Got the book Picking Cotton in the mail yesterday and couldn't put it down, in fact I finished the book (over 300 pages) in one day. What a fantastic book and story of redemption, justice and forgiveness. It is the story of two people tragically thrown together because of a crime and mistaken identity.
Here is a snapshot of the book.
College student, Jennifer Thompson, was raped in 1984 at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. Wearing only a blanket, she escaped and told police she was certain she could identify the man who had been inches from her face. She eventually picked Ronald Cotton out of a lineup. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken—but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After serving eleven years in prison for a crime he never committed, Ronald was released when a DNA test proved his innocence.
Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face--and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In this true and inspiring story, Jennifer and Ronald offer an unprecedented first-person glimpse into what happens when the system fails both the victim and the accused. Paced like the most riveting of thrillers and packed with page-turning twists and turns, this unforgettable book challenges our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness.
The book is a beautiful picture of justice finally being done, and a man Ronald Cotton who spends eleven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, finds the faith to forgive the women who sent him to prison and go beyond forgiveness to forge a friendship with her that will last a lifetime.
If your looking for a great summer read, or just want to be reminded how beautiful forgiveness is, you must read this book.
Here is the trailer for the book:
The opening line of the preview, "The truth shall set you free... but the truth can also hurt you," followed by her story really makes me want to read this book, and I haven't read that many books all the way through.
When I do read it, I'll revisit this post.
However, I will share that I once heard from a guest speaker at a college service about how they lost one of their children to someone who was also their age, and they slowly but surely found the strength to forgive the young man, and even reduce his sentence. He still has had to deal with his punishment, but he atleast knows that the family who he went against cars, and understood that the family couldn't have their child back, but that they knew that he was sorry.
It was an amazing story then when it happen, and when I heard it.
You can hear about it here: http://www.sermonplayer.com/c/tree/ (Go to 11/11 and find "Renee Napier" and listen to it.
There are stories of forgiveness and redemption to be told... it's just up to people on both sides to be open to being a part of them and making them happen. Thankfully, we have a savior who fully understands this already, so that we can all become part of his story of our redemption.
Posted by: Alexander Wilhelmsen | July 26, 2009 at 03:01 AM