Picking Cotton

Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo

St. Martin's Griffin

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A New York Times Bestseller
Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. She was able to escape, and eventually positively 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.

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Book trailer for the unforgettable true story of an unlikely friendship forged between a woman and the man she misidentified as her attacker and sent to prison for eleven years. In their new book, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton recount the harrowing details of their tragedy, challenging our ideas about memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness.

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Reviews

Praise for Picking Cotton

"Few stories of wrongful convictions have happy endings, but the one told by Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino is far different.  It is the powerful account of violence, rage, redemption, and, ultimately, forgiveness."
 —John Grisham
"The story of Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton, as told in first-person voices in this gripping, well-written book, is exceptional."
—St. Petersburg Times
“Even the most cynical reader will be impressed with Cotton’s resilience and grace.”
—The Washington Post
“Picking Cotton is the nonfiction title you must not overlook this year. It is as compelling as any fiction, yet the truth at its core will move you to tears.”
—The Louisville Courier-Journal
"Picking Cotton is ultimately an uplifting story of hope."
—The Charlotte Observer

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About the Author

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo

JENNIFER THOMPSON-CANNINO lives in North Carolina with her family. RONALD COTTON also lives with his wife and daughter North Carolina. ERIN TORNEO is a Los Angeles-based writer. She was a 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts Nonfiction Fellow. The authors received the 2008 Soros Justice Media Fellowship for this title.

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino
Ronald Cotton
Erin Torneo

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Available Formats and Book Details

Picking Cotton
Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Griffin
January 2010
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780312599539
ISBN10: 0312599536
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages, Includes one 8-page black-and-white photograph section
$14.99
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Hardcover

Learn more about this edition
Hardcover
St. Martin's Press
March 2009
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780312376536
ISBN10: 0312376537
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches, 304 pages, Includes eight pages of black-and-white photographs
$25.95
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e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
St. Martin's Press
January 2010
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429962155
ISBN10: 1429962151
304 pages, Includes eight pages of black-and-white photographs
$9.99
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