Fiorenza Sarzanini's Amanda e gli altri: vite perdute intorno al delitto di Perugia

NB:  This book is no longer available for purchase and has been pulled by the publisher.  I am just leaving the post here for historical purposes.  Her conviction was overturned on October 3, 2011, and she has since returned to the United States.

Anyone following the case of the American student, Amanda Knox, accused of murdering her British roommate, will certainly take notice of a book published this past December in Italy, entitled Amanda e gli altri: vite perdute intorno al delitto di Perugia ('Amanda and the others : lost lives around the crime of Perugia'). Written by Fiorenza Sarzanini, a correspondent with Il Corriere della Sera, one of Italy's most important papers, this book examines the journals, blogs, diaries and evidence (as it was known at the time of publication) of a crime that has shocked Italy.


The book is an interesting mix of primary source material of various accounts from several people involved, including Amanda and her boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito. The story was featured on 48 Hours, an American program that reports on cold cases and unsolved crimes this past April, 2008 (you can read the story and watch excerpts here) that's main role, at least in my opinion, was to cast a poor light on the Italian police and justice system and to cast doubt in how evidence was gathered and how witnesses were not interviewed.

This book by Ms. Sarzanini is well-written and seems well-researched by has caused some controvery by the subject of the book, with her and her supporters having made an attempt to block the sale and publication of the book. They argue that the book will taint any potential pool of jurors as well as poison Italian public opinion even before the case is heard. The video (from La7's Omnibus Life) discusses the book and the attempts to block the book's publication. I can only surmise that as of writing this blog piece, that they've been unsuccessful since the book is still available for purchase online.

So what to make of the book? First, I think that we should all remember that anyone accused is innocent until proven guilty, and that has not yet occurred. As you read the book (if you read it, that is...), please keep in mind that Amanda has not been sentenced or judged and that the case is still an open one. Second, the book is one journalist's attempts to collect together the evidence to allow the reader to make their own decision -- I didn't find that the author made any huge judgments against those accused and really does a great job at recreating the environment in Perugia, for better or for worse. The author even gives Amanda a voice through which she recounts Amanda's actions, life and experiences in Perugia through Amanda's own writings, and in the book, the author notes that Amanda maintains her innocence throughout. It should be noted that the Italian justice system seems slow, but also there is no death penalty, and even capital cases such as this never really mean life in prison for the accused. Whether this book will have the effect that its detractors think, is hard to tell. Will anyone even have remembered the book a year or two from now?

As for reading the book, you'll probably have to purchase it yourself since, as of this date, it is owned only by one library in the United States (according to Worldcat).

To learn more about the case, check out this article from the BBC. You'll find an abundance of articles in the Italian press as well as many papers in the United States.