“‘Are you hurt?’ they asked. I didn’t know. There was blood on my face and shirt, and a sticky liquid that a doctor later described as cerebrospinal fluid.”

What would your reaction be if a homeless man walked into your office and demanded that you do charity work? Then, after you and a couple coworkers are taken hostage, he is shot by the police – and now you have his blood all over you? The odds are you would be pretty shaken up. This is what happens to Michael Brock, a lawyer who is soon to be a partner in an elite firm.

John Grisham illustrates how a seemingly perfect life can change in just one afternoon. Michael has the background and material possessions people dream of. However, as the story progresses, he starts to lose everything that he thought was important. He divorces his wife and quits his high-paying job; he becomes a lawyer for the homeless, and maybe even a thief.

Grisham describes the struggles that happen behind the scenes that we rarely know about. He shows us through a fictional but lifelike story that sometimes it isn’t always about us. Even if you are earning less than minimum wage, it’s better to do the right and just thing than to live selfishly.

Readers will reflect on their own lives after reading this book. What would happen if you were faced with a life-threatening situation? Would you crumble and fall apart, or would you stand taller and live as if it was your only chance to do anything?

This book helped me to decide that I would like to be a social worker and help the less fortunate. As I read about Michael’s becoming a street lawyer to help the homeless who were wrongly convicted as squatters, I realized that there are plenty of jobs for those of us who want to help others.

I recommend The Street Lawyer to anyone seeking dramatic fiction with twists and turns. If you like to read about how life gives you unexpected bumps and red herrings, then this book is for you. Many teenagers and adults have come to love Grisham’s work. I know I have – that’s why I finished The Street Lawyer in two days!