What I’m Reading: The Appeal by John Grisham

Colleague Mike McBunch recently gave me a signed copy of “The Appeal” by John Grisham. Mike and I are board members of Barbers International (BI), an organization that provides networking and education for barber professionals. We just celebrated our organization’s third annual conference in Tunica, Mississippi.

This wonderful gift was unique in Mike met John at a booksigning; Grisham has homes in Mississippi and Virginia (my home state); the backdrop for the book is Bowmore, Mississippi and a toxic chemical dump run by Krane Chemical, led by Carl Trudeau, a Wall Street exec on his third trophy wife. Since I can relate to the New York storylines and southern themes, Mike thought I’d enjoy the book. Boy was he right!

A fast read, I zoomed through a few chapters whereby Krane’s stock price went from about $50 a share to the mid-teens. Grisham eloquently describes the angst of high-flyers, including a gut-wrenching sequence when the in house counsel excuses himself to the men’s room and breaks down following a loss of more than $2 million.

The character says he “understands why people jumped off buildings in 1929.”

Now, I’m on the part where the Trudeau, on a tip from a powerful senator, strikes a deal with a Boca Raton consultant to “purchase” a Mississippi state supreme court seat so the $41 million toxic waste dump appeal will be in Krane Chemical’s favor.

Sound familiar? Grisham has written nearly 20 books and is at the top of his game. Published in 2008, “The Appeal” adequately captures many present day issues. King of the modern day legal thriller, check out Grisham’s bio on www.jgrisham.com. An attorney by trade, he turned his passion for writing into a lucrative full-time career.

By reading bestsellers, other books and surveying author’s writing styles, you not only massage your brain, but gain a window into current affairs or other important topics.

Whether hardcover, paperback, PDF, e-book or Kindle 2.0 (Amazon’s $359 e-book reader), learn to devour books and treat yourself to knowledge as an appetizer, entrée or dessert!