Samantha Geimer, the woman who director Roman Polanski was convicted of raping when she was 13-years-old in 1977, has written a memoir and unveiled a disturbing cover photo for the book. She and her publisher decided to use a photo Polanski himself took of her.
The Hollywood Reporter first showed the cover on Wednesday. The cover features Geimer at 13 and was taken on Feb. 20, 1977, just three weeks before Polanski drugged and raped her during a modeling shoot at Jack Nicholson’s house.
During the session when Polanski took the photo she chose for the cover, Polanski talked her into posing topless for other photos. Geimer, now 50, has decided to use the photo to take back her story, since the media frequently uses pictures of Polanski when it covers the incident. She wants to make sure that this is no longer just about the film director.
The Girl: Emerging from the Shadow of Roman Polanski was announced in October and is being published by Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books imprint. It will be released on Sept. 17.
In 1988, Geimer filed a civil suit against Polanski and during the case, the photos he took of her surfaced. Lawrence Silver, her attorney, forced the Chinatown director to hand over photos and even more surfaced later.
“I am more than a 'Sex Victim Girl' [and] I offer my story now without rage, but with purpose -- to share a tale that will reclaim my identity,” Geimer said in the October announcement.
Polanski has not returned to the U.S. since 1978 and works in France and Switzerland.
image: The Hollywood Reporter/Simon & Schuster