John Grisham is one of the best known legal drama writers today. With titles like The Firm, The Client, The Chamber, and The Appeal, he has brought suspense to new heights.
Grisham was born in Arkansas, and he graduated from high school in Southaven, Mississippi. His mother encouraged him to read from a young age. He loved books by John Steinbeck, who would become one of his greatest influences. Grisham earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 1977 from Mississippi State University. A few years later, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Mississippi School Of Law.
While in law school, he switched his major course of study to criminal and general civil litigation. In 1983, he was elected for a Democratic seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives and served until 1990. Grisham returned to the courtroom in 1996 to gain a settlement for the family of a railroad brakeman, who was killed on the job after being pinned between two cars.
Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was inspired by a testimony from a 12 year old rape victim he witnessed in 1984. The day after finishing this novel, he started writing The Firm. This became one of his most successful novels to date. Grisham’s most recent book is The Appeal, which features a plot about an election being rigged. Grisham has a very dark and interesting take on politics and our government. Being a lawyer has allowed him to write with a educated and perceptive frame of mind.
