A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his … would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free.
But with no money and a different system of justice for a poor black man in the South, Hinton was sentenced to death by electrocution. He spent his first three years on Death Row at Holman State Prison in agonizing silence–full of despair and anger toward all those who had sent an innocent man to his death. But as Hinton realized and accepted his fate, he resolved not only to survive, but find a way to live on Death Row. For the next twenty-seven years he was a beacon–transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates, fifty-four of whom were executed mere feet from his cell. With the help of civil rights attorney and bestselling author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015.
With a foreword by Stevenson, The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times. Destined to be a classic memoir of wrongful imprisonment and freedom won, Hinton’s memoir tells his dramatic thirty-year journey and shows how you can take away a man’s freedom, but you can’t take away his imagination, humor, or joy.
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I loved every word of this inspiring, compelling story of one man’s faithful conviction that we are here for a purpose and that we can find both joy and and vindication in our trials. an honest and unexaggerated story of truth. I admire this author’s humility and philosophy of life. I would love to meet Anthony Ray Hinton and thank him for his courage and faith. He may never know how many lives he has touched, but I know I am better for reading his book.
I cannot even imagine being in a cell for 30 years. Ray’s ability to enlist God to turn around his peril for good was quite amazing. Everyone around him benefitted. And the two attorneys who diligently worked on his behalf did yeoman’s work to set him free. Leo and his mom were incredible supports too.
True story of Ray Hinton, innocent of crimes, spends 30 years on death row
How did he survive; how do you keep hoping tomorrow you’ll be free
A look at our justice system and it’s not pretty particularly if poor and black
An eye opener!
I had the opportunity to hear the author, Anthony Ray Hinton, speak at an event in Pittsburgh PA a few months ago. Mr. Hinton’s book is timely and relevant as the African American community and the nation grapple with the phenomenon of mass incarceration. It is the personal side of Cornell West’s and Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow. The strength and resilience of the human spirit to endure; to walk away from conditions the rest of us can’t begin to imagine, not embittered but empowered. Meeting him was indeed a pleasure.
One of the finest memoirs I’ve ever read.
The Sun Does Shine is an important complement to Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy and Michele Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Hinton’s firsthand account of wrongful imprisonment which landed him on Death Row in spite of his innocence is an important read for us all. Reading Hinton’s experience gave me a much better understanding of what Death Row prisoners face and the reality was horrifying. Something must change.
It’s an expose re. an innocent man who spent 30 years on death row in the Alabama prison system. Very detailed account of time spent in prison. Enlightening.
Imagine spending 30 years on Death Row for a crime/crimes you didn’t commit. Your strong alibi of being at work, 30 miles away, was never investigated. This is the story of a convicted (while innocent) Black man in Alabama, who did spend 30 years on Death Row beginning at age 29. His ability to persevere and hope inspired me. He even kept his sense of humor. He also inspired those who shared his Death Row address, even helping them find a sense of purpose.
Discussion at Book Club included the need for prison reform, examining old cases, and injustice. One in ten prisoners on Death Row are innocent. True statistic!
You can fine many articles about him and interviews with him online; these add depth to the non-fiction story.
Reading this increased my understanding and empathy for the reality of being an African-American. I fell in love with Mr. HInton while reading this. He is an amazing human being.
I read this book for my book club. I am very glad that I did. We hear so often of white privilege, but believe it doesn’t exist, but this book shows that it does. The state of Alabama wanted to execute an innocent, black man rather than to admit its horrible racist legal system. For thirty years this man remained on death row for a crime he did not commit. If not for an innocence project, he would be dead. I cried with guilt and pain for this man. What an outrage! The only saving grace is The was proven innocent. He is an inspiration for all of us.
Excellent true story. Anthony Ray Hinton is an inspiration to all of us. He was unjustifiably put into prison and found a way to not only survive but overcome terrible odds.
It showed the injustice some people have to go through.
One of the best books I have read in years. Well written and very challenging.
Listen to a man unjustly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Think about living on death row for decades for a crime you did not commit. Then think about what it is like to be found innocent and sent back into society after many decades!
Sorry for the time he spent in jail when he didn’t commit the crime.
Great reading. True story. Tragic waste of one mans life.
This is a true story that is at once heart-breaking and joyous. The writing is well done and easy to read. There are facts about the judicial system and death row that were astounding.
This book was such an eye-opener about our criminal justice system and how broken it is. It is a true story and one that touches your heart. It shows how quickly your life can take a turn for the worse and how your faith can be shaken to a point of no hope. This is a must read if you care about the future of our criminal justice system and friends and family whose lives are dramatically affected by the injustices of a broken process.
This was not just a story of a man falsely accused of murder and sentenced to death, but a narrative of the racism that runs through our judicial system. Good read and thought provoking.
Wow! This story is incredible! The story itself is compelling and fascinating. But the author tells it with a humble honesty and grace that he almost makes the journey for the reader easier. Just like how he protects his mother and Lester from the reality and horror, he manages to give the message of patience and forgiveness above all. For all the time I wanted to rage in his defense and hunt some of the perpetrators of this disgraceful mishandling of justice, I heard his voice, calming me. What a kind soul. And while there could be a time and place for the death sentence (please no political commentary), this state has certainly proven themselves incapable and undeserving of that responsibility. We can’t rightfully discuss death sentencing when sentencing itself is such a broken process. Absolute power corrupts. Wow. Just wow. This is a must read for anyone considering a legal career.