A Time to Kill by John Grisham

2 summers ago John and I randomly watched the last half of A Time to Kill on TBS in a hotel room in Denver.  I loved the story and really wanted to watch the entire movie.  Then, last summer Sycamore Row by John Grisham was chosen as a book to read for book club.  I loved the book, the characters, and John Grisham’s writing style.  I got sucked in to the story in a way that any good book should do.  I knew at that point that I could really become a fan of John Grisham if I just read more books.  

My book club decided to read A Time To Kill.  One of the regulars of the club highly recommended John Grisham and I knew that I really liked the general story line.  So we decided to read it.  Oh my goodness it was SO good.  The movie is excellent.  But the book is even better!  I loved this book.  It hit on a lot of hot topic issues of the 1980’s South.  And, in light of recent events, hot topic issues today.  It really gets you thinking about how you would react to a very sensitive situation. 

In A Time to Kill, Carl Lee Hailey kills 2 men that have been charged, and admitted to, raping and beating Carl Lee’s 10 year old daughter.  Before the 2 men even go to trial Carl Lee hides in a utility closet of the courthouse and shoots them with an M-16 as they walk past him.  In the process of shooting these men he also shoots a deputy who ends up losing his leg as a result.  Carl Lee at no point denies the fact that he plotted to and did kill these men.  The entire city was outraged by the rape, but now they don’t know how to react to Carl Lee taking the law into his own hands and killing the men responsible for raping and beating his daughter.

On top of it all, Carl Lee is a black man who killed 2 white men in a VERY Southern town in Mississippi.  There are many racists in this town.  There is a very slim chance of Carl Lee getting a fair trial for no other reason than he is black and most of the county is white.  This is where Jake Brigance, Carl Lee’s lawyer, comes in.  He has to figure out a way for Carl Lee to get a fair trial, all while dealing with death threats towards himself, his family, and his employees.  Jake has to come up with a way to defend Carl Lee effectively when Carl Lee at no point wants to deny the fact that he did indeed kill these men.

The story that Grisham tells of Jake’s struggles to defend Carl Lee when all odds are against him is so intriguing.   I couldn’t put the book down (except when I had to because a customer walked in to work. . . work really gets in the way sometimes J ).  I HIGHLY recommend this book to pretty much anyone.  Grisham does use the “n” word a LOT, but it is all in context of the setting of the book.  At the time and place the book was set, a LOT of people used it and didn’t see anything wrong with it.  If you are offended by it, I would not read this because it is pretty prevalent from page 1.  Other than that it is a GREAT book that everyone should read.  While the book is a bit dated (written in 1989, set in the early 80’s as well)  I think the overall issues the book presents are still relevant in society today.  Would Carl Lee have even gone to trial if he were white?  Should he have taken the law into his own hands?  Should he face the death penalty?  What would you do if your daughter got raped and beat by 2 men, causing her to not be able to have children, especially since these men confessed to their crime?  These are the questions that Grisham makes you ask yourself as you are reading his story.

I would also recommend watching the movie.  It stars Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L Jackson, and Kevin Spacey, just to name a few.  Here is a trailer: 

I am officially a fan of Grisham. I actually went to DI (the local thrift store) and bought pretty much every Grisham book I found.  I am obsessed.  I just hope he doesn’t disappoint me from here on out.

Next up for book club is Ender’s Shadow.  I’ve had this sitting on my bookshelf for a few years now and am excited for an excuse to read it.  I am also reading a book that I borrowed from my little brother: Wings of Fire.  I have to finish it soon because he wants it back to reread.  Also, I am FINALLY almost done rereading Harry Potter.  As usual Netflix got in the way (Pretty Little Liars is ADDICTING).  I started reading them BEFORE my trip to Florida in MARCH!  And I am now almost done with book 6.  Seriously I don’t know why it has taken me this long except for Netflix.  Typically when I reread them I finish in like a week.  Oh well, I own them all so it’s not like I need to be in a hurry to finish them.

Happy Reading!

~Tara