Framing Innocence

July 5, 2010
Poet Powell (The Zones of Paradise) unravels the protracted legal battle over a mother's seemingly harmless photograph and the uproar it caused. In 1999, Cynthia Stewart and her partner, David Perrotta, lived with their eight-year-old daughter, Nora, in Oberlin, Ohio. Since Nora's birth, Cynthia had regularly photographed her, both clothed and unclothed. When someone at the lab developing her film found a photo of Nora in the tub, rinsing off with the shower nozzle, the police were alerted. Cynthia was arrested on suspicion of child pornography and eventually charged with two felonies by prosecutor Greg White, who was known for his hard-nosed approach. Powell, whose son was Nora's friend, spearheaded the town's effort to support Cynthia and David through the emotional—and financial—stresses of the legal fight, which soon included threats from Children Services to remove Nora from the home. Pinning down a definition for obscenity is notoriously tricky, and Powell is smart to leave all but the most basic points of the legal wrangling out of her account, which is the compelling story of a mother who stood by her principles and the community that shored her up.

September 1, 2010
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 photosand had no prior record for this kind of activitydid 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 Stewarts 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)