Just Walk On By: by Brent Staples
The rst sentence of the essay got my attention, “My rst victim was a woman”. The
author’s style of writing throughout the story stirs an emotional response and it should as it is
an emotional topic. Brent Staples does a great job throughout the story detailing his
experiences and how it has fundamentally changed his ways from when he was a young student
in New York.
On a basic level I can relate to his story. One early Saturday morning grocery shopping, I
was looking rather gru-. I hadn’t shaven for a few days and I was dressed for the weather and
not for other people’s consideration. I entered the store, grabbed a grocery cart, and started to
