My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox - Honor Bound

Solecito was Amanda Knox's boyfriend of a week or so when implicated in the murder of Meredith Kirchner in Perugia, Italy. Every student headed for another country should read this book. It covers a lot that was shown in media reports, but also deals with his family's handling of his trial and incarceration. He also tells about the terrible living conditions in the jails he spent time in, and his feelings at being set free after 4years.

An interesting account of the tragic Meredith Kercher murder case from one of the accused's perspective. He makes a persuasive case , but to form a fuller picture of the case it would probably be a good idea to also read John Follain's book (for the prosecution) and Dempsey and Burleigh (for the defence). It makes a good companion piece to Amanda Knox's book.

This book tells the truth and exposes the crooked Italian justice. I hope that Amanda and Raffaele will be freed of this injustice and that they will sue the Italian Magistrates. I hope this will not happen to anyone else.

I read both Raffaele and Amanda's books and enjoyed his more. Hers seemed rather slow in parts and I did not experience that with his. He provided detailed account of what happened and how he survived 4 years in prison.

This was a great book! Raffaele's account of the events and his (and Amanda's) ordeal was interesting and very sad. I have always wanted to visit Italy, but after reading his book (and Amanda's book), I have decided against the trip.

I enjoyed reading Amanda's book better. It is good to remember that there was more than one person whose life was disrupted by false accusation. Of course we must also remember that a life was ended and that the true murderer got off lightly because of a faulty justice system.

The basic storyline (Facts) we knew from the first issue of DEATH in PERUGIA. however this book is well written and goes deep into Raffaele 's days (years) in prison. I felt disgusted and shocked at the JUDICIAL system in Italy. SHAME

This work demonstrates, in full force, the power of integrity. It's all one has when faced with a bizarre situation such as the one these two innocents found themselves in. Raffaele Sollectito's honor and focus was huge in saving them both. The best of luck to both of these strong people. Read it!

This book is to the point about the wrongful doings of the case. It actually has some quite good humor and Rafelle has a funny way of putting his circumstances in to interesting writing. I read this book to get his side of the story after reading Amanda's. I think he writes better than her to be honest even though I thought she wrote well to. There are some parts that get a bit boring but in general it is well structured and precise. I think he must be a very calm person to still be sane after what he has been through.
Time now to get Rudy Guedes side of the story I think!!!!

Upstanding individual who has commendable character values of integrity that parents teach their children in hopes they will follow through as an adult. He sacrificed himself for the truth living a daily nightmare under extreme duress, but unwilling to give in to everyone pressuring him to lie about the truth. He is all about truth and honesty. Our world needs more people like Rafaelle.

I am appalled at how corrupted the justice system can be beginning with the Perugian police and especially Mignini, the prosecutor and the judge in the first trial. These individual's claim they "stand for authority and justice"but only give the Rest of the judicial system of Italy a bad image.

Excellent read on the insight to what really happened and how the media and the justice system in that country helped to destroy two innocent people. It is a book I didn't want to put down. I will read it again and again.

Being that Amanda is from Seattle I was intrigued in watching this story evolve on TV. The book has certtainly helped me understand more of what went on for these two young people. I am so glad it worked out the way it did!

This book gave a real a account of everything from the beginning to the end of the trial, it shows the horrible injustice that happens everyday in the court systems, foreign countries being among the worst.

I had started following the Knox/Sollecito murder trial toward the end and found the case riveting as well as terrifying. I have wanted to hear from these two poor victims since they were released from jail, and when I found this book on the store I could not stop reading it. Raffaele tells his side of the story with honesty, heart and clarity. The book is factual without belaboring the main points. The story moves along with amazing poignancy and frightening realization.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how to courageously face injustice, prejudice and utter lunacy in what should be a sane modern civilization. It is extremely well written and moves at a surprisingly fast pace however, does not leave any detail unexplained. I give this book all thumps up.

This is a surprisingly good book. I was expecting a poorly written account written written by Sollecito being assisted by Andrew Gumbel. But to my surprise it was excellently written. I am sure Gumbel did most of the writing but Sollecito comes through emotionally, temperamentally and factually. It also it is not based on just Sollecito's memory. There was lawyer's feedback,court proceedings, and media accounts. Anyone interested in this case or justice on trial would do well to read this book. For those who want to find out more from Amanda Knox viewpoint or about Amanda Know will not find it in this book. This about the case and Sollecito's involvement in it.

I followed this story through the media and was glad to read a book from one of the persons involved. The book gives good details on the case and how the media twisted things around. A must read if you were just as hooked through the media.

If only Amanda had shown expected post traumatic behaviour, would the investigators have not focused attention on her and her lover and taken an unbiased perspective. They paid a high price for arrogance...

I was really impressed with his articulate, painfully honest side of this sad story. I am so sorry for the victim's family, but finally truth prevailed. He is an amazing young man, I hope his life takes a turn for the best after all the hard ship he endured.

This wonderfully written memoir of Raffaele's nightmarish four years in prison for a crime that he and Amanda Knox so obviously did not commit is gripping and heartbreaking! With not a scrap of evidence against them they remained in prison and were forced to fight for their freedom against a prosecutor who would do everything in his power, and power is something Mignini has a lot of, to convict them of the crime, obviously committed by a single individual in a simple interrupted break in. It is mind-boggling the lengths to which these corrupt officials go to in order to convince a panel of judges and the Italian public of the guilt of two innocent people. From character assassination to blatant lies and false evidence they never even had a chance at the trial of first instance. Only through the diligence and persistence of teams of lawyers and their families were they able to break down the prosecutions case piece by piece until there was not a shred of doubt they they would finally go free. The media in this case the whole way through was despicable! Still now some blather on about questions, "we will never know", bla, bla, bla. It's all there, there are no questions. The prosecutor and his team made a horrifying mess of this case causing pain and suffering of two innocent people and their families. The pain that this debacle caused the family of the victim, Meredith, is an atrocity!! Raffaele's book is a must read for anyone who followed this case througthout and for everyone else who wants to read about a true man of honor who gave away four years of his life and risked the rest for the truth! Bravo Raffaele!!!!!!!

He seemed to fall in love very quickly with Amanda Knox. He will get over it. Italian legal system is frightening. If they don't have facts just make them up. The prosecutor is the one who should be in jail.

I bought this book after seeing Raffaele on a evening news show. I never would have bought the book had that interviewer not mentioned several times, while holding up the book and saying something like, "Your book is VERY good", "So well written" "You have to get your hands on this book." Being naive I wondered if I could really get into a book written by a young Itallian boy whose English didn't was hard to understand during the interview and I could see he struggled sometimes to get his thought across. But, listening to the rave review and watching Raffaele appearing on a few channels that week promoting his book I decided to buy the book. BOY, WAS I NAIVE. I admit it, I was wrong ever thinking the story might lack sensible translation and communication! I couldn't put the book down!!

Like many other people I didn't believe Raffaele and Amanda were involved in the murder and I believed the case against them was invented by the Italian Police but I didn't know half the stuff these two went through. The story was very well told, very engaging, and a great read.

It's breathtaking the level of incompetence at best and corruption at worst revealed in the trial. Can you imagine a judge in the US not even required to have a high school diploma hearing your case? Or a Prosecutor, on trial himself for prosecutorial misconduct, still allowed to argue your case while changing the motive no less than three times?! Unbelievable what happened to these kids! Makes you realize, with all the faults our Judicial system has, that its still one the best in the world. Italy's is a joke!

I appreciated finally hearing from the Sollecito camp on the development of this case. I followed the case very closely and lived in Italy during much of it, and the only perspective I never felt I really grasped was Sollecito's, so the insight there brought things full circle. Sollecito's point of view highlights just how bizarre the legal proceedings were. It's difficult to peg Sollecito with cultural insensitivity, because he is a native Italian (whereas in Amanda's case, Italians were furious at her criticisms of the Italian judicial system and at the American media and political figures who subsequently criticized the Italian judicial system). His story is tragic and disturbing, especially in his descriptions of his fellow inmates and I feel very sad for what Sollecito and Knox endured in the long years and numerous trials they were put through.

Highly recommend this book--after I finished it, any trace doubts I had about the narrative of the case had evaporated because of the holes his own narrative fills. I'm immensely happy that Sollecito and Knox are free, and wish only that it had happened long before it did.

Many of us can say, "A stranger protected me from harm." Only a handful in the world can say, "A stranger served four years in prison to protect me from harm." Yet this is what Italy's Raffaele Sollecito did for America's Amanda Knox. He spent six months in solitary confinement and a total of three and a half years in the sex offender section of two prisons as punishment because he would not turn on Amanda and lie simply to satisfy the desires of the Perugians. Or his own family, for that matter, as they pushed him to accept a lesser sentence. "Honor Bound" is the perfect title for this book and from beginning to end the reader feels the desperation and frustration of Raffaele as he stubbornly refuses to abandon Amanda to an appalling fate while fighting for his own freedom. The pair were falsely accused in 2007 by the Perugians though it was clear from the beginning that they were innocent of the murder of Amanda's British roommate, Meredith Kercher. They were not only the victims of a monstrous injustice, but also of the vicious and sensationalist media looking for a moneymaking tale to sell the public. In 2011 Raffaele and Amanda were acquitted and released immediately from prison because it was proved they had no part in the crime and were never near the apartment when a local burglar, Rudy Guede, killed Meredith in a bungled robbery. The simple crime spun out of control because of the strange agenda of the Public Minister of Perugia, Giuliano Mignini. Raffaele's telling of the mind-boggling inequity is as sensitive as it is informative and lays out the chronology as it unfolded so that the reader can easily separate the fact from the fiction that has overwhelmed this case for the past five years. Now the general public will know why the defense fought so hard for the truth to be revealed, not only to free Raffaele and Amanda from a terrible fate, but also to find justice for Meredith Kercher, the ultimate victim of the Perugians. This is not only a cautionary tale of illegal bias, but it is also a warning to parents who send children abroad to have a firm and consistent strategy for dealing with police whenever a crime occurs, especially one as awful as murder. The Sollecito and Knox families never dreamed that the Perugians were laying a trap for their children and for their naiveté they spent millions to save them from the deceit and lies of those authorities. Raffaele Sollecito, for his honesty and integrity, is a hero in the truest sense of the word.

I was intrigued reading this book from Raffaele's perspective. I find him to be a remarkable young man who stood by Amanda despite everyone wanting him to throw her under the bus to save himself. I would be proud to call this young man my son. He shows a great deal of honor and integrity.

Rafaelle presents a wonderful but heartbreaking account of the travesty of the Italian justice system and its punishment of a woman the system instantly labels as too promiscuous; taking Rafaelle into the abyss with her. He comes across as a very likable, smart computer geek in the wrong place at the wrong time. Read it and hope this never happens to you.

Even knowing the outcome of this story and most of the interim narrative, I pre-ordered this book, waited eagerly to receive it and have been unable to put it down. Reading this book has taken me through a gamut of emotions, just as the case has done for the past 5 years. The strongest emotion I felt when I closed the book about an hour ago was deep and abiding anger. Anger at the cynical and disgusting ease with which the Perugian authorities, particularly Mignini and his contemptible confederates, Napoleoni, Stefanoni, Comodi, Giobi, Gubbiotti, etal created an entirely fictional case against two innocent young people which resulted in their wrongful conviction and agonizing four year imprisonment. Perhaps I am naive, but I truly don't understand how any of these loathsome characters can sleep at night. Anger at the greedy tabloid hacks who enthusiastically bought Mignini's lies and distortions, and published them worldwide with no thought for journalistic integrity or simple human morality...and some of whom are still at it. Having been in Tuscany at the time of the murder and having followed this case from that time until the present, I have not changed my opinion as to the innocence of Rafaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox and this book only further reinforces that certainty.

I thought I knew most of the details of this case, but this book reveals even more the lengths to which the prosecution went to insure a conviction. It seems that no one in the Perugian legal system, i.e. judges, police, scientists (or what passed for scientists), attorneys, etc., cared one small bit about truth, morality, logic or finally about justice. They cared only about supporting Mignini's crazed scenario and making sure that Raffaele and Amanda ended up in prison for a murder that, I believe, the Perugian authorities knew they didn't commit.

Raffaele Sollecito is a young man of exceptional intelligence, humility, grace and morality...and his book only serves to underline those qualities. "Honor Bound" is this young man's harrowing journey through a landscape that was manufactured solely to destroy him...and for no comprehensible reason except the ego and obsession of the prosecutor together with his cronies desperate need to save face.

In closing, I have to mention the fact that this young man was constantly exposed to unremitting pressure, even by his own family, to turn his back on Amanda and separate himself from her, leaving her most probably to spend the rest of her life in prison. By doing so, he might have greatly reduced his prison time or avoided it altogether, but he was not persuaded and he did not turn his back; instead he took the moral high road which, in this situation, turned out to be an extremely grueling trek. That, as far as I'm concerned says it all.

I wish Raffaele a long and profoundly rich and satisfying life. Happily, he seems to be living well these days and as they say "living well is the best revenge".

An inspiring story of defiance against a modern day Inquisition. Raffaele and Amanda were trapped in prison cells for years, unable to defend themselves, while the prosecution and media promoted fictional personas for them.

Raffaele finally gets his say and makes the most of it. He combines a wealth of information with powerful emotion as he chronicles his nightmarish struggle against tunnel vision, corruption, greed, and character assassination.

The most chilling part of the book for me was the description of Finzi and Chiacchiera pulling one random knife out of Raffaele's kitchen drawer to be the "murder weapon".

Words cannot adequately express my admiration for this young man as he retained his integrity throughout this grueling ordeal.

The trial of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were one of the most closely followed in recent decades. In the first trial the two defendants were found guilty and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively. In the subsequent appeal they were not only acquitted but from the comments of the appeals court judges, it was very clear that they had nothing to do with the murder of Meredith Kercher and that the judgement in the first trial was deeply flawed. This book explains in detail what happened to Raffaele and Amanda in Perugia in the days immediately before and after the murder. In doing so he shows what a remarkable young man he is. It describes his relationship with Amanda Knox from its beginning just a few days before the murder and how blissfully happy he was. When Amanda's flatmate was found murdered in their naivety they did all they could to help the police only to find that within days they were considered the prime suspects not on the basis of any evidence but as a result of the `intuition' of the prosecutors. It became clear very early on, that the `intuition' included only Amanda Knox and he was arrested only because they were together that night. The book then details how every time a key piece of evidence against Raffaele was discredited the police immediately found a new piece of evidence against him. He was kept in solitary confinement for the best part of a year to pressurise him into saying he was not with Amanda that night. But as is clear from the title `Honor Bound' he could not do so because it wasn't true. The book ends with the details of how his defence team demolished all the arguments of the prosecution which eventually after 4 years wrongfully imprisoned led to his release.

Was ok, too much Italian names and thought there might be more concerning his experiences -I do believe his story and sorry he had to go through what he did. Commend him on his integrity concerning to do what he believed to be right regardless of the consequences he had to endure.

Captivating book! I had already learned about the lead prosecutor by reading past books (Monster of Florence) and my own internet research, out of curiosity. When I heard he was to be prosecutor in the Knox/Sollecito trial my heart froze and I was filled with disbelief and fear for these two young people. He is evil and will stop at nothing to try and destroy peoples lives, for no reason at all except his own personal gain.

Raffaele Sollecito is an exceptional young man with courage and strength to stand by his own beliefs of loyalty and conviction. He has inspired me to always look for truth against evil - a must read, at least if you're interested in the truth. Its a compelling story and a victory for justice. I urge everyone to read this and open their eyes. Highly recommended (as you can tell).

Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox is the heart-wrenching true account/story of Raffaele Sollecito's journey in hell after being charged with murder and found guilty in Perugia, Italy. It sets the record straight on everything, whether you followed the case and was a staunch supporter of both he and Amanda, or not. If you think you knew all you don't. Read this and it will make you cry, infuriate you beyond belief, and come to love this person and only hope for the best in his (and Amanda's) life. (And hope no innocent human being is ever subjected to such a travesty as this again.)

A must read for anyone seeking judicial truth, or just truth in general.

You will be left with, "How can this happen?" "Is it human nature to be so horrible to others?"

I know I feel I could not have endured and come out the other end if this happened to me.

May everyone read this book. May only health, happiness, and love come to Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox.

I should preface this review by saying that for most of the nearly 4 years that I have studied this case, I have fully believed in the innocence of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox. Having said that, I was not really sure what Raffaele's book would bring to light that I had not heard already. Boy was I in for a surprise!

Raffaele does not speak or write extremely fluent English, but his collaboration with Andrew Gumbel in the writing of this book was very successful. The thoughts and experiences contained in the book are clearly those of Raffaele, but presented with great clarity and in perfect English prose. I was able to follow the timeline more clearly in this book than in any of the others that I have read on this case.

There are some serious bombshells in this book which I will not spoil, but for me I liked the "behind-the-scenes" insights into his legal defense strategies, which sometimes failed, and the involvement of Raffaele's family in his defense. We also learn many sad details about the profound impact this affair has had on Raffaele's entire family.

Raffaele pulled no punches in the writing of this book, and I appreciated his brutal honesty. He admits to some mistakes, but clearly accuses the Perugian authorities of heinous acts in their efforts to put Amanda Knox and himself away for life. He tells us what it was like to be a self-professed nerd in a prison full of rapists and murderers. And he does so with a great deal of charm and wit. After reading this book, I now understand that Raffaele Sollecito is nothing short of a modern-day hero, and I hope that is what every reader will take away.

In the last paragraphs of the book, Raffaele sums up his relationship with Amanda Knox in what is one of the most poignent tributes to another human being I have ever read. This book is both a love story and a murder mystery that you will have trouble putting down. Don't miss it.

I finished reading his book...wow; they certainly do not make people like Raffaele anymore.
While savoring every word, I not only could hear 'Raf' speaking but I found myself speaking 'as though I was his conscience' yet I unknowingly found myself as though I was the weaker side of our humanness;
I challenged his conscience and was literally filled with rage, anger, jealousy, lies, and resentments;
I do not know how he really did make it. This is a powerful book with a delivery that absorbs your every fiber.....
unbelievable how the human spirit finds the will to survive with only the truth to hold tightest to and HOPE to come out the other side; freedom!

It was great to hear the voice of Raffaele Sollecito, especially since he spent so many years in the shadow of the cloud of controversy surrounding Amanda Knox. He was truly a guy dating the wrong girl at the wrong time. And unjustly put into prison to get him to roll on an equally innocent Amanda. Hearing how corrupt and unprofessional the Italian Legal system is makes me appreciate even more the one we have in the U.S. and I'm aware it's not perfect either. Mignini's obsession to take down Amanda and save his own fledgling reputation was a huge catalyst in this case. He made the Kercher family's grief even worse by feeding them a bogus story of the crimes and Guede (the real killer) got off with a relatively light sentence even though his guilt is beyond obvious. I got sucked into this case from day 1 and this book sums up everything. I love Sollecito's honesty and his admission of his own mistakes and naivete. This is a gripping book of one mans struggles to stay sane and keep his honor and do what he knew was right in the end. I'm glad his voice was finally heard and hope he can pay his familly back, especially his poor sister with the proceeds of this book. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know what really happened in Perugia.

I've always been fascinated by politics, especially those concerning overseas countries. That said, I was riveted by the Amanda Knox book "Waiting to be Heard." I got the book on the store and was captivated from the first to the last page. As a journalist myself (mostly in travel) I found her story to be spellbinding, and it gave me a vastly different view of so called "Italian Justice." In short, at least from her book, it made me think everything was geared against her, without any regard for the true facts. So I was intrigued to learn that the boy friend (who was also a key part of the story) Raffaele Sollecito - had also written HIS story. It began in an, well "enticing way," that got my attention. But as I read each page, it all seemed to be the same sort of story (which it obviously was!) that I'd read in Amanda's book, but told from Raffaele's point of view. The writing, while good, was not anywhere near the "drama" and tension that I'd found in Amanda's book, and, to be honest, I regretted buying the book.

This story of Justice-Italian Style was told with the restraint and dignity Rafelle showed throughout the nightmare that he and Amanda experienced in Italy. It is a harrowing tale of the murder of a lovely young woman, who seems to get lost in the persecution of these two students by the injustice of an incompetent police force and a corrupt and arrogant prosecutor. I do mean persecution. The ignorance of the Italians involved is shameful but does show that Amanda was probably a rather typical American girl who was naive and immature and this behavior had life altering consequences for all the familes involved. A must read!

I really enjoyed the book from Raffaele's perspective. I can't imagine going through such a nightmare. It makes me appreciate our justice system here in the U.S. which isn't perfect but what happened to them would never happen here!

The saddest part to me is Meredith's family who continue to believe that Amanda and Raffaele were involved. It is especially sad for her family because they will never accept the truth about what happened because of the corrupt police and prosecution.

Raffaele Sollicto Writes truthfully about his experiences before and during the trial and sentencing. He makes the subject matter easy to read and understand despite his learning process with the English language. He shared everything he experienced which is very special as Italians have laws enabling frivolous and even wrongful slander law suits. He must live under pressure of those who do not want the light of truth shining on their very dark lives. He risks prison and fines. This "gamble" makes this an excellent book!! Raffaele's writing makes one look forward to next year's release of a book by Amanda Knox and her experiences.

This book far exceeeded my expectations! Even though it was written by the person it happened to it was hard to see what more could be said after all that's been written about this case already. Well, it turns out there was plenty more to be said! This book is like sitting down with Raffaele and hearing him tell you what happened. He is painfully honest about his feelings and disgust about what was done to Meredith. He tells of his time in prison and how a young, innocent man dealt with the hardened criminals he had to live with. You feel all of his confusion about how this could happen to someone who did nothing wrong and he tells of the pressure he was under from all sides to save himself and stop worrying about Amanda. The most surprising thing of all is that his insistance on standing his ground came not out of some massive, crazy love for Amanda but from his deep sense of right and wrong and his adamance about doing the right thing and maintaining the truth. You come away feeling bittersweet, happy and sad all at once but most importantly, it gave me new faith that there are still young people of great integrity and honor! Absolutely excellent book!

i do believe that Raffaele and Amanda are innocent. i read Amanda Knox's book and thought that it was very well written. this book however, isn't so well written. it is short, but it just feels long. he tends to start talking about something and then he'll divert away (for a long time) and then divert back to what he was originally saying. but by then you kind of forget where he left off. i also felt that there should have been more quotes from the testimony in the two trials. i also would have liked to hear more about what prison life was like. overall, it was OK. it was interesting reading about what he went through, here in America our press tended to focus on Amanda.