About:
The Street Lawyer by John Grisham tells of a high-powered lawyer who finds his conscience and starts working at a low paying job advocating for homeless people. Mr. Grisham is an award-winning, best-selling author specializing in legal thrillers.
- 352 pages
- Publisher : Doubleday
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0385490992
My rating for The Street Lawyer – 4
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Thoughts:
Unlike some of other John Grisham’s books, The Street Lawyer doesn’t have a lot of twists and turns. In fact, after reading a few chapters it’s quite obvious how the whole novel is going to end.
The story, however, is enjoyable and the novel is fun to read. A feel-good narrative about helping the homeless and the importance of giving back and standing up for those on the periphery of society that are ignored, and their voices are unheard by most.
John Grisham did a lot of research into the homeless in Washington DC. There’s quite a bit of statistic as the readers, along with the protagonist, are introduced into the world of the homeless. I don’t know if the author did the leg work by himself and wrote about the experience, but it certainly seemed like it. That’s a pitfall for any book; it verges on the cusp of erroring on the side of moral instructions instead of telling a good story.
The book makes a point to criticize both corporate power and grid, as well as how society neglects its most vulnerable members. The protagonist lawyer confronts the moral implications of his chosen career in a very interesting way.
Michael Brok’s transformation from seeing money as his end goal to advocate for the poor is the central theme. The contrast between the world of profit forces Michael, and the reader to consider the human cost for society when there is such a huge disparity in our socio-economic system.
This is not a bad novel, and Mr. Grisham is, of course, an excellent writer. The novel advocates for the homeless without shamelessly pushing an agenda in your face, but on the other hand doesn’t give you much to think about either.
Synopsis:
Michael Brock, a young successful lawyer in an old, successful and prestigious DC firm is on the fast track for partnership and all the benefits that come with it. One day, a homeless man takes him and several of his colleagues’ hostage in the office. The man is looking for the lawyer responsible for evicting him.
The man gets killed by the police, but Michael is so profoundly shaken that he starts to investigate the reason behind his desperate act. The more he gets involved in the plight of the homeless, the more Michael’s dedication for justice becomes stronger. He throws away his career and even gets in legal jeopardy to undo wrongs done by his firm.
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I bought this book
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