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    Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
    Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
    Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
    Audiobook7 hours

    Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption

    Written by Ronald Cotton, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Erin Torneo

    Narrated by Richard Allen and Karen White

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. She was able to escape and eventually identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken-but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After eleven years, Ronald was allowed to take a DNA test that proved his innocence. He was released after serving more than a decade in prison for a crime he never committed. Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face-and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives.

    In their own words, Jennifer and Ronald unfold the harrowing details of their tragedy, and challenge our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9781400181520
    Author

    Ronald Cotton

    RONALD COTTON lives with his wife and daughter in North Carolina. He has spoken at various schools and conferences including Washington and Lee University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Georgetown Law School, and the Community March for Justice for Troy Anthony Davis in Savannah, GA.

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    Reviews for Picking Cotton

    4.5/5

    156 ratings24 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Incredible story. Amazing people. I highly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful book about human strength and trials. A must read for anyone working in the criminal justice system
    • 5/5
      Jennifer was raped while in college. She identifies her attacker as Ronald Cotton. Ronald is sent to prison maintaining his innocence. After 11 years DNA in a case that occurred the same night, in the same neighborhood is sent to the lab to link Ronald Cotton to that case comes back as someone else's. Ronald's case is eventually dismissed and he is released from prison. Jennifer and Ronald join forces and speak about the injustices to be sure this not happen to others.
    • 5/5
      5657. Picking Cotton Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption, by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo (read 3 Nov 2019) This is a moving and fantastic book. It is a book co-authored by the victim of a brutal rape in North Carolina and the man she mistakenly identified as the rapist--at two separate trials. That man, Ronald Cotton, is the co-author (with help from Erin Torneo) of the book. Because of the false identification Cotton served 11 years in prison before DNA evidence showed he did not commit the rape. Then, after two years, Thompson and Cotton met and eventually became friends, and have appeared often at meetings to tell the story. I found the book incredibly moving and tear-jerking. The story is told, alternately, by the victim and the accused. The account of the rape by the victim is intensely filled with hate for the man she believed was the rapist. The trial was in the 1980's. If it had been earlier the accused would have been sentenced to death. The account of Cotton's time in prison is full of interest How fortunate that the United States Supreme Court had found that the death sentence could not be imposed for rape--else the innocent man might well have been killed by the State,. This is a searing book and very instructive on the doubtful value of eye-witness testimony.
    • 4/5
      I finished this yesterday and will be giving it 4 stars. It was pretty eye-opening about the number of overturned convictions. It just seems like we could be doing a better job at setting the innoocent free. It takes money and obviously if you are in prison, you ddo not have access to the resources required to fight this battle. Once again, it appears that are justice systemm has some serious flaws.
    • 5/5
      Excellent dual memoir that shows very clearly how wrongful convictions can happen. It is amazing that a rape victim and the wrongfully convicted man accused of the rape are able to forgive one another and actually become friends after DNA evidence and the confession of the actual rapist exonerated him after spending 11 years in prison. Amazing story with a much needed lesson in how the justice system can fail sometimes.
    • 5/5
      Very good true story of Ronald Cotton being wrjongly accused of rape by co author Jennifer Torrino.
    • 4/5
      Picking Cotton begins from the point of view of a woman who is raped at knifepoint by a stranger who has broken into her apartment. She identifies her attacker from a police lineup and he is sentenced to life in prison. He swears he is innocent. After spending eleven years in prison he is exonerated on DNA evidence. The woman identified the wrong man.

      I am really amazed by the authors of this book. Their emotional strength and capacity for forgiveness is unreal. The woman and the man she accused become friends and go on speaking tours together about issues surrounding the criminal justice system. To forgive someone who sent you to prison for eleven years is unreal. To have the courage to survive rape, deal with the guilt of accusing the wrong person, and ask his forgiveness is inspiring.

      It is an amazing story but the writing is clumsy at times. I heard an interview with the authors on NPR and I like their speaking much better than the writing. Still a good read. 3.5 stars.
    • 4/5
      Despite a few spots where the narrative betrays more than ghostwriter's voice than those of the principal actors, this account of a rape, subsequent proceedings and eventual exoneration and reconciliation is well-told. The larger moral is that eye-witness testimony is extraordinarily unreliable, yet our criminal justice system often relies upon nothing more than accusing finger-pointing to damn defendants to imprisonment and even death. Sobering account, a must-read for anyone so simple as to believe that only the guilty wind up in prison.
    • 5/5
      True story. Jennifer was raped in her apartment as a college student. She memorizes her rapist's features, then picks him out of a lineup at the police station later in the week. She testifies at the trial that he really is the right guy…twice. And Ronald Cotton is incarcerated for her rape. But he is innocent. 11 years later, he is exonerated, and Jennifer is mortified that she picked the wrong person in the line up. The true rapist wasn't in the line-up, and her memory, along with non-verbal cues from the police, caused her to believe that Ronald was the criminal. Now the two do joint public speaking engagements, and help law enforcement change practices, so this doesn't happen again.
    • 4/5
      Excellent book and a very different type of memoir regarding innocent prisoners and rape victims. Jennifer and Ronald seem to have a very unique relationship. I also found her take on the death of the man who actually raped her just mind-blowing! I don't think I would have been able to do that! Wish I'd known about this book sooner so I could have included it in an essay a few months back.
    • 4/5
      I am an attorney, and as an attorney you are taught to marshal the facts you have before you and organize them into a cogent argument for your position. That is what the prosecutor in this book did. However, this tunnel visioned manner of carrying out justice resulted in a man who was innocent being incarcerated for 11 years. This book is dually narrated by Ron Cotton, the man who was wrongfully incarcerated, and Jennifer Thompson, a woman who was raped and was certain that Cotton was the one who did this to her.
      I was really moved to see how these two people built a friendship across a boundary that seems insurmountable. So often in life you become angry at someone who you feel has wronged you and come to a place where you think you can never forgive. It is quite a lesson to try to understand how Ron Cotton could forgive Jennifer Thompson for supplying the erroneous eye witness testimony.
      I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the criminal justice system as well as anyone who is interested in developing their ability to forgive.
    • 3/5
      This is a compelling story about a rape, a wrongful conviction, correction and redemption. The writing is a bit choppy as the ghost writer was working with the words and memories of Jennifer and Ron as they remembered the events of the story. It's an important story that needs to be related and discussed to help all of us understand the inherent limitations of our criminal justice system.
    • 4/5
      I thought i would like this book a bit more. The interesting part was when the main character, Ronald Cotton, was in jail trying to prove his innocence. Also, it isn't often when a victim and an accused rapist become friends after the accused rapist is proven innocent.
    • 5/5
      Powerful, insightful, and shocking. Those are the three words I would choose to describe this story told by two very brave individuals. Jennifer: who suffered the horror of rape at the hands of a stranger who broke into her apartment. Ronald: who was unjustly accused of the crime and who had to endure years in prison, all the while knowing he was innocent. The narrative goes back and forth between Jennifer and Ronald and as each story was told I was kept spellbound. I listened to the book on CD and many times I didn't want to leave my car, I just wanted to keep listening as the two excellent narrators swept me into Ronald and Jennifer's story. I wanted to know how Jennifer was going to survive what happened to her, if she would ever find love and happiness, and how she would react when the truth came out. I wanted to know how Ronald could bear being falsely accused, how he could endure prison life (especially when he figured out that the real rapist was in the very same jail!) and of course just exactly how the truth would come out. What was more amazing was the story of the power of forgiveness, acceptance and faith that emerged as Ron helped Jennifer work through her emotions after having had years to process his own with the help of his family and his faith in God. Another interesting side-light is the way this book will challenge your perceptions of eye-witness testimony and our legal system. I highly recommend this book--give it a listen or read today!
    • 4/5
      I read this book for my book club and though I don't think it is beautifully written, it is definitely a compelling story. Who doesn't like to read of wrongs being righted? Jennifer Thompson was positive that she had identified correctly the man who broke into her home and raped her. She confidently testified to his identity in court and aided in his conviction and ultimate life sentence. However, DNA testing 11 years later proved she was wrong and that the man she was so sure about, Ronald Cotton, was not the man who raped her. Told in alternating voices, this book tells the story of these two people and how they came in the end to be friends - mostly because Cotton forgave Thompson and told her he wanted her to be happy. She had to learn to forgive herself and they both had to figure out what to do next with their lives. A very interesting story.
    • 5/5
      This is an EXCELLENT book. It is well-written and an amazing story of forgiveness and redemption. Amazing in every way.
    • 4/5
      Although I already knew the basic facts of this story from TV coverage, I wanted to read the whole story. When a book group picked it for the June read, I had to join in.********Minor Spoiler that you'll know anyway if you read the inside flap of the book *******Jennifer Thompson was a young woman when a young black man broke into her apartment and raped her at knife point. As it was happening, Jennifer had the presence of mind to try to memorize her attacker's face so that she could identify him later. She picked Cotton out of photos and a line-up, and he spent eleven years in prison, claiming innocence. The only problem is that in picking Cotton, Jennifer picked the wrong guy.This story is written from their separate viewpoints. Both were fascinating. Jennifer was urged to just get on with her life, and because she didn't fight the rapist, was made to feel it was her fault. Ronald had been in trouble before. Except for his family, everyone knew he was guilty.More than just the stories of these two very different people, this is a tale of our justice system, and about the reliability of eyewitness testimony. While there is much right with our justice system, there is still much wrong. Of course, I am not naive enough to believe that every person who says he is innocent actually is, or even that many of them are. Still, I can't help but wonder how many innocent people have been executed in the name of justice because of mistakes made and preconceived notions of guilt. The book is thought provoking and well written, a very good read.
    • 4/5
      On July 29, 1984, Jennifer Thompson was raped in her North Carolina apartment. She made a conscious effort to notice the details of her attacker's face and was able to pick him out of a lineup. Ronald Cotton was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. Eleven years later, new DNA testing revealed that Ronald Cotton was not Jennifer Thompson's attacker. This memoir, written by both Jennifer and Ron, explores forgiveness, redemption, and what you have to do to move on with your life. It's not the best-written thing I've ever read, but it's certainly an interesting and important story.
    • 5/5
      Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down (although it was slightly disconcerting to be from the area this story takes place... there was little separation from the reality of the story). This is the true story of a college student, Jennifer Thompson, who was raped. She identifies a man as her attacker, and he is given a life sentence. Two years later, he is granted a retrial, only to be convicted of an additional rape. Eleven years later, DNA proves what Ronald Cotton was saying all along- he was innocent. Remarkably, the story doesn't end there. Jennifer and Ronald discover what forgiveness and strength really mean. They become friends, and speak out against injustice in the justice system.
    • 5/5
      A moving story of courage & forgiveness through the eyes of both victims. Effectively puts you right there as the story unfolds from the begining of this horrible crime. A truely inspiring book for anyone who has had to forgive someone and anyone who thought they should not.
    • 4/5
      Read in 1 day!
    • 5/5
      In July 1984, Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by a black man in her own apartment. With courage and words, she survived and was able to use her memories of the night to bring her rapist to trial. In January 1985, her supposed rapist, Ronald Cotton, was sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Eleven long years later he was set free based on DNA evidence that proved that he was innocent of the crime. Now Ronald and Jennifer are what no one would expect - friends. Picking Cotton is first a brilliant indictment of the flaws in our justice system, flaws based on the inability of humans to ever be completely impartial, completely unprejudiced, and completely able to rely on their memories to perform dependably. It shows that despite our best efforts and intentions, the justice system can and does fail, and when it does, innocent people can surprisingly easily be put in prison for crimes they haven't committed. At the same time, though, Picking Cotton is about a victim, a victim each and every one us can sympathize with. A victim who just desperately wants to see her rapist go to jail so that she can stop existing in a constant terror and start living her life again. A victim who will do anything she can to make that happen, even if it means relying on a faulty memory. Above all, however, Picking Cotton is a transcendent story of forgiveness. Just as we hear from the victim and easily sympathize with her feelings, we also get the story from the man that she picked, the man that she helped to send to jail for her rape, the wrong man. In his own words, we follow Ronald Cotton through his eleven years of wrongful imprisonment, eleven years in which he managed to stay alive, to stay out of trouble despite being imprisoned with the man who he's certain actually committed the crime that has robbed him of his life, and to never give up hope that the truth would come to light and he would be exonerated. And yet, even after being robbed of eleven years of his life, when Jennifer requests a meeting with him, her heartfelt apology is met with his heartfelt forgiveness making Picking Cotton the story of the the unlikeliest pair of friends that can be imagined. In her blurb on the front cover, Janet Reno comments on the "human face" this book puts on the many issues facing the justice system, and I couldn't agree more. There are innumerable scholarly books on just such issues, but this book highlights those and does so much more by taking us inside a real story of two people both horribly wronged by the justice system. The writing really flows, the story is raw with the power to completely engage both readers' minds and emotions, and I heartily recommend it to everyone.
    • 5/5
      What a great book. This is not the typical genre of book that I read, so when I picked this up, a bit hesitantly I must add, I wasn't sure what to expect nor if I would even finish. Much to my surprise, four hours later, I turned the last page to one of the best books I've read all year. Why did I enjoy it so much? I'm actually not really sure. Like I mentioned, this is not the genre of book I usually enjoy. I don't have any particular empathy for the subject matter. No rape victims in my immediate family or friends. Nor have anyone I know been wrongly convicted of a crime serious or otherwise. I am not an activist for any kind of prisoner rights nor am I an advocate for special victim rights. What kept the pages turning for me? I suppose it was just the well written look into the lives of two people and their circumstances that brought them together and how their plight changed their lives and that of those around them. I finished the book, not with a renewed sympathy for either of the players, nor the cause that the represent and fought for, but instead found that this is a genre that I may enjoy in the future. I have found a new type of book to read and am looking forward to many more of this type. Kudos to Cotton and Jennifer for persevering and being able to bring their story to us. Well done.