Book Review - Picking Cotton

Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton (St. Martins Press: New York, 2009)

This book is disturbing, but compelling. It is the memoir of a woman who was raped back in 1984 in Burlington, North Carolina. The description of the attack is frightening, but it is a very small part of the story. After the rape Jennifer did all the right things; she notified the police, submitted to countless interviews and forensic tests. As most of her family stayed distant, she continued to hang tough, cooperating with police and identifying her attacker. No matter what the system asked her to do, what parts of her life they wanted to expose, Jennifer stayed clear to her purpose: identify the man who did this so he could not do it again.

Ronald Cotton was drifting through life, and had experienced a few run-ins with the law. When told the police were looking for him, he went down to the station himself to straighten out the misunderstanding. Instead, he found himself identified as the rapist. He was eventually convicted, with the primary evidence being Jennifer Thompson’s eyewitness identification of him and began to spend a life sentence in the custody of the North Carolina prisons. But Ronald Cotton always maintained his innocence and eleven years later, that innocence was revealed as DNA evidence exonerated him. It is then that the story in this book gets interesting.

This is not a book about DNA evidence. It is not a book about the criminal trial procedure. It is not a book about a rape victim who becomes a vigilante or a convict who fulfills the expectation of the system that sent him to prison. It is not a book about the injustice of a southern judicial system convicting a black man on the word of a white woman. All of those elements are present, but none of them override.

Astonishingly, this is a book about forgiveness. Because when Jennifer Thompson discovered that her eyewitness identification of Ronald Cotton had put the wrong man in prison for eleven years, she was sure that he could never forgive her. And although she had gotten on with her life, some part of her was imprisoned in the hate and fear that awful night in 1984 had placed in her heart.

The blogger heard about this book during an interview with Jennifer and Ronald on All Things Considered. To hear these two speak is an important part of this story, because the love and forgiveness in their voices is absent from the printed page.

That kind of forgiveness and love comes from a source way beyond what most of us experience every day. It is the kind that we could all use more of in our lives.

Read this book. Love one another. Forgive.

/kw

This is the kind of book that the Friends of Reston Regional Library help to provide through our Used Book Sales and other activities that raise money for Reston Regional Library specifically, and Fairfax County Public Libraries in general. The Friends of Reston Regional Library, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity. We rely on your donations and thank you for your participation.

Wordzzle Saturday

If you've never played Wordzzle with us, you need to try! Raven gives us words -- a choice to use 10 (challenge), 5 (mini) or all 15 (maxi). You use them in a paragraph or really short story. Then publish them on your blog and link to Raven. If you don't have a blog, send them to restonfriendspr@gmail.com and we'll publish them for you. It is THAT simple! Get those creative juices flowing!

The words this week were:

Challenge: reluctant, sacrilege, territory, humiliating, master of ceremonies, gesture, dirty deed, crumbling, thaw, token

Mini: official portrait, unbearable, widow, shoulder bone, personal bank account

From Charly:

Dear Janice,

I'm writing from the airport waiting for a flight out, but thought you'd be happy to know my OFFICIAL PORTRAIT has been completed. As it was painted outdoors, it was almost UNBEARABLE sitting in the heat we're experiencing. My favorite aunt, WIDOW Murphy, as the family refers to her, has fallen and has broken her SHOULDER BONE and arm. She has asked that I pay her a visit and help her with her PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNT as well as the Medicare papers and hospital bills that are piling up. At her age she shouldn't have to worry about her finances; thus the trip to help and ease her mind. My flight has just been called so I have to go. I'll be in touch and when I return we'll discuss the autobiography you're writing about me. I think the title needs to be a bit more classy; not, Here's Connie, Gov of Virginia...(yes, I know you're teasing)..take care,

Connie

From Kit:

Sitting for an- official portrait,

the Senator's wife - sat still..

She smiled - as was expected,

her thoughts were - she'd rather have a pill..

For her shoulder bone was hurting,

and she didn't - exactly know why..

Her mind was fraught - with worry,

and the pain - made her, want to cry!

She hoped the cause - was not cancer,

that dreaded word - humans always fear..

For that would be - so unbearable,

for the loved ones - she holds dear..

Stop the worrying - she said to self,

get these negative thoughts - from mind..

For needless concerns and worries,

are simply - a waste of time..!

The widow - painting the portrait,

said that - she was now done..

I paid her from - my personal bank account,

Since the portrait - is for my son..

I then left the house - had much to do,

and found I felt better - along the way..

Perhaps the ache - was no more than stress,

Oh well, I said - I'll think about all this another day!

From the blogger:

Standing on the stage before the cheering audience, Dr. Hill was a RELUCTANT hero. He had worked his way out of Iran through the mountains to Turkey. As he traversed the last mile of CRUMBLING road he had wondered how on earth he was going to take care of a little girl. It was HUMILIATING to admit that the man who knew everything about the culture of the Medes before the time of Christ knew nothing about how to comfort a small child when she cried in the night.

And cry Laila did. Her parents came with her to the border, gave Dr. Hill their precious daughter and all the documents that would enable him to get her to the U.S., and then turned back to head for their home. But word had traveled that these Christian Iranians had committed the SACRILEGE of entrusting their daughter to an American and they had been attacked in the lawless TERRITORY on the way back. After weeks of no contact, and frantic telephone calls, Dr. Hill had received a telegram telling him that he was now solely responsible for Laila, that her parents were dead.

He came out of his revery to hear the MASTER OF CEREMONIES asking, “Dr. Hill? Dr. Hill?” Bracing himself, he stepped up the microphone and said, “while I appreciate the acclamation of my colleagues, my heart is burdened by the loss of our colleagues, Mohsin and Yasmin. The unfinished work that Mohsin and Yasmin went back for remains unfinished. Those who did the DIRTY DEED remain free to kill again. It saddens me that religious zealotry can injure individuals, families, and even cultures and yet remain unpunished. I hope that some future THAW in relations between our countries will allow their work to go forward.

The way I was able to escape was to use some diamonds for payment. I arrived in the U.S. with some of those diamonds still intact. They were given to me by my grandfather, a self-taught archeologist, many years ago. He referred to them as my “get out of jail” stash. Now I’d like to dedicate the value of these diamonds to a scholarship fund for young archeologists who flee repressive regimes so that they can pursue intellectual honesty. A preference will go to those who continue to specialize in their home cultures so they will be prepared to return when it is safe.

This is only a small TOKEN of the debt that I owe Mohsin and Yasmin, and their precious daughter Laila.”

He turned to the little girl sitting next to the dais, “Laila, will you come up here please?” She trembled as she stepped up on the stool that had been placed there for her. “Will you please tell your professional colleagues here what those fragments you found were from?”

The little girl took a deep breath and then clearly said, “my Ami-father, Dr. Hill, tells me they are part of a wall. The markings on them show they are related to the time period of Darius the Great.” She took a quick glance at Hill and then continued, “someday I want to go back to excavate what my father and I found. I hope that by the time I am grown up, there will be peace so I can finish his work.” Her eyes overflowed as she turned into Dr. Hill and buried herself in his arms.

Archeologists aren’t known for being overly emotional, but there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Dr. Hill carried the little girl from the room. Wild cheering accompanied him.

As he made his way over towards the elevator Dr. Hill heard his name called. “Dr. Hill, may I ride up with you?” an attractive 30-something woman GESTURED to him. “I’m Louisa Ferren. I’ve been studying the period of time Laila spoke of for years. May I sit at her feet later this week and learn from her?” Laila’s eyes widened. This beautiful woman thought that Laila knew something worth studying! Hill smiled – this young woman was bright and bold. “I think you’d need to ask Laila, but right now it’s her bedtime. Give me your contact info and I’ll call you tomorrow.” Louisa cheerfully complied and wished them a good evening as the elevator closed.

Laila smiled as Dr. Hill tucked her in. “You’re singing inside your head,” she said. “Am I?” asked Hill. He smiled back, “I guess I am. You did a very good job tonight. I was proud of you and I was so pleased to be able to establish the scholarship in your parents’ names. Now, let’s say our prayers and tuck you in.”

“Ami-father,” Laila asked, “what is your Christian name? I only hear everyone call you Dr. Hill or Hill.”

“If I tell you, it will be our secret, okay? You can’t tell anyone else,” he said. He leaned close and whispered softly into her ear. Her eyes danced with mirth. “Now, good night,” he said, and eased out of the room.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: superlative, flea market, falling leaves, disinformation, who was that masked man?, keeping kids out of trouble, I'm a believer, bonnet in the attic, staff, generation

For the mini challenge: deep in the forest, government, charming, heirlooms, flabbergasted

/kw

The Heat of August

August - sticky, muggy, hot and drippy. Many people leave town for a last vacation and to escape the weather. Many whose jobs are linked to Congress leave when Congress leaves. But for those of us who stay behind, there are great treats in store!

August 8 - Drum Circle (pre-school), openings still available

August 11 - Busia Bear's Annual Film Festival (family)

August 17 - Journey to the Jungle with Animal Ambassadors (School Age), openings still available

August 22-23 - First Ever Children's & Young Adult Used Book Sale (with teaching materials too!)

In other words, you can visit the Reston Regional Library on a regular basis and still find something new to do! And did you know there are new books being placed on the shelves on a regular basis too? That's partially due to the Friends of the Reston Regional Library making funds available to our library for whatever will enhance the library for our entire community.

For more details on the programs above, go to this link.

/kw