Tag: John Grisham

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The Associate, by John Grisham, 2009, Dell (Random House)

An Associate in a prestigious New York law firm.
The Associate, by John Grisham

An Associate in a prestigious New York law firm, Kyle isn’t where he wants to be. He followed in his father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. But his father practices in a small town and chose the career because he had a heart for helping ordinary people. He’s generous with his time and charges only what his clients can afford.

Kyle wants to even take a low-paying position with a charitable organization for a year or two.

But past mistakes now have him caught in a trap. Basically just too much ‘partying’ as a college student. Suddenly he’s being accused of rape. Not only him, but several of his college room mates as well. It’s not the young woman herself holding threats over him, but a group of thugs who seem to be FBI. The intrigue starts there, but I won’t spoil it for you by telling you any more.

An associate position in a prestigious New York law firm may make Kyle rich, but what about his soul?

John Grisham’s books are always interesting and full of intrigue. Plus readers learn a lot about the workings of the American legal system. Possibly a lot you’d rather not know. Hidden failures and corruption. Learn, be aware, and use caution! Grisham writes from the standpoint of being a former lawyer himself. His books are an entertaining education for the general public.

Check out his website at www.jgrisham.com

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The Last Juror, by John Grisham, 2004, Doubleday (Random House, Inc.)

A Slice of 1970s Mississippi

A slice of 1970s Mississippi, cover photoA slice of 1970s Mississippi. A decade of change. Hypocracy exposed. Appearances and loyalties questioned.
Using first person, Grisham makes the writing very personal, as if he were reflecting back on his own story. It’s quite believable.
The main character, as a young adult, almost by chance acquires ownership of a local newspaper in a small town. He puts his all into researching and writing what will be interesting to readers, Guided by his convictions, he boldly exposes dangerous characters and political agendas in spite of personal risk. The newspaper effects real changes in the community, even radiating out to surrounding communities.

The Power of the Written Word


The power of the word. So powerful in fact, that it inspired me to do some of my own powerful writing to authorities in my own community, hoping to effect certain changes here.
People want to read about what really matters. About members of their own community. About values and truth–exposing hypocracy. Especially in USA of the 1970s. Young people questioned everything and turned society upside down. Because in those days appearances seemed to be more important than truth–even, in fact especially, in churches.

Churches


Willie has jumped into his newspaper with both feet, cares to the wind. He exposes the hypocritical attitudes of the white Christians, who preach love, kindness and acceptance, yet are against integration. In this town of protestant churchgoers, himself an agnostic, he befriends an older black woman named Callie.
Callie is the last juror chosen in a murder trial, and the first black woman to be on a local jury.
Callie becomes Willie’s best friend. She makes him a wonderful meal every Thursday. Her warm-hearted family is closer than his own. She cares about his soul, and inspires him to research all the eighty-some churches in the county. I especially liked chapter 32, in which he compares many of them from his point of view. Although the basic beliefs are the same, the devil is in the details, and it seems so very important not to cross the boundaries that make them distinct.
Willie doesn’t officially convert, but at the end he feels God’s presence when holding hands and praying with Callie’s family.
Suspense, mystery, and a slice of 1970s Mississipi. Change effected by the written word and brave authenticity. Exposure of hypocracy. A bit of history to learn from.

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The Reckoning, by John Grisham, 2019, Dell (Random House)

My son gave me this book for Christmas because I read several John Grisham books in the past which I liked. What makes his books interesting to me is that because he is a lawyer, he includes a lot of insight in his novels about the way the American law system works (or fails!). As a person who grew up in a very safe environment, I was quite naïve and overly trusting of those in authority. Grisham’s novels are really an eye-opener!

This novel is based in 1940s America, as well as in the Philippines where one of the main characters fought in the second world war. It presents a picture of the times and the ways that different types of people were affected by circumstances.

The story revolves around a multigenerational family living on a cotton plantation outside of a small town. They have black people working for them, who live on the farm. Unlike some, they treat their workers comparatively well. However, at the time blacks did not have the same legal rights as white people in the States.

Also many people were very religious. In this town most of the people are members of a few different protestant churches. Grisham brings out some of their differences, similarities and hypocrisies. In general, the people of this town are quite strait-laced and narrow in their views of right and wrong. However the mother of this family is from a big city and is considerably more worldly. Over time she becomes accustomed to the church of the family she married into, mostly because it affords the only social life available to her.

Her husband is drafted into the war and after several months the family receives the news that he is missing and presumed dead. This causes great grief, but they carry on with life. Meanwhile, he has not actually died, and a large section of the book goes into details of the war experiences that he went through. Horrible as it was, he came through a victor and a hero against all odds.

When he shows up suddenly back home, the family is overjoyed, but this doesn’t last long. Inexplicably the mother ends up in a mental institution, and the father goes into town and shoots their pastor in his church office! These things happen while the son and daughter are away at college. The son is studying to become a lawyer and gets involved with the family’s lawyers in the mystery of the case, which is drawn out over several years. You will have to read it yourself to find out the results! In the end it’s not what you think!