The Sun Does Shine

 Memoir by Anthony Ray Hinton.

This is a phenomenal book! I was appalled by the intentional miscarriage of justice perpetrated by the state of Alabama. And I was astounded that it took 30 years and an order from the Supreme Court to finally right this wrong. But I was also utterly impressed by Mr. Hinton’s realization that although his choices were far more limited than they would be if he was not incarcerated, he still had the power to choose how he would live the life he was handed. He chose to read and improve his mind. He chose to uplift and strengthen his fellow inmates. He chose to see the humanity in each person, including his jailers and a KKK murderer. He chose to have faith. He chose to forgive. The story is also a powerful example of friendship, with his best friend Lester visiting him and strengthening him every week, unfailingly, year after year. It is also an indictment of capital punishment, not because justice is a bad thing, but because we as humans so often get justice wrong. 

I would highly recommend this to ages 15-adult! There are a few mild profanities, but nothing that would make me at all hesitant about giving this to a high schooler. And if you are an audiobook fan, you’ll be happy to hear that the audiobook narration is fantastic!