Irmo Branch Library - Booked for Murder discussion
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Waiting to Be Heard
Waiting to be heard by Amanda Knox
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I'll start by saying I had relatively low expectations for this book and was pleasantly surprised that I ended up really liking it. I enjoyed hearing from the point of view of an accused murderer who was (eventually) acquitted, and I REALLY liked learning about Italy's justice system including the investigation, the trial, and Amanda's time spent in prison. The differences between the US's version of these things seemed vast. I know we are hearing from Amanda's point of view which is important to remember throughout the book, but personally, I believe her, and found the prosecution and police appalling and ridiculous, specifically the bra clasp being left on the floor of the crime scene for 46 days before testing it for DNA evidence, as well as when new forensics tests found no traces of Meredith Kercher's DNA on the alleged murder weapon.
Do you think Amanda was innocent? If not, do you think there was reasonable doubt in the case enough to acquit her? What about Rudy Guede? Did he take advantage of the media hype surrounding "Foxy Knoxy" or do you think they were in on it together?
Did anything else in particular stick out to you about the case or the book as a whole?
Again, I am learning to ignore popular press when making my mind up about (fill in the blank) - back when this case was being tried in Italy and I was reading the salacious headlines, I had a mental picture of Amanda Knox as a privileged, suburban, white girl in Italy playing pretend college and (perhaps while high on drugs/alcohol) killing an innocent room mate - I have no idea how she was able to stay sane thru out this ordeal WHILE LEARNING ITALIAN - I also feel very lucky with our daughter's experience in similar circumstances (no murder charges, just a naive young adult navigating life in a foreign country) getting her Master's degree in France/Switzerland, before internet made communications so immediate - I've read that her parents are NOT rich, mortgaged at least one home to pay for the lawyers in Italy, and she is admirably returning to, you know, 'regular life' after all this - what a victory - the book was too long - honestly, I did not finish it - but I feel that I 'heard' her message loud and clear - and let me add to her message (her innocence, which I do believe) - don't buy popular press headlines - they are trying to sell a product, not delve into her actual guilt or innocence.
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A limited number of copies are available for you to check out at the reference desk inside the library. Please wait to start online discussions in this thread until February 22nd to give everyone a chance to get a copy of the book and read it. Looking forward to discussing with you all!
"In the fall of 2007, twenty-year old college coed Amanda Knox left Seattle to study abroad in Perugia, Italy for one year. But that November 1, her life was shattered when her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, was murdered in their apartment. Five days later, Amanda was taken into custody and charged by the Italian police; her arrest and the subsequent investigation ignited an international media firestorm. Overnight, this ordinary young American student became the subject of intense scrutiny, forced to endure a barrage of innuendo and speculation. Two years later, after an extremely controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011 an appeals court overturned her conviction and vacated the charges. Free at last, she immediately returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now."