JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Anthony Ray Hinton's story is not for the faint of heart. Unjustly accused and then imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, he spent 30 years of his life on death row. His lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, reads his own foreword, which whets our appetite. The incredible details of Hinton’s trial and eventual release are narrated in an honest, easy style by Kevin R. Free. Listeners may generally prefer an author to narrate his memoir, but Free gives us the sense we are hearing from a young Hinton. He captures the Southern rhythms of Hinton's speech with a natural cadence that brings us closer to his pain—when he calls out for Mama and prays for a miracle, we are right there in his cell. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 02/26/2018
In this intense memoir, Hinton recounts his three-decade nightmare: awaiting execution for crimes he didn’t commit. In 1985, Hinton, then 29, was charged with a series of violent robberies as well as the murders of two restaurant managers in Birmingham, Ala. Hinton passed a polygraph test and was in a locked warehouse during one robbery, but that didn’t prevent an all-white jury from finding him guilty after only two hours (the death penalty recommendation took another 45 minutes). Hinton here provides a convincing description of continued segregation and injustice in the deep South that cages the underclass as effectively as prison walls. His depictions of prison life are wrenching, as when he recalls the 1987 electric chair execution of Wayne Ritter and how the smell of Ritter’s burning flesh “burned my nose and stung my throat.” Forced to hone his mind to withstand overwhelming isolation, Hinton read voraciously and studied his case. With the unwavering support of his mother and his best friend, Hinton created a fulfilling life for himself, which included running a book club for death row inmates. After many years, his dogged pursuit of justice led civil rights attorney Bryan Stephenson to adopt his cause. Hinton was freed from prison in 2015, and now works as a motivational speaker. Hinton’s life is one of inspiration, which he wonderfully relays here in bitingly honest prose. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
“Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing a racist system in South Africa. Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years on death row because a racist system still exists in America. Both emerged from their incarceration with a profound capacity to forgive. They are stunning examples of how the most horrendous cruelty can lead to the most transcendent compassion. The Sun Does Shine is both a cautionary tale for all who think that a great nation can easily forget its past and inspiring proof of the inability to condemn a man's capacity for hope, love, and joy. An amazing and heartwarming story, it restores our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity.” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“No one I have represented has inspired me more than Anthony Ray Hinton and I believe his compelling and unique story will similarly inspire our nation and readers all over the world.” - Bryan Stevenson, New York Times Bestselling Author, Just Mercy
“If there is ever a story that needs to be told, it is this one. Anthony Ray Hinton is extraordinary, an example to us all of the power of the human spirit to rise above complete injustice. He is using his experience as a way to turn the broken criminal justice system upside down. He is a brilliant storyteller, and his book will make people laugh, cry, and change their own lives for the better. It will also inspire people to never accept the unacceptable, like the death penalty. The Sun Does Shine will be a book that people all around the world will never forget.” - Richard Branson
"I've met Anthony Ray Hinton, and he's an extraordinary man. He stands out among exonerees (and I know hundreds of them) for his dignity and gentle soul encased in his massive frame. His story is important and compelling. Bryan Stevenson, a national treasure and central character in this story, fought tirelessly for over fifteen years and won a rare and landmark case in the United States Supreme Court. The Sun Does Shine is the gripping and inspirational story that the public has been waiting for." - Barry Scheck, Attorney, Director of the Innocence Project
“[The Sun Does Shine], collaboratively written with Hardin, is a troubling, moving, and ultimately exalting journey through the decades Hinton lived under the threat of death while an unjust system that refused to acknowledge mistakes failed him repeatedly.” - Booklist, starred review
“A memoir of spectacular grace...as moving and inspiring as memoirs get.” - Garden & Gun
“An urgent, emotional memoir from one of the longest-serving condemned death row inmates to be found innocent in America. ... A heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform.” – Kirkus, starred review
“In this intense memoir, [Anthony Ray] Hinton recounts his three-decade nightmare: awaiting execution for crimes he didn’t commit. … Hinton’s life is one of inspiration, which he wonderfully relays here in bitingly honest prose.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A testament to the power of faith and the strength of hope, The Sun Does Shine is an unforgettable and timely read that illuminates the long overdue need for criminal justice reform in America." - Bustle
"This powerful memoir is testament to a man who survived against all odds and showed how powerful the human spirit can be." - The Malestrom
"Hinton’s ability to speak about the injustices he faces with such poise and composure is his greatest gift."
- The Harvard Crimson
"A must for anyone involved in criminal justice. Suggested reading for anyone interested in learning more about death row and its horrors." - Library Journal, starred review
“The Sun Does Shine could be the most impressive book you’ll lay eyes on." - Houston Style Magazine
Library Journal - Audio
★ 06/01/2018
In 1985, Hinton was arrested for murder, found guilty, and sentenced to death by electric chair in Alabama. However, Hinton was working in a locked warehouse at the time of the shooting. This audiobook tells the tale of Hinton's early life, the trial, and the next 30 years he spent on death row. The most remarkable aspect of Hinton was and is his ability to see happiness in every situation. He even told his prosecutor that he loved him after the trial. Civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy) learned of the case years later and helped to exonerate Hinton in 2015. A foreword voiced by Stevenson brings the listener into Hinton's world immediately. Narrator Kevin R. Free performs the book perfectly as he reads Hinton's powerful tale. VERDICT Any person who follows the Innocence Project in the news and those who watched Making a Murderer on Netflix will be amazed at Hinton's perseverance throughout his incarceration and years on death row. ["A must for anyone involved in criminal justice. Suggested reading for anyone interested in learning more about death row and its horrors": LJ 4/1/18 starred review of the St. Martin's hc.]—Jason L. Steagall, formerly with Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI
JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Anthony Ray Hinton's story is not for the faint of heart. Unjustly accused and then imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, he spent 30 years of his life on death row. His lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, reads his own foreword, which whets our appetite. The incredible details of Hinton’s trial and eventual release are narrated in an honest, easy style by Kevin R. Free. Listeners may generally prefer an author to narrate his memoir, but Free gives us the sense we are hearing from a young Hinton. He captures the Southern rhythms of Hinton's speech with a natural cadence that brings us closer to his pain—when he calls out for Mama and prays for a miracle, we are right there in his cell. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-12-07
An urgent, emotional memoir from one of the longest-serving condemned death row inmates to be found innocent in America.One night in July 1985, Hinton was locked in a secure warehouse of a supermarket for his overnight shift when, 15 miles away, the assistant manager of a local restaurant was kidnapped at gunpoint, robbed, and shot in the head. Less than a week later, police showed up at Hinton's house to arrest him for that crime and the murders of two other local Alabama restaurant managers. Hinton was black, 29, living at home with his mother, and innocent of all charges. At his trial, his lawyer presented an incompetent defense that failed to refute the state's distorted evidence and several witnesses' false claims. Hinton was found guilty of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to death by electric chair. For the next three decades, he maintained his innocence in solitary confinement on Alabama's death row, where he watched more than 50 men led past his cell to the execution chamber just 30 feet away. The truth of Hinton's innocence and his unshakable faith in God helped him cope with prison life and several failed repeal attempts until Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, eventually took up his case and brought it all the way to the Supreme Court. After nearly 30 years, all charges against Hinton were dropped, and he was released from prison in 2015. Woven into vivid descriptions of life behind bars are flashbacks to the author's childhood, court transcripts, police documents, news clippings, and correspondence that reveal the roles racism, poverty, and fear played in creating a deeply biased criminal justice system that punishes the poor and people of color. Stevenson (Just Mercy, 2014) provides a powerful foreword.A heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform.
