Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice,
squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to
work on his hobby—writing his first novel.
squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to
work on his hobby—writing his first novel.
Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and
a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball
player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted
gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University.
a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball
player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted
gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University.
After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal
injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of
Representatives and served until 1990.
injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of
Representatives and served until 1990.
One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing
testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel
exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her
assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing
time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill
and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was
eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing
and published it in June 1988.
That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun
his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time
career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after
Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of
a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not
what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount
Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among
publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The
New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.
his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time
career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after
Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of
a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not
what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount
Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among
publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The
New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.
The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times
bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed
Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success
even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by
Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a
bestseller.
Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a
year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The
Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The
Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The
King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have
become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John
Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29
languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The
Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A
Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original
screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his
first foray into non-fiction.
year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The
Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The
Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The
King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have
become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John
Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29
languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The
Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A
Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original
screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his
first foray into non-fiction.
Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The
family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi
and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.
Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after
a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before
he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the
family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars.
Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books'
protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a
jury award of $683,500—the biggest verdict of his career.
a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before
he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the
family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars.
Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books'
protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a
jury award of $683,500—the biggest verdict of his career.
When he's not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including
most recently his Rebuild The Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars for
Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his
greatest passion: baseball. The man who dreamed of being a professional
baseball player now serves as the local Little League commissioner. The six
ballfields he built on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26
Little League teams.
most recently his Rebuild The Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars for
Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his
greatest passion: baseball. The man who dreamed of being a professional
baseball player now serves as the local Little League commissioner. The six
ballfields he built on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26
Little League teams.
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