We specialize in hard to find items
All Categories
Framing Innocence: A Mother's Photographs, a Prosecutor's Zeal, and a Small Town's Response
Share Tweet
*Price and Stocks may change without prior notice
*Packaging of actual item may differ from photo shown
- Electrical items MAY be 110 volts.
- 7 Day Return Policy
- All products are genuine and original
About Framing Innocence: A Mother's Photographs, A
Product Description The story of how innocent photographs taken by a mother of her child became the heart of a wrenching legal battle--an unforgettable book that "restores the truth of a family's life" ( Sally Mann, photographer). Ten years ago, amateur photographer and school bus driver Cynthia Stewart dropped off eleven rolls of film at a drugstore near her home in Ohio. The rolls contained photographs of her eight-year-old daughter Nora, including two of the child in the shower--photos that would cause the county prosecutor to arrest Cynthia, take her away in handcuffs, threaten to remove her daughter from her home, and charge her with crimes that carried the possibility of sixteen years in prison. The disturbing case would ultimately attract national attention--including stories in USA Today and on NPR--and supporters including the famed photographer Sally Mann, Katha Pollitt, and the ACLU. Written by poet Lynn Powell, a neighbor of Cynthia Stewart's, this riveting and beautifully told story plumbs the perfect storm of events and people that threatened a loving family in a small American town. Framing Innocence features a determined prosecutor; a fundamentalist Christian anti-porn crusader who is appointed as Cynthia's daughter's guardian; the local attorneys for whom the case would become a crucible; and the many neighbors--friends and strangers, Republican and Democrat-- who come together to fight for sanity and for justice for Cynthia and her family. From Booklist In 1999 Cynthia Stewart, a mother, respected member of the community, and amateur photographer, was arrested and accused of child pornography, based on snapshots she took of her daughter in the shower. The fact that she had no intention of publishing or distributing the photos—and had no prior record for this kind of activity—did not dissuade the aggressive prosecutor. Powell, who lived in the same community and had a passing acquaintance with Stewart, chronicles in month-by-month detail Stewart’s battles to prove her innocence, and keep custody of her daughter. The story that unfolds is a fascinating cautionary tale of a criminal justice system both intent on finding criminals where none may exist and weighted against the poor and the powerless. Especially terrifying is the evidence Powell reveals that other moms, many single mothers, many in middle or lower incomes, have been similarly charged, and, in some cases, convicted for similarly innocent family photos. Powell is a facile writer, and her closeness to the material adds a subjective element to the story that makes it more immediate and compelling. --Jack Helbig Review "Thoroughly and fairly reported." -- The Wall Street Journal A "well-written, absorbing book." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer "Powell is a gifted writer, and her ability to convey the complex characters and emotions . . . raises Framing Innocence above other books of its kind. . . . [An] intelligent, beautifully written book." -- Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee A "gripping true story." -- MORE magazine: Great Read, November 2010 "An unsettling story bound to grip readers with its own quest for justice, understanding, and truth." -- New York Journal of Books About the Author Lynn Powell is the author of two books of poetry, Old & New Testaments and The Zones of Paradise, and has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. tk
