"John Grisham"

If you ever look around at people reading books on the beach or in the airport, chances are at least one of them is reading a book by John Grisham. John Grisham is one of the most prolific writers of our lifetime. Readers are fascinated by his astute observations regarding law and human nature. Believe it or not, Grisham did not always want to become a writer. Luckily for us, his path did eventually lead to that career.
John Grisham was born in 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but the bulk of his childhood took place in Mississippi.  He and his family moved to Southaven, Mississippi when Grisham was young. His mom was a homemaker, and his father worked in construction. Grisham is the second of five kids. His childhood dream (like that of many other young boys) was to play baseball, but that dream did not become a reality. Instead, Grisham attended Southaven High School and graduated in 1973. He then enrolled in Northwest Junior College and later transferred to Delta State University where he did try out for the baseball team, but that did not work out. He ended up transferring again to Mississippi State University.
While at the university, Grisham had trouble deciding on a course of study that was right for him. His interests ranged from forestry, to economics, and then to accounting. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting in 1977. After graduating, he decided to go to law school at the University of Mississippi. He found criminal law fascinating, and he graduated from law school in 1981. He ambitiously opened his own law practice in Southaven and practiced law for over a decade. He specialized in criminal defense. While practicing law, he was elected as a Democrat in Mississippi’s state legislature. It was during this time that Grisham first started writing.
The idea for his first book came when he overheard testimony in a case at the courthouse. A young girl was telling her story to the jury. Grisham watched as members of the jury cried as she explained how she was mistreated. Her tragic story made him wonder what would have happened if her father had sought revenge on the people who had hurt her so badly. Would he go to jail? Would he be considered justified? It took Grisham three years to get this story onto paper. The book was called A Time to Kill. It is very well-known now, but as an unknown writer Grisham had an extremely hard time convincing a publisher to publish his first novel. The book was rejected by 28 different publishers before it was finally published in 1989. It was only made into 5,000 copies, and Grisham gave away over 1,000 copies to family and friends in Mississippi. Grisham was not dissuaded, however; he began immediately writing his second novel, The Firm. In it, the main character mistakenly believes he has joined a perfect law firm. He soon finds out how wrong he was. For this book, Grisham had much better luck. It was the bestselling novel of 1991, and it stayed on the bestseller list for 47 weeks. This time, movie producers were interested in his story. Paramount Pictures paid him $600,000 for the rights to it. It seems that Grisham had certainly found the right career.
Grisham has gone on to write many other successful novels including: The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Pelican Brief, The Partner, and The Street Lawyer. Many of those novels were also adapted into popular films. He did take a break from writing, however, to fulfill a promise to try a case for a family of a railroad worker who was killed while on the job. This time Grisham was the hero of his own story; he won the case. The family was awarded $683,500. This was the biggest settlement Grisham had ever won for a client.
Today, Grisham lives with his wife, Renee, and their two children, Shea and Ty. They have a home in Oxford, Mississippi and one near Charlottesville, Virginia. They also purchased a condominium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 2008. When he isn’t busy writing, Grisham participates in numerous charities including taking mission trips with his church. He is also very interested in baseball; he serves as the local Little League commissioner, and he had six baseball fields built on his property. These fields have hosted many Little League games. Grisham also has sponsored scholarships for writers through the University of Mississippi’s English Department.
Grisham’s path toward becoming a successful writer certainly took many directions. His personal experiences help him create the memorable stories and characters so many people love. Undoubtedly, he will continue to entertain readers for many years to come.
‎Question
Part A

Which statement is a central idea for this passage?

Responses

John Grisham's career in law helped him cultivate a successful career in writing.

John Grisham's career in law helped him cultivate a successful career in writing.

John Grisham's childhood was marred by indecision.

John Grisham's childhood was marred by indecision.

John Grisham’s life is amazing because he gave up law to pursue writing.

John Grisham’s life is amazing because he gave up law to pursue writing.

John Grisham's experience in film work is well-known.

John Grisham's experience in film work is well-known.