Though terrified, she thinks about her choices. Shut up or I’ll cut you!” Jennifer is being raped at knifepoint. In the summer of July 1984, Jennifer is awakened from sleep around 3 AM, perhaps by a noise but definitely knowing something was amiss. It is highly recommended for students of criminal justice, fans of memoir, and anyone interested in the issues of racism, compassion, and unburdening one’s self of past traumas.Jennifer Thompson was a student at Elon College in Burlington, North Carolina. Picking Cotton is an indictment of the often-haphazard nature of eyewitness testimony, the poisonous effects that racism can have on law enforcement and trials, and a celebration of the power of forgiveness. As the book concludes, Jennifer tells him that she is glad she picked him, and he says he understands. Eventually they begin speaking in tandem at activist events and even travel together. Ronald forgives Jennifer and feels no anger for her, which allows her to begin forgiving herself.

They eventually meet and grow fond of each other. On a media appearance on Larry King Live, Ronald says that he would like to hear from Jennifer, in her own words. The primary focus of Part 3 is the unlikely friendship that grows between them. Jennifer’s experience after Ronald’s release is very different: she is consumed with guilt over her mistake and fears that Ronald may take revenge on her or her family. He meets a woman named Robbin, whom he marries and has a daughter with. Ronald’s account of his life after prison is about struggling to find work, to become independent, and in not knowing exactly what to do with himself. Part 3 is written by both Ronald and Jennifer, in alternating points of view that change with each chapter. After a DNA test proves that he was never in Jennifer’s apartment, he is released, which concludes Part 2. Ronald eventually commits to being peaceful and in maintaining his humanity at all costs. He has to fight to survive and he struggles frequently with his rage at the injustice of his situation. Much of Part 2 details Ronald’s experience in various prisons. Instead, he will not have his freedom for 11 years.

He goes to the police station to clear his name.

As a black man in the south, he knew he was innocent but had little hope of convincing anyone. He describes his background and youth briefly before giving his account of the night he was accused of Jennifer’s rape. She alternates between venomous rage, extreme shame and guilt, and helplessness. Part 1 ends with Ronald going to prison and Jennifer praying that he will both burn in hell and experience rape while he is incarcerated. After a brief introduction in which Jennifer reveals that she will go on to be responsible for Ronald’s unjust incarceration, she recounts the night of the rape, the police investigation and lineup, Ronald’s trial, and his conviction. The book is written in three first-person parts.

Picking cotton memoir