REMEMBER
AMANDA KNOX?

I just finished Free, My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox. In 2007 college student Amanda went to Italy to study abroad. She shared housing with another student, Meredith Kercher, from Great Britain. One day Amanda and her new Italian boyfriend came back to the apartment to find Meredith murdered. Amanda and her boyfriend were taken by the police for extreme interrogation and charged with the crime which police described as a sex orgy gone wrong, despite the lack of evidence. The couple pleaded their innocence but the police and public media went wild with the details. After what appeared to be trial by social media, they were both convicted of murder.

This is Amanda’s second book about the case, the first dealing with the unjust trial, and this about the despair of being imprisoned for four years until an appeal reversed the verdict.

Amanda thought a release would free her completely but found that her notoriety still hounded her as she tried to live a normal life.

The last part of the book was about the relationship she had with her Italian prosecutor. Despite the new verdict he still believed her guilty. She, through a great deal of contemplation and help from others, decided to write him letters. Slowly they developed an unusual relationship of understanding and respect. She then decided to go back to Italy to see him in person, a risky move that could have landed her back in jail since Italy’s laws allow reversals.

I was impressed with Amanda’s transformation from a weak, traumatized inmate to an intelligent, wise and strong woman able to confront her past and find a way to forge into her future.

This is an incredible story, so well written, and so triumphant.

5 Stars