Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus to write book on abduction, imprisonment

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two of the three women held captive for about 10 years in a house in Cleveland, are working on a book. And they’ve got some heavy-hitters to help them.

The book, about their years of imprisonment and daring escape, will be co-written by Pulitzer Prize winners Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, a married team of Washington Post reporters. Jordan is a Cleveland native.

Also on Berry and DeJesus’ side is Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who has negotiated book deals for Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush, Bob Woodward, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Sarah Palin, Amanda Knox and more. Barnett’s office released a statement about the book to the Associated Press on Monday afternoon.

“Many have told, and continue to tell, this story in ways that are both inaccurate and beyond the control of these young women,” Berry and DeJesus’ attorney James Wooley told ABC news. Gina, Amanda and their families have decided to take control and are now interested in telling the story of what happened to them.”

As young women, Berry and DeJesus -- along with a third woman, Michelle Knight -- were abducted in separate incidents by bus driver Ariel Castro from 2002 to 2004 and held captive in his house. They survived sexual assaults, beatings, starvation and abuse. In May, Berry led an escape and the women were freed.

All three women are thought to have kept diaries documenting their experiences in captivity.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts and was sentenced to serve life in prison plus 1,000 years. He was found hanged in his prison cell in September.

Although the AP reports that so far, Barnett has not met with any potential publishers, similar stories of survival from Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard have been bestsellers.

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