In 1984, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was raped. She picked 22-year-old Ronald Cotton out of a lineup. He was convicted and sentenced to life plus 50 years in prison.
Eleven years later, DNA evidence proved Cotton innocent.
Somehow, the two have forged a friendship in the years since. The book they wrote with help from journalist Erin Torneo tells the unlikely story from both perspectives and touches on the pair's mission to educate people about flaws in the criminal justice system.
This month, Thompson-Cannino and Cotton will be in Hickory to talk about their story.
"Picking Cotton" is required summer reading for every freshman going to UNC-Chapel Hill this fall. The local alumni group, the Foothills Carolina Club, continues its tradition of organizing a community read around the selection.
And members shelled out about $1,500 to bring the authors to town this year. The Aug. 17 appearance by Cotton and Thompson-Cannino will be open to anyone who is interested.
It is at 7 p.m. in the Patrick Beaver Memorial Library.
"We want the community to benefit from the message of the book," said Eric Sipe, president of the club. "This is an incredible story of how these two people can reconcile and form a bond after all that happened."
Club members hope, however, that people who attend will make donations to help cover the cost. Sipe also asks that audience members e-mail him in advance at unifour
sais@gmail.com so members can prepare for the audience size.
"Picking Cotton" is a New York Times bestseller. Hickory Public Libraries and Catawba County Libraries have copies of the book.
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