"Books for me are like a nice warm blanket on a cool day."
This 27-minute audio broadcast was posted to the BBC website on August 3, 2020. If I'm reading the note attached there correctly, this will be available for "over one year." I'm posting the link because I find it to be moving and inspirational in so, so many ways.
"The Death Row Book Club" is narrated by Anthony Ray Hinton, an Alabama man who was convicted of the months-apart murders of two fast food restaurant managers in 1985. Hinton ended up spending 28 years on death row before his conviction was overturned because it was so obviously built on a singe piece of faulty evidence.
So how did the man remain sane after spending three decades in prison? Simple...he started a book club for himself and six other inmates. Hinton knew that a person can "go to California" in the pages of a book, and he wanted to share his insight and way of coping with his fellow inmates. Hinton is the only surviving member of his original death row book club group - five were eventually executed and the sixth died in prison.
This is a truly excellent testament to the power of faith, humanity, and yes, even to the power of reading the right books. Don't miss it.
Wow. I'm impressed with the idea of starting a book club in prison, and the fact that it was made up of men on death row is stunning. Thanks for the link, Sam!
ReplyDeleteThis guy is so articulate that it's not surprising that if anyone were ever to do something like this, it would be him. It's a beautiful story.
DeleteThese cases are so tragic and yet, somehow they find the power and strength to endure.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that anyone can spend decades in prison, especially on death row, and come out of the experience even halfway sane, much less as understanding as this man seems to be.
DeleteThis sounds intr, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this has been tried on other death rows in other prisons. Seems to have had a healing and calming effect on these men.
DeleteThanks for sharing this! This is an incredible story.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? I suppose it proves you can't kill the humanity in a person no matter how unjustly they are treated.
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