One of the most inspiring books I have ever read. The story of Ray Hinton who was innocent of the crime of murder and spent 30 years on Death Row in an Alabama prison. He was a poor black working man who lived with his mother when he was falsely accused of murder. It’s hard to believe that if you can’t pay for a defense then you essentially don’t get a defense. This man was an easy scapegoat because no one was going to fight for him. Sadly, it took 30 years of his life, and one lawyer’s 15 year fight for his release. This is the story of forgiveness, unconditional love from his mother and best friend, and about never losing hope. It’s also about Ray’s service to his fellow inmates who were also on death row. Rays faith in God, his service to others, a wonderful imagination, and knowing unconditional love saw him through 30 years of confinement. This has certainly made me think of the death penalty in a way that I wasn’t expecting. Thank you, Mr. Hinton for continuing to serve others through your remarkable and inspiring story. Thank you Netgalley, for allowing me the privilege of reviewing this amazing book in exchange for my honest review.

In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was a 29-year old man who was on his way to discovering his path in life after a brief stint in prison for a nonviolent crime. He was happily dating someone and had found a promising job outside of the coal mines, where many in his town worked. His promising future was squashed in a quick moment when was charged with a crime he did not commit. A crime that put him on death row despite his innocence. This is the story of his 30 year struggle to clear his name and go home.

I'm not sure how you can come out of reading this and still think the death penalty is okay (or at least leave it with an understanding of why some people are very much against capital punishment). Anthony Ray Hinton's story is simply crushing, and you can tell in his writing that he is telling it all from the heart. You can feel the initial confusion when he gets picked up by officers while mowing his lawn. You can feel the clear shock he experiences as he goes through his initial trial, believing until the end that there was no way he could be convicted of a crime he did not commit. From there, he expresses periods of anger (at the clearly racist prosecutors and Alabama State in general), depression, loss (and rediscovery) of faith, and above all of those things, an unbelievable ability to hold on to whatever joy he can in a place full of such fear and despair.

This is one of those stories that you just can't stomach at points for it's many injustices, but you just can't stop reading. It will linger with me for a very long time.

This truly made me look at my beliefs on the Death Sentence. I don't say that lightly. I'm one of those people who feels certain crimes deserve the Death Sentence especially when our prisons today treat the prisoners better than homeless people are treated. I guess I never really considered someone who could be innocent. Call me naive! I am truly appalled at what happened to Ray. I praise God for bringing it to light and using Bryan and his team to do that. I don't know that I could be so forgiving as Ray is. Thank you Ray for sharing your life. I will be praying that God uses your life story for His Glory!

This is a wonderful book about a man who is convicted for a crime he didn't commit. He served 30 years until his release. A poor black man from the South, Anthony believed that truth and justice would prevail. While he never gave up, he made the most of his time on death row, and helped other inmates in their quest if not for justice, but for their dignity. He started a book club even in the prison for the death row inmates. It didn't last long, due to security issues, but it was perhaps the first opportunity for many of these men, to read and share with each other. Anthony is a ray of sunshine and inspiration to others, especially to the reader of his memoir. What a wonderful writer! Bryan Stevenson writes the introduction. You may remember him from the book Just Mercy. This is a must read.
Thanks to Netgalley for this copy for providing an honest review.

This true story about the wrongly convicted man on death row brought tears to my eyes!

Ray was an ordinary man living with his mother in Alabama and was working in other places when the homicides took place miles away from him.

Ray was arrested, in front of his mother, for the murders and her gun was claimed to be used. It had not been fired in 25 years and the ballistic tests for forensic evidence showed the bullets were no match to the other bullets at the crime scenes but the district attorney and Ray’s first defence attorney did not present these claims to the presiding judge during the trial.

Racial prejudices and corruption were very common in Alabama. The judges and district attorneys were elected by the general public who were biased against the minority of non-white people.

Ray made many friends with the inmates on death row after he was found guilty of the murders that he did not commit and sentenced to death by electrocution. His cell was just 30 feet from the death chamber.

He found a new and brilliant attorney, Bryan Stevenson. after many failed appeals against the judge’s original decision. Ray was finally released after 30 years imprisonment which made shocking news headlines globally about the gross miscarriages of many judgements against innocent people.

I laud Bryan Stevenson with grace for his enormous help getting Ray released. I strongly recommend this book in the fight against capital punishment and torture against all the prisoners worldwide.

Columpoirot

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

If you are on the fence about the necessity of the death penalty I suggest you read The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton. If you believe in the need for a death sentence, I also suggest you read it with open eyes and ears. Actually, everyone should read Hinton’s memoir, because it is in my opinion a necessary read on how broken the US justice system really is. And more: it is the story of how an innocent man spent nearly 30 years on Death Row in Alabama, and continued to fight for freedom when most people would have given up. Hinton is a true hero, a man who lived through hell year after year after year, and still manages to see so much positive in everything.

Anthony Ray Hinton, Ray, was arrested and convicted of a crime he could not have committed, by a prejudiced judge, jury, and court-appointed attorney. The details of the case are abhorrent: no jury should EVER have deemed this man guilty of the crimes the police said he had committed. On top of this, his appeals were continuously thrown out, the state of Alabama obviously not interested in admitting that they had sentenced an innocent man to death. It wasn’t until Bryan Stevenson started to work with Ray that things started to look up, but even then it took many more years for Ray’s conviction to be thrown out the court and for him to be released.

The Sun Does Shine is a memoir of 30 lost years, of absolute darkness, but it is also ultimately a story of hope, of love, of friendship and of forgiveness. Hinton’s innate need to care for others is absolutely uplifting, and his ability to navigate through darkness to see the light in everything is remarkable. I don’t believe that we have the right to sentence anyone to death, no matter the crime, and The Sun Does Shine has me all the more convinced that we need to fight so much harder to get it removed.

As Ray mentions at the end of the book, we should assume that every 10th person currently on death row is innocent. Should we be able to live with that?

The Sun Does Shine will be published by St. Martin’s Press on Marc 27th. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

An amazing story of a young, poor black man wrongly committed for murdering 3 women although the evidence provided in court proved otherwise. White judge,, prosecutor, defence lawyer and judge set out to make sure the verdict was guilty. Sent to death row, He describes the horrific conditions which makes you wonder how he survived,. One of his lawyers suggested he could try for life in prison, he rejected the idea. He was determined to get out an innocent man or die. Made friends with all the other prisoners, regardless of what they had done. Very emotional and in some places a tough read, but so powerful and enlightening, I recommend it.

I knew right from the start this wasn't going to be an easy read, but it is almost impossible to wrap your head around all that the author has had to go through during all that time. Powerful, infuriating, heartbreaking and with a dose of hope and forgiveness... The Sun Does Shine is one of the best true crime memoirs I have read to this date, and his story will stay with me for a long time. Why did this memoir have such an impact on me? Let's see if I can explain my reasons... In a nutshell, this memoir is about the life of a man who had to spend thirty years on death row despite being innocent and having a solid alibi. His crime? Being born poor and black in the South (Alabama), a place where he ended up being judged by the color of his skin and the money in his pocket instead of the simple fact he was guilty or not. This fact alone will be enough to enrage you, one infuriating detail of his case after the other causing sparks and making you want to scream and pull at your hairs. How is it possible that in 1985 things like this still happened? Incriminating an innocent man with a solid alibi, discriminating him and denying him his rights? It made me want to travel back in time and just tell those persons involved in his case what I really thought of them. The Sun Does Shine talks about the author growing up as well as the difficulties he has had to face during his entire life, even long before he was wrongly convicted of a crime. Racial segregation and discrimination is an important element in this memoir, and even though Anthony Ray Hinton never points a direct finger at the guilty and even stresses he forgives them, it shows us readers just how wrong the system was and still is in Southern Alabama. It's a topic that has always touched me, and it is very well described in this memoir.

But this memoir isn't just about injustice and racial discrimination. Like the author stresses, it is also about hope and forgiveness, which shines through in his writing and underlying message. His experience during all those years on death row is fascinating to read, as well as describing his personal relationships with fellow inmates and how the experience truly changes men. While I believe in punishment for those who have committed crimes, I don't think death row is a solution. Like Anthony Ray Hinton said, who are we to judge who is innocent and who deserves to die? And then I'm not even thinking about possibly innocent men and women killed because of a mistake during their trials. Anthony Ray Hinton's case shows us just how wrong things can go, sending an innocent man to spend thirty years of his life on death row. I'm truly impressed and inspired by his view of life and ability for forgiveness. I can recommend this memoir to everyone; it is a true eye-opener.

Powerful, inspiring, infuriating, heartbreaking, but also full of hope and forgiveness. The Sun Does Shine shows us how racial discrimination and prejudice helped send an innocent man to death row and keep him there for thirty years despite solid proof of his innocence. The pure injustice of it all makes you want to scream, but both his case and experience is very well documented in this memoir and makes for a painful, but inspiring, intriguing and very powerful read. I'm truly impressed by his views on life and his ability to be able to forgive the unforgivable. Highly recommended!

Would you have the capacity to forgive those who stole almost three decades of your life through hatred and ignorance? Anthony Ray Hinton was falsely convicted of two counts of murder in a travesty of justice in 1985. Subsequent appeals were further abortions in the courts. Why?

Anthony Ray Hinton was a young, poor black man, who had broken the law before so in the “wisdom” of the Alabama judicial system, he was sentenced to death by electrocution. Almost three decades of his life was spent on Death Row, in spite of compelling evidence that proved he could not have been the killer. Almost three decades of the life he could have had were lost forever, the children he could have fathered, the love he could have shared, any potential for contributing to society at large, gone. Who knows, maybe he would have fathered the child who grew up to cure cancer or who led the world to true peace?

What Mr. Hinton did was just as miraculous, he changed himself, he sought peace of mind, he sought knowledge and he brought people together in the name of hope and justice. He also found a man brave enough to say, I believe in you and I will fight for you when Attorney Bryan Stevenson took his case.

Today, Anthony Ray Hinton is a free man. Today he advocates justice and forgiveness and he believes in a God who never gave him more than he could bear. He has written of his grueling journey to freedom so the world will not forget what hatred and injustice are. He has written a book filled with undying hope through all that was lost. THE SUN DOES SHINE is compelling, riveting, shocking, appalling and simply astounding to realize that while we went on with our lives, someone should have to fight so desperately for their own.

A MUST read, no matter who you are, because once read, it will NOT be forgotten, or should this dark piece of human failings ever have to be repeated.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from St. Martin's Press!

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 27, 2018)
Publication Date: March 27, 2018
Genre: Non-Fiction | Racism | Social Sciences
Print Length: 272 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

This is a very profound, moving story. It is also true, the story of a man imprisoned for 30 years for a crime he did not commit. He was guilty only of being black and being poor. But instead of being filled with hate and thoughts of revenge, he was inspiring and a model example to others in prison with him. He was freed after 30 years in prison, no thoughts of revenge, but became an inspiration to others.

A hard book to review. You can’t stay it’s a good books as actually it’s horrendous, meet Ray, an innocent man who spent 30 years on death row, at times I felt like this was just a story, pages of fiction, but then it would hit that this is actually someone life. It’s absolutely shocking the way this case was handled. An interesting read and as close to death row as you’d ever want to get. Interesting side story’s with other fellow death row prisoners that lead to interesting google searches. Well worth a read and I will definitely follow Ray’s progress.

This will make you think. Hinton survived his time on death row and came out the other side. It doesn't spare any punches, not about Hinton's life before prison or during it. You'll wonder how many other Hintons are out there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

1985 - 2015. Those are the years Anthony Ray Hinton spent in prison and on death row. Convicted of murder in Alabama, his real crimes were being black and poor. The “justice” system didn’t deliver for the victim, didn’t serve the people, and unjustly took 30 years of a man’s life.

Anthony Ray Hinton tries to show us how and why he survived the complete madness of his time on Death Row. Despite the overwhelming mental and physical stress of being imprisoned – much less wrongly imprisoned – on Death Row Ray comes to rediscover his faith, draw on the unconditional love of his mother and his best friend, Lester, to make it through the decades in a 5’x7’ cell.

Ray tells of the 3 years he spent in darkness, rage, and futility. When he responds to another inmate crying in the night, he is reawakened to his own humanity. Ray explains and describes the strange family created on Holman Prison’s Death Row, including the guards. As Hinton writes, “How could they take us to the doctor, feed us, commiserate with us, and then lead us to our deaths? It messed with our minds after a while. These men were our family also. We were all in this dark, dank, tiny corner of the world acting out some perverse play where we laughed together six days of the week, but on Thursdays, they killed us.”

A large majority of people get to live their lives without fear or mistrust of the criminal justice system, and many will undoubtedly point to Ray’s previous (minor) criminal record to justify the State of Alabama’s “mistake”. However, it appears that this was not only a miscarriage of justice, but a deliberate act among many who are supposed to be champions of righting the wrongs in society.

The Sun Does Shine is Anthony Hinton's biography, specifically dealing with his experience in being wrongfully convicted of two counts of capital murder in Alabama and spending thirty years on Death Row. While he is understandably upset and confused at first, he learns to accept the circumstances he can't change and work with what he can.

This book was heartbreaking and hard to read, but it's also such an important story. Hinton had an amazing ability to live through his time in prison by keeping his faith, having compassion for others, and looking at his life as making choices. He had no choice but to stay on death row, but he had a choice as to how he could live each day. He could try to bring comfort and light to others; he could try to connect with his fellow humans, or he could remain angry and sullen. He could choose to be miserable, or he could choose to find ways to bring himself some small happiness. It's comforting to read this man's words and hear his thoughts on hope and happiness and what life really means. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and I think he imparts a lot of wisdom through these pages. He delves into the importance of compassion and friendship and deeply understands the power of stories and the imagination.

With Hinton's experience, this book is also a call to reform what we think of as justice (especially the death penalty), since it is prejudiced towards people of color and poor people. The fact that Hinton was left for so long in a place he didn't belong is a crime in itself, but the people who put him there will never face justice. The state of Alabama is even still trying to deny him rightful justice by arguing that he shouldn't be compensated for his time of wrongful imprisonment. The whole thing makes my blood boil. While he is finally off death row, he and people of color in this country are still not free from oppressive, racist systems that work to continuously undermine them. This is a reminder that we still have a lot of work to do as a country and as a people.

I greatly recommend reading this book. It would go well with social justice units focusing on civil rights and racism and would be a really interesting book club pick.

Powerful. Heart-wrenching. Inspirational. Anger-inducing. Hopeful. In other words, this is a "do not miss" book to read. Told by an innocent man who spent thirty years on death row in an Alabama state prison, this book will do what Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson did; it will shake you to the core, make you question the idea of 'justice' in America, and give you hope that regardless of what society does to a person, it is still possible to be human. Ray Hinton was a 29 year old man who was just cutting his mom's lawn one day when he was arrested; subsequently convicted by a white prosecutor, white judge, and all white jury, through his words Ray shows us life on death row, the choices he makes to turn from bitterness to compassion, and the incredible help he gets from Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative to fight for his release. It is a rare book that can make one rage one moment, cry the next, and then squeeze one's heart to produce an incredible admiration for one human; The Sun Does Shine is that rarity. It is a perfect choice for a book club, a person interested in social justice, but more importantly, it is the must-read book for someone who thinks they know everything about how justice works in America and is willing to let the blinders be ripped off their eyes.

Ray Hinton was sentenced to death in Alabama for a crime he did not commit. He spent nearly 30 years in prison, most of that time on death row, where his fellow inmates were put to death down the hall from his cell. He was finally set free due to the efforts of Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative. Miraculously, Hinton is not bitter about his experience. He had good days and bad days in prison. The good days were spent leading a book club and discussing the law with his fellow inmates. On his bad days, he escaped in his mind to the comforts of his imagination. Despite being chewed up in the corrupt Alabama criminal justice system, Ray is not bitter. He spends his time helping the Equal Justice Initiative and living the rest of his days in forgiveness of those who have wronged him. His lesson is that how we live every day matters, in prison and outside of prison. We have the capacity within us to choose how we live; in forgiveness or in anger; in love or in hate.

I really enjoyed this book, and felt that the afterword was especially powerful in demonstrating that one out of every ten people on death row is innocent. However, the book could use a good editor. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy.

Last year I read Bryan Stevenson's book Just Mercy. It was crushing to read about a justice system based on convictions and political gain at the expense of innocent men. It led me to read I Can't Breathe by Matt Taibbi about the death of Earl Garner and Michelle Ko's Reading with Patrick about her former student who lands in jail. Each book is a moving account of the stories behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

So when I saw that one of the Death Row inmates that Stevenson had represented had written his own book I had to read it.

Ray Hinton had a record and had paid his dues. He was working in a guarded facility when a murder took place, but an enemy in romance told police that he had seen Ray at the crime scene.

Ray was poor. Ray was black. Ray had a record. With lousy representation, a partially blind expert munitions witness, and the system stacked against him, he was sent to prison for murders he did not commit.

The Sun Does Shine tells of his struggle for justice, his decline into anger and hatred and how he found hope and acceptance. He became a model prisoner, befriending the other inmates and working to improve their lives. He asked for their food to be covered to keep out dust and insects. He asked for books to keep the inmates from dwelling on their problems. He started a book club. He kept up morale.

Ray changed lives. A former KKK member who killed a black teenager called Ray his best friend.

It was the continuing love of his mother and support of his best friend that kept Ray going for thirty years. Even after his mother passed, he heard her inspiring voice to keep fighting. Ray knew he had what many others on Death Row had lacked: a loving family and abiding faith.

Bryan Stevenson was overworked but took on Ray's case. They had to fight the Alabama court system that would not accept the evidence that would prove Ray's innocence.

When Ray was finally released he had lived on Death Row longer than he had been free. It was a shock; the world had changed. The first night of freedom he slept in the bathroom because the bedroom was too large and strange. He was given no compensation. He had no Social Security or pension or savings built up. He would have to work to support himself the rest of his life.

I was devastated and I was inspired by Ray's story.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

An outstanding memoir of an African American man framed for murder who spent 30 years on death row in an Alabama prison before he was able to find the right lawyer who believed and helped prove his innocence. Highly recommended.

This is a "don't miss it" true story! Get ready to think about some tough topics (death penalty, racisim, man's inhumanity) but it is SO worth it. You will be amazed as Ray finds ways to serve and love, despite being locked in a 5 X 7 cell for 30 years for a crime he didn't commit and even couldn't have committed!

Everyone should read this book. Our criminal justice system is broken, and it is stealing the lives of innocent people, most of whom are poor and non-white. Anthony Ray Hinton was on death row for 30 YEARS for a crime he had nothing to do with. He was working in a locked warehouse miles away. The gun "connecting" him to the crime had not been fired in 25 years. He was sentenced to death because he could not afford a lawyer who actually cared if he was innocent or a competent ballistics expert. Praise the Lord for Bryan Stevenson who worked many years to finally get the real evidence in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

I read "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, who wrote the forward to this book, and it is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It is filled with the true stories of many others like Hinton who sit innocent behind bars, even children. Hinton's story is incredible. After a very dark three years on death row, Hinton realizes that he still has choices. He chooses to return to his faith in God, encourage and befriend his fellow inmates, as well as the guards, and he even starts a book club. Hinton is vulnerable in this book giving us his true thoughts and raw emotions at his worst and at his best. Imagine being locked up on death row with the screams of madmen, the smell of the dying, the rats, the roaches, the darkness, and the thoughts of all that you are missing; yet, you are innocent and only your mom and your best friend believe you. Hinton shows us what it was like, and we need to know. Praise the Lord he was set free to share his story with the world.