Summary

The afterword is primarily a list of all the men and women who are on death row in the United States as of March 2017. In a short introduction, Ray tells readers that, statistically, one out of every ten people on that list is innocent. He encourages the reader to read through the names, to know the stories of these people, to ask themselves if they know who is innocent, to ask themselves if we can judge who deserves to live and who deserves to die. "Read the names out loud," Ray writes, "After every tenth name, say, 'Innocent'" (244). "The death penalty is broken," he concludes, "and you are either part of the death squad or you are banging on the bars. Choose."

Analysis

The afterword demands readers consider the compassion and forgiveness that Ray and been talking about for the whole book. His list...