John Grisham

Author of the month, February 2016

The Client was my first John Grisham novel. This was back in the 90s and although, I can’t  recall how I got the book but I do remember just how much I was captivated by the narrative. It made such an indelible impression on me and that is how I became John Grisham’s fan. In my opinion, Grisham is one of the world’s best fiction writers.

“In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you is an original. Each of you has a distinctive voice. When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard.”
― John Grisham

If you like John Grisham like I do, well here are some interesting facts about him:
i. He is a trained lawyer and practiced law in Mississippi for a decade. His specialty was criminal defense and personal injury litigation. Writing was his hobby and this he did this on the side during court recess
ii. Growing up, Grisham wanted to be a professional baseball player
iii. His novel, A Time to Kill was inspired by a case about a 12 year old girl rape victim. After hearing the girl testifying in front of a jury, John Grisham started thinking about what would have happened if her father had killed the assailants.
iv. It took 3 years to write his first novel. A Time to Kill was rejected by 28 publishers before Wynwood Press decided to publish.
v. Grisham did not give up. Instead, he began writing his second novel, The Firm, which later became a motion picture. This book did so well and ended up on the New York’s Best Seller List for 47 weeks.
vi. His next books, The Pelican Brief and The Client were also best sellers and by this time, John Grisham had established himself as a master in legal thriller. His first book, A Time To Kill was republished and this time, it became a bestseller
vii. From 1988 when he wrote, A Time to Kill, John Grisham has written a novel each year. His novels have been translated into 42 languages and sold worldwide

Personal life: John Grisham has been married for 34 years and has two children

“I don’t start a novel until I have lived with the story for awhile to the point of actually writing an outline and after a number of books I’ve learned that the more time I spend on the outline the easier the book is to write. And if I cheat on the outline I get in trouble with the book.”
― John Grisham

His Books include:
• A Time To Kill (1989)
• The Firm (1991)
• The Pelican Brief (1992)
• The Client (1993)
• The Chamber (1994
• The Rainmaker (1995
• The Runaway Jury (1996)
• The Partner (1997)
• The Street Lawyer (1998
• The Testament (1999)
• The Brethren (2000)
• A Painted House† (2001)
• Skipping Christmas† (2001)
• The Summons (2002)
• The King of Torts (2003)
• Bleachers† (2003)
• The Last Juror (2004)
• The Broker (2005)
• The Innocent Man (2006)
• Playing for Pizza† (2007)
• The Appeal (2008)
• The Associate (2009)
• Ford County (2009)
• The Confession (2010)
• The Litigators (2011
• Calico Joe† (2012)
• The Racketeer (2012)
• Sycamore Row (2013)
• Gray Mountain (2014)
• Rogue Lawyer (2015)

Well, that’s John Grisham. One of my favorite authors and I think his story is quite inspiring too. I don’t know if I would have continued writing if my first book had been rejected by 28 publishers. Nevertheless, thanks to his fortitude, millions of people all over the world get to enjoy reading stories.
Below are reviews of some of the Grisham Books that I have read:
https://ahavenforbooklovers.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/theodore-boone-the-kid-lawyer-and-abduction-by-john-grisham-book-review/

https://ahavenforbooklovers.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/rogue-lawyer-by-john-grisham/

https://ahavenforbooklovers.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/the-sycamore-row/