Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

10 reviews

knkoch's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

The Sun Does Shine felt honest, introspective, and invigorating, both as a personal narrative and a polemic against the death penalty. Anthony Ray Hinton's voice comes through so clearly, and his skill lies in his ability to channel his history powerfully into what feels like spoken storytelling. He beautifully lays out his upbringing in a rural Alabama coal town, the unconditional love of his mother and childhood friend that surround him, and his early experiences in school and work as he lives within a racist, hierarchical culture that doesn't value him. He provides context that's almost never present in a trial narrative, often solely interested in the more immediate details of the crime being tried. The context is: he comes from people who love him, and he has value, even though the lawyers, prosecutors, and judges around him don't treat him as if he does.

Hinton comes to see the value in every other incarcerated person on death row, both innocent and guilty. The moral epiphanies and growth he undergoes in the near thirty years he spends incarcerated fascinated me, and truly proved that moral development can lie at complete odds with someone's position in life. Hinton finds more empathy and understanding than seems possible for the racist prosecutor and judge on his case, who both so abysmally failed to see any humanity in him. I look forward to hearing Hinton speak at a book event soon, and learning more about how this powerful book came to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

angreadseverything's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Rape

annamay1021's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Racism

doomluz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Anthony Ray Hinton's story is heartbreaking, horrific, and frustrating. This shows how inhumane the death penalty is and the fact that the criminal justice system is broken, which makes it hard to guarantee that only actually violent criminals are executed.
I'm not religious and I'm not necessarily for forgiving people who've wronged me, as Hinton is, but I can see how forgiveness and his religious beliefs were important for him during his time in prison and to help him move on with his life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Death, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Suicide and Cancer

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

Moderate: Body horror and Confinement

triley's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Racism, and Confinement

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Cancer

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

A really important read for anyone who feels like they're pro-death penalty. The justice system makes too many mistakes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

annapox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the effects of systemic racism and/or classism on the US criminal justice system. Hinton's story is eye-opening, and the book is very well-written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit

gabrielab's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Racial slurs

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide

livforreading's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Torture