Without her voice in his head, Ray wouldn’t have been able to survive. In this way, Ray’s mom is a key bastion of support for him even after death, and she also reminds him to maintain faith and optimism so that he can one day walk free. Having lost such a key pillar of support and love, Ray contemplates killing himself, but he hears his mom’s voice in his head telling him not to let the devil win and to instead fight tenaciously for his life and his freedom. Not only did he never give up hope he found a way to live, to find friendship and to gain freedom. Found guilty of two murders he didn’t commit, Anthony Ray Hinton spent almost thirty years on death row.

Ray’s mom dies from cancer on September 22, 2002, while Ray is in prison. The Sun Does Shine (2018) is the shocking, tragic and, ultimately, inspiring tale of an innocent man’s fight for freedom. Over time, however, Ray’s mom grows sick, and she stops coming to visit him because of the seven-hour car trip. Read Book Here > The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row Download Book Here > The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row Author : Anthony Ray Hinton. She sends desperate letters to Perhacs begging for him to help Ray, along with $25 money orders. When Ray is arrested, she does everything she can to help Ray, visiting him at Holman (where he’s on death row) every week. When he is young, she tells him to ignore others’ racism, trust the police, have faith in God, and always do the right thing. Ray is the youngest of 10 children, and Ray’s mom instills in him many of his key qualities: faith, optimism, and perseverance. Henry was taught all his life to hate, said Hinton. Eventually, Hinton and Hays developed a friendship that lasted until Hays died. Ray’s mom essentially raises Ray by herself after his father experiences a severe head injury in the coal mines. In The Sun Does Shine, Hinton describes Henry Hays, a Ku Klux Klansman who was on death row and was ultimately executed for stabbing and lynching a 19-year-old Black man.

Anthony ray hinton the sun does shine