Rating: 4 stars
On a summer night in 1984, 23-year-old Jennifer Thompson awoke to a black man hiding next to her bed, who then raped her at knifepoint. During the incident Jennifer convinced herself that she would not forget his face and committed every detail to memory.
Finding an opportunity for escape, Jennifer ran naked to a neighbor’s house. The neighbor called the police and watched the assailant circled their house as they waited. Jennifer later learned that another woman had also been raped in a similar manner, not far from her apartment. Although the second victim was unable to identify her attacker during the line up, Jennifer identified Ronald Cotton, who also happened to be the only suspect in the room.
Ronald Cotton did have a history of crime and made an error regarding dates and times when giving his alibi to the police. Despite his unwavering declaration of innocence, Ronald Cotton was tried and convicted on the testimony of Jennifer Thompson and sentenced to life. During his imprisonment, Ronald met an inmate named Bobby Poole who admitted to the rapes Ronald was convicted of. After many attempts at proving his innocence, including another hearing that now allowed the second victim to name Ronald as her attacker and excluded any information regarding Bobby Poole, justice once again eluded Ronald.
After serving more than ten years for a crime he didn’t commit, Ronald Cotton was permitted to take advantage of new-found technology called DNA testing to compare his DNA against blood found at Jennifer’s apartment. The results were negative, finally proving his innocence. Two years later, Donald and Jennifer met and began a very unlikely friendship and now work together to shed light on other inmates who are in a similar situation.
The book was written with sections and chapters trading off between Jennifer and Ronald, giving their perspective on events. Despite everything, Ronald never seemed to give in to anger, despair or hatred. I would have found this book far-fetched, romanticized for publicity, had I not been watching TV the day Ronald Cotton was released from prison. It was heartbreaking that this young man lost 11 years of his life; time he could never get back. I remember watching Ronald walk out with his head held high, happy to be free. No words can describe the greatness of a man who lost everything, yet has nothing but forgiveness in his heart.
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Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 3, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0312376536