The book “Take me with you – Talks with Amanda Knox in prison” by Rocco Girlanda, President of the Italy-USA Foundation, was published in Italy by Edizioni Piemme. The book is the true story of a bond of friendship which developed a little at a time with an Italian lawmaker, member of Italian Parliament, who repeatedly visited her in jail. The author’s proceeds will be entirely donated to the Italy-USA Foundation, as an initiative for promoting friendship between Italy and the United States of America. The English edition is available as e-book on Amazon.com. Below you may read a translation of the introduction written by the Hon. Rocco Girlanda.

This book arrived by chance after the many meetings with Amanda which I wrote about as precisely and detailed as possible in a private and personal diary. A series of notes, at times a bit disorganized, written only for me, and that’s how you’ll read them. I hope my readers will forgive me for this. I never met Amanda’s family, her parents, her friends, her lawyers, all the people involved with her on the outside. I had no contacts with them, whether by phone or any other means. As I also say at the end of the book, my thoughts and my decisions answer only to my own conscience. Everything that came about was because I wanted to know more about this American girl who is the same age as one of my daughters. A girl going through the most dramatic experience of her life. I wasn’t interested in knowing Amanda Knox; I was interested in knowing Amanda. I believe that over so many months and so many meetings, I managed to do this. And in the same way I believe that over time a lovely friendship was born. And I hope it will continue after, clean, disinterested and spontaneous, just as it has been up to now.

The America Award ceremony, promoted by Italy-USA Foundation, will be held in Rome on October 7, 2010, 18:00, at Italian Parliament, Conference Hall of Palazzo Marini, under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic, Hon. Giorgio Napolitano. The jury has awarded Renzo Arbore, singer and musician, Renato Balestra, fashion designer, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, actress, Alain Elkann, writer and journalist, Piero Fassino, EU special envoy for Burma, Mike James, president of Seattle-Perugia Association, Paolo Mieli, president RCS Books, Umberto Paolucci, vicepresident Microsoft Corporation. A special award will be conferred in memory of Oriana Fallaci, writer and journalist. The Italy-USA Foundation, in the frame of the America Award, will also confer three medals of the President of the Italian Republic to three students of American universities: Colleen Calvey, Grzegorz Robak, Matthew Ruggirello. The ceremony will be introduced by the President of Italy-USA Foundation, Hon. Rocco Girlanda, the compere will be the television anchor Veronica Maya. It is necessary to send an email confirming participation.

The book “Take me with you – Talks with Amanda Knox in prison” written by Rocco Girlanda, President of the Italy-USA Foundation, was illustrated on NBC.

The book “Take me with you – Talks with Amanda Knox in prison” by Rocco Girlanda, President of the Italy-USA Foundation, will be soon published in Italy by Edizioni Piemme. On December 13, 2009 a delegation of the Italy-USA Foundation visited Amanda Knox in prison where she granted the first and only interview in the course of her incarceration. Following worldwide echo of the albeit short interview Amanda Knox gave, the President of the Foundation continued to visit her in jail, following her case and keeping a diary of the meetings they had. During the meetings in prison, through the pain, Amanda dealt with a number of previously undisclosed sides of her life. “I describe in the book the deep differences between her distorted media image and her real traits” Girlanda said. The book is also the true story of a strong bond of friendship which developed a little at a time with an Italian lawmaker, member of Italian Parliament, who repeatedly visited her in jail. The English edition will be also available. The author’s proceeds will be entirely donated to the Italy-USA Foundation, as an initiative for promoting friendship between Italy and the United States of America.

The US Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ertharin Cousin, meets the President of the Italy-USA Foundation Hon. Rocco Girlanda. Ambassador Cousin, since many years a friend and a supporter of President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle, passed on her congratulations to the Italy-USA Foundation.