Customer Reviews

If I Knew Then . . .

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I read this book months ago and forgot to give it praise.This afternoon I saw it on the library shelves ( a good sign ) and another reader was telling me how much she had enjoyed it- this woman grew up on Long Island around the same time- and this reader reminded me of something I had forgotten -just one of many injustices Amy had to endure. Amy's "defense" lawyer was unfit to practice criminal defense, and as well he was writing Amy love notes with childish perverted drawings on them. No doubt Amy would have been better served with a more professional defense.

It's easy to see where Amy initially got off the track- usually you start to suspect it would be drugs, but in this case, I think it was the only child syndrome and the presence of a cruel distant father and a ding-dong mother who meant well. Amy was putty in Joey Botafucco's hands. First off, Joey should have been criminally prosecuted for his abuse of a minor- does statuatory rape ring a bell? Secondly, Joey should have been prosecuted for conspiracy to commit murder; the whole scenario was so unfairly focused on persecuting an underage girl and letting the adult male , her pimp by the way, walk free.

Amy was not just treated to the usual prison "justice" and lifestyle, she was fair game for rape and torture by the jail guards- female inmates do not have a voice in our society- Martha Stewart notwithstanding. Amy could have gone on with her life without telling her story, but I am glad that she did choose to self publish her book. Readers, your taxes go towards paying these sadistic prison officials! The community at large suffers when the lowest "man" on the totam pole- in this case incarcerated females at a negative level of power , are victimised instead of being supported for reform.

Amy Fisher finally has had her turn at bat. In May of 1992, the then-12th grader was convicted of shooting one Mary-Jo Buttafuoco. Buttafuoco's husband Joey had been conducting an affair with Amy during this period.

Amy was convicted to a 5-15 year sentence; served time until 1999 and survived some seemingly insurmountable odds. She was raped several times in prison in 1994; fellow cellmates hanged her publicly on television and even her lawyer was cited for sending her inappropriate correspondence. Through it all, Amy stood tall; hung tough and survived hell.

Mary-Jo Buttafuoco publicly pardoned Amy, which in turn led to her release from prison. It takes a really big person to do what Mary-Jo did; it speaks volumes of good about her. I actually cheered the day I read and saw the news of Amy's release. During her sentence, Amy matured and did a lot of self-reflection - she realized that as a child, she had been granted more freedom than she was ready to handle. Joey Buttafuoco betrayed her; he led her to believe he would be a loving and stable lover and instead was a statutory rapist with no regard for Amy at all. In the years since 1992, Joey has demonstrated chutzpah and indifference in his interviews together with a complete disregard for his own family. He and Mary-Jo parted company while he received a ludicrously light sentence of only a few months. The hue and cry around this during that period resound to this day. The statutory rapist gets a slap on the wrist and a wagged finger in the face and the young girl suffers a far greater hellish ordeal.

Amy's book is serious, gritty and uplifting. Her story is a lesson in forgiveness and not judging someone for a desperate act of poor decision making. A skilled writer, she uses her talents for writing articles, including ones championing the rights of her fellow inmates. At no time has she dodged responsibility for her actions; at no time does she lay blame on anyone else. She even includes a list of suggestions of preventive measures to help people guide children away from making the kind of desperate decisions she made when she was in high school.

In recent years, Amy has married and has 2 children, born in 2003 and 2005. She has made a life for herself and has stood tall throughout. She deserved a fair shake and I'm glad to see people were willing to give her that chance she deserved. This is a book about redemption and hope and about the far reaching positive effects of extending a helping hand.

If you are/were an Amy Fisher supporter, you'll enjoy this book. I did. I always supported Amy. When I was 17 years old, I dated men in their 20's and I can understand why she was so taken by Joey. Men can be very manipulating. Granted, she was a teenager, and teens make mistakes everyday. I don't know that I quite believe how "the gun went off". I believe she did shoot Mary Jo, but I also believe Joey put her up to it. He should have been punished more so than what he was. If you're looking to understand why these events transpired, read the book. I'm glad Amy is happy in her life now, and wish her all the best.

I really wanted to like this book. After reading it, all I feel is ripped off.

I actually thought there would be some introspection from Amy now that she's passed the 30-years-old mark, but in reading this I got the distinct impression that she still wants us to picture her as a little-girl victim, because she still sees herself that way, as evidenced in this lazy, sloppily written book.

She pays lip service to the "horrible" thing she did when she shot someone in cold blood, but it just sounds like lip service. She'd never be a "journalist" today if not for her notoriety.

I take no sides in the Fisher/Buttafuoco affair, but I wish Fisher had given us something with a little more substance. I wonder whether she's capable of that. If this book is any indication, she has a long way to go.

But I did come away with renewed admiration for her mother and for Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

All I knew about Ms. Fisher's life was from random items in magazines and the news. I always knew the public wasn't getting the full story or even half of a truthful story by the way she was portrayed in the media, and it was interesting and important for her to set the record straight.

Amy was the ultimate latchkey child. By her admission, she was literally left alone her entire later childhood and teen years, practically raising herself when her father wasn't home terrorizing her. It's no wonder she became as confused as she did and found a nefarious fellow like Buttafuoco seductive.

She most certainly survived her share of abuse in prison and didn't let it harden her or derail the rest of her life, despite the especially long sentence for her crime of assault.

One thing I can say in the negative is that the "I'm a good person" thing did get a little tiresome towards the end. I could hear myself saying "Okay, Amy, I get it, you really ARE a good person!" But that's all I can say negative about this memoir. It was a very good thing that she wrote it, not only to dispel any rumours or misunderstandings about her case (I too had always thought Mary Jo had gotten shot in the face), but to also be a testimony to starting over.

She also adds a common-sense guide at the end to parents who need it spelled out for them in case they wonder if their child is headed for trouble.

I was hoping for an interesting read because the story is so unbelieveable, but this went beyond my expectations. I've always been curious about Amy with all the publicity that surrounds her, and I saw her on Good Day Live and CBS This Morning talking about the book and I was so impressed by her. The book is well written, and impossible to put down -- but most important it IS the cautionary tale that the press is touting it to be. Many lessons to be learned and quite a breathtaking read. Excellent job, and I can see why she won that journalism award. I truly believe that anyone who writes a bad review hasn't really read the book or is a Buttafuocco. A very good book.

I enjoyed this book , I remember back when the Amy Fisher story was in the news and following it. All the stories all the media , it was very interesting to hear years later Amy's side of the story, what she went thru before after and during all the madness she went thru. I am glad she overcame all the bad to make a new life for herself. A very interesting story that keeps you turning those pages.