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Grisham is know as one of the world's bestselling novelists. In addition to his novel A Time to Kill and The Firm, his titles include The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, and The Rainmaker, each of which has been scripted into immensely successful film versions. His most recent novels are The Partner (1997), The Street Lawyer (1998), The Testament (1999), and The Brethren (2000) . |
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Credits
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The phenomenon, John Grisham, was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on February 8,
1955 to a construction worker and a homemaker. As a kid Grisham had dreams of
being a pro ball player then later realizing he didn't have the stuff for a pro
career, he switched gears and majored in accounting. He took up residence
in Southaven, Mississippi, in 1967, then he received an undergraduate degree in
accounting in 1977. Later
that year he attended law school at the University of Mississippi where he
earned a law degree in 1981.
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.
That same year, he married Renee Jones. In 1983, he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives.
In 1989 he published his first novel, A Time to Kill. The book received
some good reviews but sold only somewhat well. His next book, however, would
be a different story. Completed in 1988, The Firm would be his break-out
hit. In 1990, before the novel was published, Paramount Pictures purchased the
film rights for $600,000. That same year, he resigned from the House of
Representatives and bought a farm near Oxford, Mississippi.