Author Spotlight: John Grisham

John Ray Grisham, Jr. was born on February 8, 1955 to a construction worker and a homemaker. He really wanted to be a professional baseball player, but it wasn't in the cards for him so he got his undergrad degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. He went on to the University of Mississippi School of Law with the intention of practicing tax law. He graduated in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about 10 years. He served in the House of Representatives in Mississippi from January 1984 to September 1990. Grisham began writing in 1984, and A Time to Kill was published in 1989. He's been churning out bestselling legal thrillers ever since. He and his wife, Renee have two children Ty and Shea and divide their time between their homes in Mississippi and Charlottesville, VA.

Novels
A Time to Kill (1989)
The Firm (1991)
The Pelican Brief (1992)
The Client (1993)
The Chamber (1994)
The Rainmaker (1995)
The Runaway Jury (1996)
The Partner (1997)
The Street Lawyer (1998)
The Testament (1999)
The Brethren (2000)
A Painted House (2001)
Skipping Christmas (2001)
The Summons (2002)
The King of Torts (2003)
Bleachers (2003)
The Last Juror (2004)
The Broker (2005)
Playing for Pizza (2007)
The Appeal (2008)
The Associate (2009)
The Confession (2010)
The Litigators (available preorder. Release date 10/25/11)


Collections
Ford County (2009)


Nonfiction
The WaveDancer Benefit (2002) with Pat Conroy, Stephen King, and Peter Straub
The Innocent Man: a true story (2006)


Grisham has ventured into the world of writing for young adults with his Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer series:

1. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (2010)
2. The Abduction (2011)

9 of his novels have been adapted as movies:

The Firm
The Chamber
The Client
A Painted House
The Pelican Brief
The Rainmaker
The Runaway Jury
A Time to Kill
Skipping Christmas (Christmas With the Kranks)