John Grisham is one of my favorite bestselling authors, and I have read almost all his books. This one was certainly different from the rest of them in my opinion, in both good and bad ways. On the negative side, it was not as suspenseful and fast-paced as, say The Pelican Brief or The Firm or his other courtroom dramas- when I read them I could scarcely put the book down for fear that something was going to happen between the pages in my absense. However on the positive side, this book contained a much deeper message than those other books did. (Which probably explains why it wasn't all about write-an-awesome-story-to-sell excitement.) The story begins when a bum walks into a rich firm and holds ten attorneys- including some of the best and richest in the firm- hostage in a little room. He has dynamo strapped to his body and is holding a gun. He asks one lawyer to give him the facts straight of the IRS reports: how much money have each of these big-time lawyers donated to charity? By charity he doesn't mean the local symphony or the high-up charities they give money to in order to get their name mentioned, but money given directly to the poor homeless people on the street or the soup kitchens, free clinics, homes, etc. that help them out? Of course the lawyer can't give a very big figure. Although no harm results from this short hostage-holding-session (except to the bum, who is shot by a sniper outside and whose brains explode all over the lawyer who was assisting him with the figures) and it seems like the bum was just trying to make a point instead of really hurt anyone, and although the rest of the attorneys go back to their strenous trying-to-get-on-top schedule, the laywer who was asked to tell the bum the statistics is deeply touched by this episode and wants to find out more.  
 
The lawyer's name is Michael Brock, and he becomes the main character of the story. Although he is a rising star at Drake and Sweeney, the law firm, he gives up some of his billing hours to investigate this incident. This decision leads him to helping at a free clinic and donating his time at a homeless shelter. When he finds out what connection the firm has with the bum, he leaves it, and takes along with him a stolen file. From then on, he is a crook, and a street lawyer.  
 
This book wasn't only another good John Grisham tale, but a touching story of a man who realized his life had been shallow and he wanted to make a difference. I recommend it with this reason. If you want a fast-paced court-room drama, read another of his books first. But if you are tired of that sort of thing but what something different and deeper, read The Street Lawyer.  
