[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ohn Grisham was born as John Ray Grisham Jr. on 8th February 1955. He is not only an author but is also a well-known American lawyer and a politician. His books which are basically thrillers have achieved so much fame that they have been translated in to forty two languages.
He was the second born in a group of five siblings. He was born in Arkansas where his father worked on a construction site and on a cotton farm. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Mississippi, although his parents were not educated they still wanted him to get a formal education and go to college. His mother was his biggest pillar of support.
He graduated from the Mississippi State University and then attended the Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He was not only well versed in practicing criminal law but also held a position in the House of Representatives in Mississippi. He began work on his first novel in 1984; it was titled “A Time to Kill”. It was published in June 1989. His books have sold more than 375 million copies globally. He is one of the three authors that have sold 2 million copies of the first print of his novels.
The hardest challenge that John faced was the transition from a criminal lawyer to an author. Both jobs have different needs and at one time he juggled fiercely with both of his careers but never did he let his rough routine dampen his efforts to write books.
His very first bestseller was “The Firm” that was released in 1991; he was able to sell around seven million copies of that novel. This book was also produced as a film of the same name and it has also formed the bases of a series that showcased the life of Mitchell McDeree (the detective) 10 years after the events in the book. Some of his other novels that have been adapted in to films are; The Chamber, A Time to Kill, The Runway Jury, The Client, The Rainmaker and A Painted House.
