The John Grisham Story
Libby Hughes
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2004 iUniverse
ISBN: 0595322832

From Baseball to Bestsellers.

John Grisham is the home run king of legal thrillers. Fans devour his books & can't wait for each blockbuster book every February. But who is John Grisham -- the real John Grisham? He is an illusive, private, & mysterious person, who shuns publicity. Libby Hughes, author of The John Grisham Story, peels away the layers of this fascinating Mississippi boy, who longed to be a professional baseball player.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

The John Grisham Story is not a biography, it's as the title itself suggests -- the story of his writing life. There are no family trees, no attempt to trace out genealogy or any of the frills & hoopla commonly associated with biographies. What we find in The John Grisham Story is a simple tale, narrated in simple words, about the life & times of one of the most widely read & popular authors of the present times.

The John Grisham Story is succinctly narrated. Through the words of many of his friends, teachers & close-relatives we find out the real man behind the stunning works of The Firm & A Time to Kill, etc. It mainly focuses on three aspects of Grisham's life: the first of a lawyer & a politician; the second that of a writer extraordinaire, the king of legal thrillers, & the third about Grisham's dream of becoming a baseball star.

Grisham proved successful in the first two arenas -- in the 1980s he became a legislator in Mississippi & by the end of the decade & into 90s (& continuing today) he became the epitome of legal thriller writing, avidly read the world over. However, his third dream of baseball, still remains elusive.

Grisham's first attempt at writing, the many rejections he received & his ever persistent effort to write a novel that would sell, & finally hitting the bull's eye -- all are simply & lucidly described. From A Time To Kill to The Broker, it has been a whirlwind of a ride for this lawyer turned writer -- but the author himself prefers to remain out of the limelight. This I believe, made Libby Hughes' task harder. An unassuming introvert, Grisham the man is not known to the public -- save for the blurb appearing in the cover of each novel & a dry write-up of the author in the website floated by Random House -- there is not much we know about him. True, the novels speak volumes of the author's talent, but Grisham the person is still an enigma. It is here that The John Grisham Story assumes importance in providing a deeper insight into what makes this author tick.

More from John Grisham:
The Last Juror
The King of Torts
The Pelican Brief
The Rainmaker
The Chamber
The Runaway Jury
The Summons & many, many more!

Being a Grisham fan, I found The life of Grisham really good, & hats off to Libby Hughes for her valiant attempt to bring to public eye his true story -- lawyer, politician, author & person extraordinaire.

More from Libby Hughes -- People in Focus & for kids:
Benazir Bhutto: From Prison to Prime Minister
Madam Prime Minister: A Biography of Margaret Thatcher
Nelson Mandela: Voice of Freedom
Tiger Woods: A Biography for Kids
Ronald Reagan: From Sports to Movies to Politics, & more!

Do catch Narayan's interview with biographist Libby Hughes.
(08/14/05)

Narayan
2005©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org