Overview of the credible true story of two lives forever changed by a heinous crime committed in 1984.

1. PICKING COTTON: Our
Memoir of Injustice and
Redemption
Presented by Professor LaLinda Street

2. Written By:
*JenniferThompsonCannino*Ronald Cotton*Erin
Torneo

3. Jennifer
Thompson
Jennifer ThompsonCannino lives with her
family in North Carolina.
She is a member of the
North Carolina Actual
Innocence Commission
and is a member of the
advisory committee for
Active Voices.

4. Ronald Cotton
Ronald Cotton lives
in North Carolina
and is a public
speaker. He travels
to different schools
across the country
telling his story.

5. Erin Torneo lives in
Connecticut. She has cowritten two books: Picking
Cotton and The Bridal
Wave.
Erin Torneo served basically
as an editor of this memoir

6. A Story of Recovery and
Forgiveness
This is a novel of a woman passion and
determination to find justice for a heinous
and stocking crime she endured at the age
of twenty-two, while attending Elon
University. The novel will take the readers
on a journey of discovering the truth, the
power of faith and the beauty of
forgiveness.

7. Overview
 In July 1984, Jennifer was raped when someone
broke into her apartment in the middle of the night
after having a composite image drawn, Ronald
Cotton was identified as a suspect. Jennifer chose
Ronald's picture out of a photograph lineup and a
few days later also chose him in a physical line-up.

8. Novel Point of View
The novel is written in split first
person, whereby both characters are
presenting their unique point of view
of emotions, perspectives and
knowledge of events.

9. Major Themes of the Novel
Redemption
Injustice
Patience
Judicial Reform
Forgiveness
Friendship

10. Jennifer Writing Style
Jennifer often uses rhetorical
questioning. The purpose behind this
strategy is to give the reader a view of
her internal monologue.

11. Example of Jennifer Rhetorical
Questioning
"The monster had my name but did he
have a family? Was I the first woman he
had done this to?“
"I knew what I'd seen. I would never forget
that face. How could I?"

12. Ronald Cotton
Writing Style
Ronald often uses
metaphors to describe his
experiences. The purpose
behind this strategy is to
exaggerates reality in order
to show his true attitude.

13. Example of Ronald’s Metaphor
Usage
"The weight of the
world was on me,
sucking me down
into a darkness I
didn't think I could
swim out of.“

14. Novel Credibility
Throughout the entire book, both
Jennifer and Ronald insert personal
letters they had written and interviews
they had experienced. The purpose
in these inserts is to add credibility to
the book