Book recommendation: “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row”
As part of our Racial Justice Initiative, Indivisible OH12 members are sharing relevant book recommendations. Here, Emily O'Hara reviews The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton.
If you have questions or comments, join the conversation in our Facebook group. Thank you, Emily!
Why did you choose this book?
I chose this book because I saw it on Oprah's book club, and she has recommended some amazing books (The Sweetness of Water, Caste, Deacon King Kong, The Water Dancer). The book is the story of Anthony Ray Hinton who served 30 years on death row in Alabama before being exonerated.
Why do you recommend this book?
This book opened my eyes to how criminal justice is misapplied in America. I know that people of color are unfairly targeted, and the mass incarceration in America is abhorrent, but I didn't know that a completely innocent man could spend 30 years on death row because of the color of his skin. During this time, he was fighting to prove his innocence. He had an amazing lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, director/founder of the Equal Justice Initiative working for him for free. Hinton somehow remained hopeful, and tried to make the best of his time “on the row” by starting a book club to give the other inmates hope and sense of community.
What surprised you most about this book?
I was shocked by so many aspects of this book. To begin, this happened in our lifetimes. Hinton served from 1985 – 2015. This is not a story of the past, but a tragedy of the present. The prosecutor, witnesses, bailiffs, and judge blatantly lied and disregarded an innocent man's life. This isn't a story of the KKK or lynching that happened before our time. This happened during our time, and continues to happen.
Let me share some statistics (from The Equal Justice Initiative):
186 people have been exonerated and released from death row since 1973
1,542 people have been executed since 1973
For every 9 people executed, 1 person on death row has been exonerated
Why do you think members of Indivisible OH12 will be interested in this book?
This group is committed to social justice, and this is another way to make a difference. We can work towards ending the death penalty in Ohio, where for every 5 people executed, 1 person on death row has been exonerated. Currently there are bipartisan bills in the Ohio House and Senate to end the death penalty.
Please see the website: https://nodeathpenaltyoh.com/ to learn more.
From the Equal Justice Initiative:
“The question we need to ask about the death penalty in America is not whether someone deserves to die for a crime. The question is whether we deserve to kill.”