The Sun Does Shine audiobook cover - How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

The Sun Does Shine

How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

Anthony Ray Hinton and Lara Love Hardin

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Biography & MemoirPolitics

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The Sun Does Shine
Systemic Racism & Injustice+
Enduring Death Row+
The Legal Battle for Justice+
Life After Exoneration+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 11
Why was Hinton initially unafraid when the police arrived to arrest him while he was mowing his mother's lawn?
  • A. He assumed they were looking for a different suspect who lived in his neighborhood.
  • B. He knew he hadn't committed a crime and had been brought up to have faith in justice.
  • C. He believed his warehouse supervisor had already provided his alibi to the authorities.
  • D. He thought they were merely questioning him about a car he had stolen years prior.
Question 2 of 11
What was a major factor that severely undermined Hinton's defense during his initial trial?
  • A. His lawyer refused to call any witnesses after making a secret deal with the prosecution.
  • B. The only ballistics expert his lawyer could afford had poor vision and was inexperienced with the lab's equipment.
  • C. Hinton refused to take a polygraph test, which made the jury assume he was guilty.
  • D. The prosecution possessed blurry video evidence that the jury mistakenly believed was Hinton.
Question 3 of 11
How did Hinton's relationship with fellow death row inmate Henry Hays demonstrate a key theme of the book?
  • A. It showed that prisoners will inevitably form alliances based strictly on racial lines to survive.
  • B. It proved that the prison guards intentionally instigated conflicts between inmates of different backgrounds.
  • C. It revealed that shared suffering on death row can overcome even deep-seated racial hatred and KKK indoctrination.
  • D. It highlighted how innocent men are often targeted and manipulated by guilty inmates in solitary confinement.
Question 4 of 11
How did Hinton primarily maintain his sanity and find a sense of freedom while locked in his 7-by-5-foot cell?
  • A. By writing letters to politicians advocating for prison reform.
  • B. By exercising relentlessly in his cell to prepare for his eventual release.
  • C. By using his vivid imagination to mentally travel the world and meet famous people.
  • D. By studying law extensively to represent himself in his appeals.
Question 5 of 11
What initiative did Hinton start on death row to help his fellow inmates experience a mental escape?
  • A. A creative writing workshop
  • B. A legal defense study group
  • C. A daily prayer circle
  • D. A book club
Question 6 of 11
Who was the tenacious lawyer that finally helped secure Hinton's release after taking his case in 1998?
  • A. Sheldon Perhacs
  • B. Andrew Payne
  • C. Bryan Stevenson
  • D. Sidney Smotherman
Question 7 of 11
How did the state of Alabama react to the new, credible ballistics evidence presented by Hinton's appeals lawyer?
  • A. They immediately granted Hinton a retrial after realizing their mistake.
  • B. They argued that the original, flawed ballistics expert was perfectly reliable to avoid admitting an error.
  • C. They claimed the new experts were biased because they were hired by a civil rights organization.
  • D. They purposefully destroyed the physical evidence before the hearing could take place.
Question 8 of 11
What breakthrough eventually forced the state of Alabama to reconsider Hinton's case?
  • A. A unanimous ruling by the US Supreme Court that his original defense was constitutionally deficient.
  • B. A confession from the actual murderer, who was already serving time in another facility.
  • C. Newly discovered DNA evidence at the crime scene that completely exonerated Hinton.
  • D. The discovery that the prosecuting attorney had bribed the jury during the initial trial.
Question 9 of 11
What unusual behavior did Hinton exhibit on his first night home after being released from prison?
  • A. He refused to eat anything other than the powdered eggs he was accustomed to on death row.
  • B. He stayed awake all night watching television because he hadn't seen one in 30 years.
  • C. He slept on the bathroom floor because its size comforted him by resembling his cell.
  • D. He slept outside on the grass because he had missed the feeling of nature.
Question 10 of 11
Why does Hinton now intentionally walk in front of security cameras and collect receipts everywhere he goes?
  • A. He is writing a book about modern surveillance and privacy.
  • B. He is creating a constant alibi out of fear of being falsely accused again.
  • C. He is gathering evidence for a civil lawsuit against the state of Alabama.
  • D. He suffers from severe memory loss due to his time in solitary confinement.
Question 11 of 11
Despite losing 30 years of his life to a profound miscarriage of justice, what is Hinton's ultimate stance toward those who put him on death row?
  • A. He has dedicated his life to seeking financial vengeance against the prosecutor.
  • B. He actively campaigns to have his original judge and lawyer imprisoned.
  • C. He refuses to speak about them, believing that ignoring the past is the only way forward.
  • D. He has chosen to forgive them, believing that choosing love over hate is essential.

The Sun Does Shine — Full Chapter Overview

The Sun Does Shine Summary & Overview

The Sun Does Shine (2018) is the shocking, tragic and, ultimately, inspiring tale of an innocent man’s fight for freedom. Found guilty of two murders he didn’t commit, Anthony Ray Hinton spent almost thirty years on death row. Not only did he never give up hope; he found a way to live, to find friendship and to gain freedom.

Who Should Listen to The Sun Does Shine?

  • Anyone who cares about justice
  • Readers interested in racial inequality
  • People who love an inspiring story of the human spirit

About the Author: Anthony Ray Hinton and Lara Love Hardin

Anthony Ray Hinton is a Black man from Alabama. He’s been advocating for the abolition of the death penalty since his experience on death row.

Lara Love Hardin is a writer who has helped write books including Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s The Book of the Future.

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