books

Roman Polanski Took the Photo on the Cover of His Rape Victim’s Book

When Samantha Geimer (then Samantha Gailey) was 13, Roman Polanski drugged and raped her. Now she’s written a memoir called The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski, which comes out in September. Geimer said in 2012 that the book was a chance for her to “reclaim [her] identity,†and to that end, the cover of the book is a close-up portrait of her — a photo Polanski himself took in 1977, a few weeks before the rape.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the photograph of Geimer is one of several that was not uncovered until a civil suit in 1988.

Jeez, talk about a powerful image.

Roman Polanski’s Rape Victim Reclaims Photo