Robinet employs a plain writing style by using simple sentences, dialect from everyday speech, and clear and direct statements.

She narrates the story in chronological order through the protagonist's eyes. Her realism depicts racial inequity without idealizing or romanticizing it. The author effectively uses flashbacks to provide needed information. For example, Virginia tells the story of her willingness to suffer severe burns on her legs to protect other slaves from punishment.

Robinet's hyperboles express the intense emotion associated with the arduous themes.

For instance, phrases like "head spun like a muddy wagon wheel," "my mind flew to Rosetta Bell like an arrow," and "in rain, Pennsylvania Avenue was a running river of mud" evoke images to support the emotions and observations of the characters.

Robinet's imagery is simple and effective. She gives readers a concrete sensation of the African Americans, the different classes of slaves, and...