If I Knew Then . . . (Paperback)

~ Robbie Woliver (Adapter), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Is there really anything else we need to know about Amy Fisher, the teen who in 1992 shot her boyfriend's wife? Maybe not... but hearing the whole story from Fisher herself—now a 30-year-old wife and mother and a columnist for the Long Island Press—is still irresistible. The easy-to-follow narrative, written in unadorned, often amateurish prose, unfolds chronologically. As Fisher explains, she was an abused child; her father had a hair-trigger temper and beat his wife and daughter. Refreshingly, though, Fisher doesn't get too wrapped up in victimizing herself. When she was 13, "a bad age to move," the family relocated from one Long Island town to another, more upscale one. Fisher's parents struggled so she could keep up with at least the "B-list" girls, but once she met Joey Buttafuoco at his auto body shop, Fisher abandoned her rich friends to be with him. Then 36 and full of violent swagger, Buttafuoco seemed pretty cool. Before long he was pimping Fisher, but she complied, eager for his "love and affection." When Buttafuoco suggested Fisher kill his wife, Mary Jo, arguing "they don't put kids in jail," Fisher says she believed him. Yet she got so undone trying to threaten Mary Jo, she ended up beating her up with the gun instead (and, she says, it "exploded and fired" in the process). After seven abuse-filled years in prison, Fisher was finally freed on parole (but then had to fight the paparazzi). She laments that it's taken her years to get her life back on track. Bound to make any parent completely paranoid about their daughter's behavior, Fisher's story's is oddly engrossing.
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Product Description

The public remembers one Amy Fisher: the sixteen-year-old "Long Island Lolita" who shot the wife of her lover. But for Amy herself, life hasn't stood still. A decade and a half later, she has grown into a reflective, confident, and happy 30-year-old woman, an award-winning newspaper columnist, and a devoted wife and mother.

Here, in this intensely personal book, she tells her story-clearing up the many misconceptions about who she was, what she did, and who she is now. Amy:

-Talks in detail about her childhood, her relationship with Joey Buttafuoco, the shooting, life in prison, parole, and how she has pieced her life back together again;
-Provides never-before-told details about her time in prison;
-Takes full responsibility for the impulsive, unthinkable crime of her youth;
-Serves as a source of inspiration, proving that rehabilitation and redemption are achievable;
-Delivers advice to parents and teens from her unique perspective-including warning signs and action plans-on how to keep out of danger and avoid potentially deadly choices.
-Shares her vision on gun control and minors and ending domestic violence and the abuse of women in prison

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (September 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595324452
• ISBN-13: 978-0595324453
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #361,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now We Know, October 14, 2004

By	E. Rey "flannelpants" (TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though there is already a book released entitled "My Story", this is the first book that Amy Fisher has written about herself. This book covers her life as a child, growing up, the details about Joey, the "shooting", prison, and her life since getting out of prison. First of all, the book is very well written and a fascinating read. When you read the details, you will understand how she got off on the wrong path, but appreciate the fact that Amy takes full responsibility for her actions.

The stories about jail and prison are frightening. I recommend giving this book to pre-teen/teen girls to let them know what kind of consequences their actions can have. Even the stories of having to wear the same pair of underwear and no hairbrush for two weeks would scare most girls that I know. The truth is that prison is scarier than that. The book also has advice for parents of pre-teens and teens on how to stay engaged in their children's lives.

It was encouraging to find that Amy Fisher turned her life around and has become a productive member of society and a loving wife and mother. It is unfortunate that she had to go through so many tribulations to get there.

Some of the highlights of the book were Amy speaking on the "made for television" movies about herself, the photos of her over the years, why and how she did fall for Joey, and what she was thinking on the day of her crime. I also liked hearing about how her life has been since she was released from prison.

The only part that I did not like about the book is that I purchased it not realizing that a percentage of the proceeds go to certain charities including one which I do not support - the Million Mom March. I prefer not to support this group by giving them money, but it was a small cost for reading a book that I enjoyed so much.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now we know the real story, straight from Amy, September 15, 2005

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amy Fisher is now in her 30's, twice the age she was when she shot Mary Jo Buttafouco. She's the age Joey was when he was a shady auto-body mechanic preying on the beautiful 16-year-old Fisher. The contrast between their lives is sharp--Amy served seven years, got married, had a child, and became a successful newspaper columnist in her own right. She's made peace with Mary Jo. She works for women's rights and safety in prisons and supports legal aid work. Joey, on the other hand, sleazily sold his story many times and was arrested repeatedly, most recently for insurance fraud, for which he was given a year sentence in prison.

Amy is a mediocre writer in a purely technical sense, but she speaks from the heart and wins over the reader. When she was a teenager, she was naive about the media (she got a raw deal on her story) and the law, and it took her years to get adequate legal counsel and reverse the damage done by her first attorney. Her seven years of rape and abuse in prison are not easy to stomach, but she's done important work bringing these issues to light. All is not bleak, because many of her abusers were later tried and convicted of rape, and Amnesty International now monitors the treatment of women in prison.

Fisher has a purpose in telling her story--she wants to wake up suburban parents who trust their children unconditionally and turn a blind eye to their running wild. She reveals how she slid down the slipperly slope to start hanging out with the wrong crowd and asks the Moms out there if they are listening. Her story concludes with some clear-headed warning signs for parents.

Overall this is a great read that fills in a lot of the backstory that was glossed over in the heyday of the tabloid media. The media has gotten a lot more responsible than it was in the early 90's, and some tabloid programs even apologized to Fisher for the way they exploited her during the craze. The one drawback to the book is the cheap way the photos were reprinted. I wish the publisher had sprung for some nice glossies to accompany this excellent memoir.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all..., November 14, 2004

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I didn't expect to like this book, as I wasn't familiar with the Amy Fisher of the tabloids. But Fisher, now a newspaper columnist, tells her story honestly, without asking for pity. And for the most part, it's a story worth reading.

Fisher's title makes the theme. "If I knew then..." If she'd known about the consequences of her actions, about how to deal with an abusive family, and a whole lot more, none of this would have happened. But that's precisely the point. She didn't know. And her parents were not available to teach her.

Fisher's mother worked full-time, leaving Amy to her own devices. Some young women can handle independence; Amy couldn't. Her father was abusive and impatient. So when Amy damaged her car, she felt desperate. And when a thirty-something mechanic offered to help her, and then expected sexual favors in return...well, she was in way, way over her head. And when this man started hinting, "Wouldn't it be nice if you'd help me kill my wife..." Amy went from being a naive high school girl to convicted felon, almost overnight.

Many readers say, "Come on. Surely she knew what she was doing." But teenagers aren't sensible or logical and they don't know what they're doing. They disconnect actions and consequences, even if they have loving, stable parents.

Once caught up in the legal system, Fisher paid more than her share of dues. Interrogated by the cops, she reports the typical response: at some point, she'd say anything if she could just stop. She describes mind games, with the interrogators holding back food and drink until she "gave" them something. She didn't know how to hire a lawyer, so she ended up with a longer sentence than she might have gotten otherwise. Advised not to contact her victim, she didn't share her remorse for many years. And she testified against Joey - who received a mere slap on the wrist for statutory rape.

Fisher's account of prison life is sadly familiar: brutal guards, lack of dignity, singled out for abuse because she was "high profile." It's not clear why we taxpayers continue to support those institutions as we move into the twenty-first century.

Fisher's survival is a testament to her own strength. After prison, she went on to build a career for herself as a free lance journalist, as well as a life with marriage and children.

And she takes responsibility for her actions, now that she's old enough to realize what's going on. But I still wish we'd spend less money on our prisons and more on programs targeted to teens, even teens from families that seem great on the outside. Somehow this tragedy should have been prevented.