seem charming, but it also possibly could be some sort of nervous affectation. So much of the trouble Knox got in with the police stemmed from trying to anticipate the needs of those around her, with a dangerously naive lack of understanding of what was truly at risk. While her Italian roommate’s lawyer was at their home almost immediately after the murder, Knox didn’t think to imitate this behavior. Certainly, a girl who wants nothing more than to see those around her smile is at the most risk for giving a false confession when placed in a room with police officers who want nothing more than an admittance of some sort.
"The most important lesson to take away from the case is that all authorities in any country where the rule of law is paramount, all police and prosecutors, should remember that it is far, far better to admit error and pursue due diligence in investigations than to force facts to fit theories that defy logic and, ultimately, derail justice."-Nina Burleigh, The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox
Burleigh, most alarmingly, spent time detailing the history of Giuliano Mignini, Perugia’s town magistrate. A man admittedly obsessed with conspiracy theories, he told Burleigh, ““Why do they call it a conspiracy theory?” he asked. “What does ‘conspiracy theory’ mean? How can you call a conspiracy theory the fact that more than one person did a crime together? Why are they called conspiracy theories? Caesar was killed by twenty senators, is that a conspiracy theory? It’s normal that people work together.” A man who cites the epic conspiracy of Caesar’s men to assassinate him as an example of normal human behavior should be cause for concern right away. At one time working closely with a psychic, Mignini developed a theory for a string of unsolved murders involving masons and satanic rites. Investigating this theory eventually led him to an abuse of office charge in 2010. This was the man investigating Kercher’s murder–a man not interested in looking at facts, but seeking to connect dots. He was interested in Knox’s behavior of hitting her head when trying to think during interrogation, because masons hit their foreheads in their rites.
The spectacle surrounding Knox has caused the police to lose sight of justice and, in their struggle to capture Knox, let the real killer practically go free. Guede is now able to leave prison to study. Guede, who has changed his story regarding the whereabouts of Knox and Sollecito during the crime multiple times, seems to be benefitting most from the police interest in Knox and Sollecito. Originally sentenced to thirty years, his sentence has now been reduced to sixteen years; this sentence is less than both Knox and Sollecito received at their most recent retrial. This is despite the fact that Guede is the only one involved with physical evidence linking him to the scene.
July 5, 2018
Like most Americans, I had heard of Amanda Knox, and knew that she was somehow involved in a murder in Italy, but I didn't know all the details and so I have just finished reading this book about her case. Amanda was a university student from Washington state when she decided to spend some time in Italy. She lived in a house with three other women and there was a lot of drug use and some drinking and came home one day to find one of her roommates dead of a knife wound. Eventually Amanda and two other men were charged with the murder and this book covers all of that.
The author writes about Amanda as a convicted woman, doomed to spend twenty years or so in prison, but just as this book was going to press, Amanda's case was brought up on appeal and she was ordered to be released. It would have been nice to have this book include the parts about the appeal. That was my first complaint. My second would have to be the incessant going-on ad nauseam about various backstory things that I'm not even certain a reader needs to know..... like the boyhood of the prosecuting attorney. Something that I did like was the attention given to the trial because Italian courts are nothing like American courts. That was pretty informative.
Lots of references to sex, drinking, and drug use and occasional potty language.
The author writes about Amanda as a convicted woman, doomed to spend twenty years or so in prison, but just as this book was going to press, Amanda's case was brought up on appeal and she was ordered to be released. It would have been nice to have this book include the parts about the appeal. That was my first complaint. My second would have to be the incessant going-on ad nauseam about various backstory things that I'm not even certain a reader needs to know..... like the boyhood of the prosecuting attorney. Something that I did like was the attention given to the trial because Italian courts are nothing like American courts. That was pretty informative.
Lots of references to sex, drinking, and drug use and occasional potty language.
August 19, 2025
Burleigh is a strong and thoughtful writer but there’s not enough “meat” on this case to justify a whole book. The best section was the last 10 or so pages where Burleigh offered her opinions on what happened, connecting the convictions to the societal issues that exist in Italy + contrasting that to the American legal system. I strongly appreciate how she acknowledged the racism in Italian society, as well as the compassion she extended to Amanda, Raffaele, and especially Rudy (though it was clear she—and probably most people in hindsight—believe he was the real perpetrator).
The real story here is the total mishandling of the case by the Italian police and legal system. There’s (sadly!) very few definitive “facts” about the murder that transpired and thus, to me, it felt meaningless to read all about the court proceedings and investigation.
I just want to say that of course I do feel so deeply for Meredith Kercher and her family, and believe it’s incredibly sad that the authorities seemed more bent on convicting (mainly) Amanda Knox than delivering justice. It’s terrible to think about how her brutal murder was so sensationalized, yet the actual victim seemed to have by and large been forgotten.
The real story here is the total mishandling of the case by the Italian police and legal system. There’s (sadly!) very few definitive “facts” about the murder that transpired and thus, to me, it felt meaningless to read all about the court proceedings and investigation.
I just want to say that of course I do feel so deeply for Meredith Kercher and her family, and believe it’s incredibly sad that the authorities seemed more bent on convicting (mainly) Amanda Knox than delivering justice. It’s terrible to think about how her brutal murder was so sensationalized, yet the actual victim seemed to have by and large been forgotten.
November 28, 2020
I was fascinated with the books that were published about the Amanda Knox case and trial.
This is the first book I read about the subject and is phenomenal and is well researched.
After reading this book I believe Knox and her boyfriend were wrongly convicted though Knox and Rafaelle made some pretty stupid decisions (as many teenage college students d0) I don't believe they committed this murder.
I highly recommend this book.
This is the first book I read about the subject and is phenomenal and is well researched.
After reading this book I believe Knox and her boyfriend were wrongly convicted though Knox and Rafaelle made some pretty stupid decisions (as many teenage college students d0) I don't believe they committed this murder.
I highly recommend this book.
July 6, 2017
I gave this 3 stars, but honestly it is more 2.5. I rounded up because, I think Ms. Burleigh writes well. She also obviously gave this some thought and her conclusions as far as they go appear to be well thought out and supported. I liked the fact that she presented background information on both the city Perugia and the players in the story. The problem for me is that she did not include all of the players. There was a serious lack of information pertaining to the victim and her family. Other than saying that Meredith was sophisticated, got bikini waxes, and wore lacy panties (I did not know that bikini waxes and lace were now the height of sophistication), she does not gives us insight into how Meredith was more sophisticated. I presumed it was because she was British and had been in Italy slightly longer, but maybe not.
I also feel that Ms. Burleigh was to a certain extent doing her own "cherry picking," which she loved to accuse the prosecution and Italian press of. By that I mean that she was writing the book to fit her viewpoint, which was that the Italians just did not "get" Amanda and that somehow those opinions coupled with Amanda's fresh face attractiveness was the cause of all of this. Burleigh kept trying to make a point that there was some sort of "mean girls" attitude towards Amanda which caused a lot of this, while ignoring or just glossing over a lot of problems that Amanda had. I, for one, would have liked more information about her parents and family life. First of all who thought it was a good idea that this incredibly immature 20 year old be over in Italy with no supervision. It's not that I do not think 20 year olds incapable of being perfectly responsible, but this particular girl definitely was not. I would also have liked more information about her friends prior to the trip. One thing I thought weird is the fact Amanda went to Italy alone. A lot of times people do this sort of thing with one or more friends, yet Amanda is just winging it alone. She was definitely an odd fish. She does not seem to have a lot of friends and no explanation is offered other than the author's view that all young women secretly hate each other. Perhaps that's not true and Amanda has tons of friends, but it is hard to tell because there is no information on that.
The main things missing are the lack of information on Amanda in her own peer group and information on the victim and her family. I mean her father was a journalist. What is his opinion? Even if he had been unwilling to talk, there have to be colleagues of his that could shed some light on the family.
As I said, what is there is written pretty well (except for the jumping around at times), but it is an incomplete analysis. Perhaps she was just rushing to publish, but this definitely needed fleshing out. As to the case itself, the prosecution's case as presented in this book is ludicrous. There is the circumstantial case though, which Burleigh touches on several times, but never really delves into. Obviously immaturity was an issue, along with her drug use (I love how everyone wants to act as if drug use is no big deal until something disastrous happens and then it's the cause of everything). There is something a bit off about Knox that goes beyond immaturity and Burleigh never really explains that. Perhaps it is because she is a product of divorce or because of today's culture. I think that if Burleigh had looked into Amanda's personal relationships with her friends from both high school and college she might have found a lot.
As to the murder, I really did not know what to think. I knew little to nothing about this case. There was no real evidence against her, yet her behavior was strange. That may mean nothing, but then again, it may mean everything.
I also feel that Ms. Burleigh was to a certain extent doing her own "cherry picking," which she loved to accuse the prosecution and Italian press of. By that I mean that she was writing the book to fit her viewpoint, which was that the Italians just did not "get" Amanda and that somehow those opinions coupled with Amanda's fresh face attractiveness was the cause of all of this. Burleigh kept trying to make a point that there was some sort of "mean girls" attitude towards Amanda which caused a lot of this, while ignoring or just glossing over a lot of problems that Amanda had. I, for one, would have liked more information about her parents and family life. First of all who thought it was a good idea that this incredibly immature 20 year old be over in Italy with no supervision. It's not that I do not think 20 year olds incapable of being perfectly responsible, but this particular girl definitely was not. I would also have liked more information about her friends prior to the trip. One thing I thought weird is the fact Amanda went to Italy alone. A lot of times people do this sort of thing with one or more friends, yet Amanda is just winging it alone. She was definitely an odd fish. She does not seem to have a lot of friends and no explanation is offered other than the author's view that all young women secretly hate each other. Perhaps that's not true and Amanda has tons of friends, but it is hard to tell because there is no information on that.
The main things missing are the lack of information on Amanda in her own peer group and information on the victim and her family. I mean her father was a journalist. What is his opinion? Even if he had been unwilling to talk, there have to be colleagues of his that could shed some light on the family.
As I said, what is there is written pretty well (except for the jumping around at times), but it is an incomplete analysis. Perhaps she was just rushing to publish, but this definitely needed fleshing out. As to the case itself, the prosecution's case as presented in this book is ludicrous. There is the circumstantial case though, which Burleigh touches on several times, but never really delves into. Obviously immaturity was an issue, along with her drug use (I love how everyone wants to act as if drug use is no big deal until something disastrous happens and then it's the cause of everything). There is something a bit off about Knox that goes beyond immaturity and Burleigh never really explains that. Perhaps it is because she is a product of divorce or because of today's culture. I think that if Burleigh had looked into Amanda's personal relationships with her friends from both high school and college she might have found a lot.
As to the murder, I really did not know what to think. I knew little to nothing about this case. There was no real evidence against her, yet her behavior was strange. That may mean nothing, but then again, it may mean everything.
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