Grisham, John. A Time to Kill. Wynwood Press,
1989. A Time to Kill was Grisham’s first
novel, but was rejected many times before being published after The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and The
Client. This book was inspired when Grisham witnessed the testimony of a 12
year old rape vicitm. This book is set in 1984 in the fictonal town of Clanton,
Mississippi. Ten year old Tonya Hailey is kidnapped and horribly raped by two
white males. They left her to die, but fortunalty she is found and rushed to
the hospital. Tonya’s father Carl Lee, takes matters into his own hands. He had
heard that in the next town over a young black girl was raped by white men and
they were aquitted, he was not going to let that happen. While the young men
are being taken to the courthouse, Carl Lee emerges from the cloest and kills
the white men, while accidently wounding Deputy Looney. Carl Lee is arrested at
his house and taken to jail to await his trial. His trial is full of courupt
motions with the District Attorney wanting public support so he can run for
governor, a brother of one of the white males who wants revenge and go to the Ku
Klux Klan. This book is full of twists and turns and leaves you wanting to know
what will happen to Carl Lee Hailey.
In 1996, it was made into a movie starring Matthew
McConaughey, Samuel L Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Kevin Spacy. One of the most
famous scenes is the closing argument by Matthew McConaughey’s character.
This shows how our
system is easily courpt. Having elected officials aspiring for political goals
and having a high profile case can set that in motion, even is the person is innocent.
Just like the Vizier in The Sultan’s Dilemma
he would go anywhere and do anything to protect a secret that could harm or damage the sultan,
or his reputation.
A Time to Kill was Grisham’s first
novel, but was rejected many times before being published after The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and The
Client. This book was inspired when Grisham witnessed the testimony of a 12
year old rape vicitm. This book is set in 1984 in the fictonal town of Clanton,
Mississippi. Ten year old Tonya Hailey is kidnapped and horribly raped by two
white males. They left her to die, but fortunalty she is found and rushed to
the hospital. Tonya’s father Carl Lee, takes matters into his own hands. He had
heard that in the next town over a young black girl was raped by white men and
they were aquitted, he was not going to let that happen. While the young men
are being taken to the courthouse, Carl Lee emerges from the cloest and kills
the white men, while accidently wounding Deputy Looney. Carl Lee is arrested at
his house and taken to jail to await his trial. His trial is full of courupt
motions with the District Attorney wanting public support so he can run for
governor, a brother of one of the white males who wants revenge and go to the Ku
Klux Klan. This book is full of twists and turns and leaves you wanting to know
what will happen to Carl Lee Hailey. 
In 1996, it was made into a movie starring Matthew
McConaughey, Samuel L Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Kevin Spacy. One of the most
famous scenes is the closing argument by Matthew McConaughey’s character.
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