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Reviews tagging 'Murder'
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Lara Love Hardin, Anthony Ray Hinton
15 reviews
mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition
4.75
If you want to be humbled, read this book. If you want to be angry, read this book. If you want to know what the resilience of the human spirit looks like, read this book. If you want to know how asinine and racist the Alabama state judicial system is, read this book (to date, almost a decade after Ray's release, Alabama still has not admitted wrongdoing nor offered a single penny of renumeration to the man from whom they stole 30 years).
Seriously, this book hits on a lot of themes. Injustice is probably the biggest, but it finds company with hope, healing, faith, and forgiveness. Ray shows us how humanity can live even in the most inhumane circumstances.
The heartwarming and heart-wrenching aspects of Hinton's story are juxtaposed seamlessly throughout this memoir. On the one hand, he tells us about how he "escapes" into different places within his mind (the celebrity marriages he has, the places he travels, illustrious sports careers, etc.) and how this gets him through his years on Death Row. On the other, if you have any background in trauma, it's hard to read that without recognizing the disassociation and PTSD. He talks about starting a prison book club and having discussions about race, violence, guilt, injustice, and many other topics with dozens of men on death row, but he also talks about how those same men all still end up walking to the death chamber.
In one of the depictions I find most moving, he describes how the whole floor of inmates bangs and yells and makes as much noise as they can from their cells when an inmate faces their execution so that the inmate will know he's not alone, that he mattered. It's a moving picture of solidarity, found family, and brotherhood even amongst men who could have been enemies. But he also describes the sounds of the generator and the lingering smell of burnt flesh following the execution. It's powerful.
I don't feel like I can add much to the conversation other than to say that anyone reflecting on the death penalty should have this on their reading list. For every 8-9 people executed in the US, another is exonerated. Roughly 4% of the people sentenced to death are innocent. That means that this is not an isolated incident. Even if one thinks that capital punishment is just, it'd be pretty difficult to argue that the death penalty is.
The only quip I have about this book is that I wish the very final section were longer; I wanted to hear more about his post-prison life. I wanted to see more of his acclimatization (or non-acclimatization) to the world outside. I don't think this man owes healing to anyone (except maybe himself), and given his extremely long and traumatic experience, I would expect that his adjustment has been difficult. I'd just like to hear more about that part of the journey.
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Racial slurs
laurenleigh's review
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Racism
angreadseverything's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Rape
tillie__'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
zafiro_o's review
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
cheaploaf's review
4.75
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Classism, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Murder
bobachel's review
5.0
Ray Hinton’s story about his life, which was largely stolen from him by a corrupt and broken legal system, manages to be simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful. I don’t think any of us can truly imagine the horror of living on death row, especially as an innocent person. It likely would have been easy for Mr. Hinton to give up many times of the 28 years he spent wrongfully condemned to death row. It would have been easy to be consumed by rage and hatred and despair. His survival of this injustice, done with unimaginable grace, leaves me largely speechless.
There are many important lessons in this book. I think it’s one of the most important books I’ve ever read. But the most important lesson: we must abolish the death penalty. Justice demands it.
Moderate: Murder
kayleeslibrary's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Murder
courtney_g's review
Even though I knew the eventual outcome of this story, Hinton’s recount of the events and his memories and the countless trials and rulings kept me on the edge of my seat. I also appreciate that, although he has a clear opinion in the death penalty, that was not the main focus in this memoir. His main focus, in my perception, was to show that you can persevere in the hardest of situations where truly all seems lost.
This was a fantastically moving memoir. Everyone should read this at some point in their life, even if it is not the least relevant to their life.
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Death, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts