Style

Just Mercy

by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy: Style 1 key example

Chapter 8: All God’s Children
Explanation and Analysis:

Just Mercy is both compelling and highly informative due to Stevenson's writing style, which blends pathos, ethos, and logos. His emotional storytelling about his clients and his career blends seamlessly into broader claims about the criminal justice system. For example, in Chapter 8, Stevenson contextualizes Trina Garrett's story within the larger story of how prisons have handled childbirth during incarceration:

Like hundreds of women who give birth while in prison, Trina was completely unprepared for the stress of childbirth. She delivered her baby while handcuffed to a bed. It wasn’t until 2008 that most states abandoned the practice of shackling or handcuffing incarcerated women during delivery.