The Street Lawyer

Hoter, Zohar

9-11-11

A2, Huss, Honors English

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

John Grisham's thrilling drama The Street Lawyer, lawyer Michael Brock is on the fast track to a partnership at D.C. law firm Drake and Sweeny when he and several other lawyers are taken hostage by a homeless man who was wrongfully evicted by the firm. A sniper kills the man and the hostages are freed, but Brock conscience is irreversibly scarred and he can no longer work in his comfortable office. He leaves Drake and Sweeney for public interest law, but takes a secret with him and vows to avenge his captors death. On a scale of one to ten, this book earns a nine. While telling the story of Brock's journey to the streets, John Grisham also tells the stories of all those people around him. The homeless who walk into his clinic seeking legal advice, the other public interest lawyers, even the wife who is seeking a divorce, their interactions with Brock and the subplots that arise from this all have equal attention. This style of telling several stories and having active plots could easily be unfocused, but manages to maintain a focus on the original conflict that arises at the beginning. The author also uses enough imagery and detail that you can follow Brock down a bad street to a homeless shelter in your mind. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys suspense and drama, but may put off some readers with its legal basis.