Anthony Ray Hinton, the author of this memoir, was born poor and black in rural Praco, Alabama; he is a large man with an intimidating presence. He showed some athletic talent in high school, playing for a team in a newly desegregated school district; it is here he gets his first exposure to blatant racial hatred. After one successful performance, scoring 30 points in the first half of a basketball game, he is pleased to hear the white fans cheering his name. They were, however, chanting “‘Nig-ger!’ […] My pride went to shame in a split second” (22). Without a chance at a scholarship, and with little exposure to professional scouts, Hinton begins working in Praco’s coal mine. 

Hinton's closest relationship is with is mother; he hasn’t known his father. He is a religious man, although his faith is repeatedly tested when he is sent to jail. Though he does bring a Bible with him, at first, he tucks it away. Only later, when a fellow inmate is suffering, does he reach once more for his Bible, and, gradually recovers his faith. It is his faith, the unconditional love from his mother, his friendships, and even his imagination that help him endure 30 years of misery on death row before his eventual exoneration.