“What I’ve Learned” – John Grisham – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
I celebrate ACHIEVEMENT EVERY DAY! WEDNESDAY’S “A Rainbow of Role Models,” I do not see race, skin color, religion, sex, attractiveness (ok, I do like beautiful ladies), age, or any other nonsense. I love learning from inspirational people that inspire me to drop MY EXCUSES and JUST DO IT! Role models who stretch my ambitions and model GIVING BACK!
There is dignity in achievement and success—in becoming a great factor in civilization.” Carter G. Woodson.
I hope you will share these short articles; perhaps a few people will be curious to learn more.
Disclaimer: Good Day, Readers. WealthBuildingPowers blog is a financial literacy/competency blog and does not provide specific investment recommendations.
What I’ve Learned: John Grisham – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
STYRON’S INTRODUCTION
As the above and below pictures from my library demonstrate, John Grisham is one of my favorite authors.
In addition to his storytelling skills, I greatly appreciate his commitment to freeing the innocent, preventing wrongful convictions, and creating fair, compassionate, and equitable justice systems for everyone. Mr. Grisham is on the board of the Innocence Project, “founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University; the organization is now an independent nonprofit. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism.” See the below link.
Many poor defendants have overworked public defenders, doing the best they can. And the courts get it wrong too often. I would rather a guilty man go free than discover an innocent man is serving time for a crime he did not commit. This has occurred an unacceptable number of times in our country. We can never return the precious freedom and time lost. Thank you, John Grisham.
“If you know the final scene, it’s hard to get lost.”
INTERVIEW BY BRIAN O’KEEFE
John Grisham went from being a small-town Mississippi lawyer to a literary sensation in 1991 when his second novel, The Firm, was published, sold well millions of copies, and was later adapted into a movie. He has since written dozens of No. 1 bestsellers. Today, Grisham, 67,lives on a farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia, and, in addition to his writing, serves on the board of the Innocence Project. He published his forty-eighth book,The Boys from Biloxi,in October.
I don’t wear socks except in January.
My first real job was in a nursery, watering rosebushes for a dollar an hour. It was the most boring job in the world. But I was taught to be there promptly on time. Take the lunch break properly on time for thirty minutes. Work eight hours. Those are great lessons for a twelve-year-old kid.
Whenever we moved to a new town, our first stop was the local First Baptist Church to join. But the second stop was the local library to see how many books we could check out.
My father was all for the Vietnam War. Gotta go fight the commies wherever you find them, you know? Well, as I got older and I approached the age of eighteen, the war was not over. And he got quieter.
I played one year of junior college baseball. And I sat the bench. So I went to a bigger school down the road and tried out. In the fall of 1974, I walked on at Delta State University. And I got cut. It was time to give that dream up.
You know how boys are. We’re stupid. Looking back, I wish I had gone to a school as a freshman and stayed in one place for four years and got the full dose of college life. Didn’t work out that way. No regrets—especially, you know, fifty years later.
You can’t make any money as a small-town lawyer. Because you’re dealing with people who have problems that are enormous for them but they can’t pay your fees for their divorce or bankruptcy or whatever the problem is. You’ve got to help them, but you don’t always get paid.
The greatest trial lawyers I’ve ever met spend hours and hours writing their opening statement. That’s the first story they tell the jury. They will go over and over and over telling the story. They’ve got it memorized. And that’s something I still do.
I’ve yet to sit down in thirty-five years with nothing to say.
Don’t write the first scene until you know the final scene. If you know the final scene, it’s hard to get lost.
The goal is a thousand words a day. My goal for every legal thriller is a hundred thousand words. Each year on January 1, I’ll start a new one, with a goal of finishing by July 1. I’m almost always on time.
When you write about lawyers and law firms and trials and courts and juries and judges and appeals, there’s no shortage of material. I’ve yet to sit down in thirty-five years with nothing to say.
You watch a baseball game on television and it’s so easy to say, when a guy makes an error, that it looks bad. But to get to that point? You’ve got to be great. And right behind them are the guys in Triple-A—and you’ve got to be so good even to get there.
There are so many innocent people in prison. And most white people don’t believe that. Black people know it’s true because they’ve lived it.
It’s fairly easy to send an innocent person to prison. It’s very difficult to get one out.
My parents taught me lying just makes it worse. And it still does.
After so many books, I could quit and say, “Okay, I’m retired. I’m not going to write anymore. Sorry.” I’ve never thought about doing that.
Sex is just pure physical satisfaction. You can find it almost anywhere. Love is far more complicated and far more meaningful. Combine the two and you’ve got everything.
I laugh and tell people, “I’m a famous writer in a country where nobody reads.” It’s a good level of fame because you have the brand name to sell books but people don’t recognize me.
I don’t want to die with a bunch of money in the bank.
God hasn’t changed. I probably changed.
Each spring I buy a pair of real light khakis for the summer and I wear them every day until my wife yells at me. When she sees a hole or stain that won’t go away, she’ll yell at me and I’ll get another pair. That’s the way I dress.
I’m not afraid of snakes—as long as I can see ’em and get away from ’em.
The great thing about being a writer: You’re not expected to dress nice. You can wear anything to any party because you’re a writer.
It’s insanity for anybody my age to pick up golf because I really suck at it. It’s a lot of fun being out there with friends, and I’d like to improve. But I don’t want to practice.
TO READ THE ARTICLE, CLICK BELOW:
https://innocenceproject.org/about/
WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU WANT TO READ NEXT? WHAT QUESTIONS CAN I ANSWER? UNTIL NEXT TIME!
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St Jude Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/
Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Folds of Honor: https://foldsofhonor.org
Wilson’s No-Kill Animal Shelter: https://wcnkas.org
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me), investment and finance blogger with an N.C. State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career to make a difference as a speaker and writer. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
DISCLAIMER
I started my first business at ~13 years of age (a small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, and real estate and am happy to share my finance and investment lessons. I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog as recommendations for your situation. As an investor, you must establish your risk/loss tolerance. Investment in any asset involves risk, including complete loss.
Please seek your licensed CPA or fiduciary financial advisors for individual financial advice.
I write this weekly blog to make an impact by reaching an audience and demonstrating the need for financial literacy. I will help you get there.
