Angel Face: The True Story of Student Killer Amanda Knox

By Barbie Latza Nadeau
205 Pages (Paperback)
Date Published: April 6, 2010

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Despite all the airtime devoted to Amanda Knox, it’s still hard to reconcile the fresh-faced honor student from Seattle with the sexually rapacious killer convicted of the November 2007 murder of her British roommate. Few Americans have heard all of the powerful evidence that convinced a jury that Knox was one of three people to sexually assault Meredith Kercher, brutalize her body, and cut her throat. In Angel Face, Rome-based Daily Beast senior writer Barbie Latza Nadeau – who cultivated personal relationships with the key figures in both the prosecution and the defense – describes how the Knox family’s heavy-handed efforts to control media coverage distorted the facts, inflamed an American audience, and painted an offensive, inaccurate picture of Italy’s justice system. An eye-opener for any parent considering sending a child away to study, Angel Face reveals what really went on in this incomprehensible crime.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am not a big news watcher nor do I pay too much attention to Current Events.  So the story of Amada Knox and Meredith Kercher was something I only vaguely remember.  The girls were roommates, one from America and the other Britain, through an International College exchange program.  The book tells the whole story from the view of one of the press members who is also the book author, Barbie Latza Nadeau.

The book is relatively short (205 pages) and is really a quick read, especially for me since I didn’t know the story so I wanted to keep reading.  It talks about the girls families and lives as they met and became friends, then got busy and pursued other interests.  It is fascinating though to hear house life in Perugia was for these girls and how the town is.  Basically Perugia is a drug and party town for the students and it is well known for it, and the townspeople look the other way grateful for the tourist money.  The legal system and authorities also work different there so I can’t even imagine trying to navigate a trial there.  It was amazing how Amanda’s family stuck by her through the end. I feel the story was very well written and even though it is written from a member of the press she really does give both sides there justice and credits, basically she wrote it without bias.

I would recommend “Angel Face” to any fan of True Crime or non-fiction or any parent/child who is planning on studying abroad!  Actually though what happened to the girls could happen anywhere and it teaches a lesson how drugs can make you do things you don’t mean to and will forget.  One night’s mistake can change so many lives.

BUY IT: You can buy “Angel Face: The True Story of Student Killer Amanda Knox” at your local bookstore or check it out on Amazonfor $10.17.

Mama’s Money Savers Disclosure: I was sent this book to review from ijustfinished.com. Please see my Disclosure Policy.