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Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
Just Mercy is nonfiction, educating readers about an aspect of the real world. Like most works of sociopolitical or legal nonfiction, Stevenson delivers an evidence-based argument about his subject: the criminal justice system in the United States is steeped in a deep history of racist cruelty. It would be more just (and more aligned with the ideals outlined in the Constitution) if it treated everyone more mercifully.
At the same time, the book is also a memoir. It traces Stevenson's career over three decades, starting with his time as a law student. He describes the intense emotional challenges that go along with a career fighting wrongful convictions and harsh sentences. Stevenson does not center himself because he thinks he is the main character in any of his clients' stories. On the contrary, he seems constantly aware of how odd it is for him, a near-stranger, to share intimate moments with death row clients who come to him for help at the 11th hour. He feels awkward trying to speak with reticent teenagers or mentally disabled clients who do not trust him. On his first day as an intern, he feels unqualified to deliver the news that an inmate will not be executed in the coming year. Once he persists through the discomfort, he finds that he is both humbled and honored to bear witness to these clients' humanity. He is surprised by how quickly he connects with them, and this connection compels him to keep fighting injustice when he most wants to give up. By focusing on his own experience and emotional growth, Stevenson invites readers, too, to bear witness to the humanity of incarcerated and condemned people.
The book also borrows from the genre of legal drama. Stevenson tells many clients' stories, but every other chapter returns to the story of Walter McMillian. Walter is a wrongfully convicted man whose case Stevenson worked on for years. His case is inherently dramatic, involving murder, false testimony, political corruption, and small-town Southern racism. While Stevenson is truthful about Walter's case, he uses suspense and dramatic irony to keep the reader invested in the overarching story. These conventions are common in legal dramas like To Kill a Mockingbird and even television shows like Law and Order. Stevenson imitates this storytelling style to help readers see how the criminal justice system sweeps regular people into terrifying life-and-death situations with evhigher stakes than fictional characters ever face.
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