John Grisham

John Grisham was born in 1955 to John and Wanda Grisham. He spent much of his youth moving from town to town throughout the Deep South. As a child, John hoped to one day become a professional baseball player. He enjoyed listening to the games with his family while doing his farm chores. Both Grisham’s parents lacked a formal education and insisted that John study hard and prepare for college. After high school, John attended several colleges in Mississippi to play college baseball. Realizing he didn’t have what it took to play professionally; he became a more serious student and graduated in 1977 from Mississippi State University with his BS in accounting. Grisham continued his education when he decided to enroll at the University of Mississippi to study tax law. During this time Grisham’s interest shifted from tax law to criminal law and litigation.
In 1981, Grisham received his degree in criminal law from Ole’ Miss. Shortly after graduation, John married Renee Jones and was admitted to the State Bar in Mississippi. Grisham moved back to Southaven to establish a small private legal practice. It was there that he specialized in criminal defense and personal injury litigation until 1990. He was also elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives and served from January 1984 until September 1990.
In 1984, while serving in the Mississippi House, John observed a trial at the Desoto County courthouse. It was the brave testimony of a twelve year old rape victim that inspired Grisham’s first book, A Time to Kill. John spent time before work and during court recess to work on his book. It took three years for him to complete his first book. John sent his manuscript to several publishers who rejected to print the book. He continued working as a lawyer and soon sold his book to Wynwood Press. A Time to Kill was published in June of 1988. The book only sold 5,000 copies, but John didn’t let that discourage him. He soon began work on his second novel, The Firm. Soon...