Guest Blogger

From time to time we host a guest blogger. Cindy Welch is a forensics and biology instructor on our campus. She submitted this book review. It is always interesting to discover what other people are reading. I found her book selection interesting and look to add it to my ever growing stack of "want to read." -Mrs. Castille


Picking Cotton
by Jennifer Thompson Canino and Ronald Cotton

This book is written from two different points of view: that of a victim, Jennifer Thompson Canino and that of an accused man, Ronald Cotton. The book recounts the traumatic experience of Jennifer being sexually assaulted in her college apartment. It describes her emotional state, what happened during and after the assault. Jennifer experienced a botched line-up in an attempt to identify her attacker. Jennifer picked Ronald Cotton. Jennifer was wrong. The incident took place before DNA analysis was available. Jennifer explains how she survived in the months and years after her attack. Ronald describes his life behind bars. Eleven years spent serving a sentence for a crime he didn't commit. He endured many personal battles while in prison with other inmates, including meeting the man that did commit the crime. The book is a beautiful expression of the hardships each of these people faced and how they overcame obstacles to find a friend in the other. This gives a detailed look at the investigation of the case and of their lives afterward. In the end, it is about forgiveness, maintaining a positive outlook and never losing hope.
-Guest blogger, Cindy Welch