Rating: 
Summary: The Street Lawyer
Review: I enjoyed this book, although not as much as The Testament, another John Grisham book that I previously read, but it still kept me interested throughout the entire novel. The book tells the story of Michael Brock, who makes the dramatic transition from a high income lawyer with the Drake and Sweeny law firm, to a street lawyer to defend and help the homeless. Michael Brock, a workaholic with a failing marriage, is held hostage along with other lawyers on his office floor by a smelly homeless person who, to the hostages, is known as "Mister". The episode ends in the shooting and killing of "Mister", or DeVon Hardy. Michael, feeling so close to death, as "Mister's" blood splatters on him, just can't get back into the swing of his normal materialistic ways of life. Michael is suspicious and disturbed by the questions that DeVon Hardy had asked the hostages (ex: How much does each lawyer give to the homeless and hungry per year? Who were the evictors of the homeless?) and decides to do some investigating. He soon learns that DeVon Hardy and others were evicted from a unused building by his law firm, Drake and Sweeny. Michael meets Mordecai Green, a street lawyer, becomes a confidant and business partner when Michael undergoes a change of heart and leaves his high paying job to fight for the homeless. Once labeled as a greedy, unappreciative, and a materialistic workaholic, Michael steals legal files from Drake and Sweeny, goes to jail, and loses his wife, Claire Brock, all for the homeless. Through the tough struggles, Michael Brock manages to find a new love, and a new peace with himself.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching book.
Review: This is the very touching tale of a lawyer on the fast track, 2-3 years away from a partnership who drops everything to become a street lawyer - basically a lawyer who works for the homeless and gets 30,000 a year.
Before he quits his old job however, he takes an important file with him - the record of an illegal eviction that threw 18 people on the street. And when 5 of the evicted people, a mother and her 4 children die of suffocation while sleeping in a car he swears he will bring justice.This really is a very poignant book and it taught me some things about the homeless that I didn't really want to know. Believe me, after reading this book, you will start dropping change in beggars' cups and you will start to appreciate what you really have.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmmm.......
Review: After reading the previous books.... I was a little let down by this one. It was a good story, just not exciting... And way too long for this subject. However, out of respect for Grisham, I finished it. Not that it wasn't interesting, but I would rather have read something else. Anyway, don't expect anything massively exciting from this one.
Rating:
Summary: This book is laughable
Review: My wife and I laughed out loud listening to this book. When we weren't laughing, we were cringing at the preachy Kumbaya liberal politics of the author, who is now rich enough to afford the liberal policies he supports. Apparently, Grisham is salving his guilty conscience by having his alter-ego help fictional homeless people. If Grisham feels so strongly about the homeless, why doesn't he become a "Street Author" and donate his millions to charity? Oh I forgot -- liberals are only compassionate with other people's (tax) money. Two stars for the unintended humor.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book and eye-opening testament life on the street
Review: John Grisham's novel, The Street Lawyer, exemplifies what I consider to be a good book: a captivating narrative combined with an awakening tale of the suffering and misfortune around us. One sees attorney Michael Brock as a two-sided character, embodying both the disregard often shown for the homeless, and the compassion, sincerity, and love entailed in catering to this minority's needs. Told through the eyes of Brock, he shows that an inner desire to change can stem from both the major and minor events in life. Yes, it is clear that, unfortunately, regardless of the meaningful message this novel put forth, this country's treatment and opinions of the homeless are far from resolved. But who is the bad guy? Sure, the three lawsuit defendants in The Street Lawyer played a substantial role in the death and mistreatment of D.C.'s homeless, but could these disasters not have originated at all? Politically, this issue could be debated for years, but the few weeks we see in the life of Michael Brock help us to realize that our call to action is always present. Mordecai Green demonstrated to us the magnitude of power and respect his advocacy for the homeless gained for him. A generally threatening man when it comes to legal matters, Green's outer toughness melted while in a shelter or serving soup. It is unfortunate that there are people living without addresses, without blankets, and without the community of friends and family that most are fortunate to possess. We cannot change these things... but we can try. Maybe that's what John Grisham was trying to get us to do: TRY!
Rating:
Summary: Well Written But A Disappointment
Review: Although I was disappointed with this novel, it is a great example of John Grisham’s skill as a writer. He weaves together words and character, not to mention every day events in a web of suspense, fun, and page turning excitement. In other words, this is a very well written book. The drawback and main failure is the weak character development and even weaker main plot. When this book was written, and there are several like it by successful authors, there was a great deal of national concern about the new, conservative congress and the plight of the homeless. I don’t recall any of the mega-authors of the day pledging the total proceeds from and of their novels to aid the homeless, but that’s a social review, not a literary one. The fact that just after this work was published the United States went on to experience its greatest economic recovery in history looms large over the position taken by the author as well. The often histrionic, political commentary about the plight of the poor and homeless throughout the book is distracting and kills the joy of reading it. It is often baseless... There are some glaring errors as well. Namely the protagonist is arrested and thrown into a cell with his shoelaces in his shoes. One would think an attorney would know prisoners are not jailed with belts or shoelaces. Some of the characters and scenes are sadly stereotypical and cliche, but I am sure vivid and realistic to the middle class suburban reader who cannot fathom the world of the inner city. A wealthy man wrote a book about a wealthy man who found his conscience and decided to devote his life to helping the poor. A group the author is not in touch with nor relates to in any meaningful way. At least not in reality or in this work. Though not accurate and terribly generous to liberal politics at times, this is still a very good read and worth the effort to do so. The characters are not really believable, but their reactions to certain situations are the there is enough comic relief to keep it from becoming a public service ad for helping the homeless. Not Mr. Grisham’s best offering but certainly a page turner and good for a few smiles and suspenseful moments, The Street Lawyer was fettered by a implausible plot but does rise above being a bomb with exceptional writing skill.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: This book was pretty good, much better then some of John's other books. The main plot of this book is how a homeless man holds up a handful of lawyers with a gun and some fake sticks of dynamite. So later when the homeless man is shot and killed, this changes one man's life. He works with the homeless and sues this huge company. You should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the read...
Review: I consider The Street Lawyer among Grisham's better works. It is a quick read that maintains its pace throughout. A near-death experience prompts a lawyer, on the fast track to making partner [becoming rich and living out all his dreams] to give it all away in search of a more meaningful existence. Ok, so it sounds like a made-for-tv movie. Well, it's well written and quite believable. Unlike his other books, which build up to what is usually a letdown ending, this one maintains an even pace and leaves you more satisfied when the last page comes. Some may not appreciate the somewhat different style, but I personally liked the book and think you will too.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Reading
Review: "The Street Lawyer" is a page turner just like all the rest of Grisham's novels, but the story is far less complex than what I normally expect from him. I still greatly enjoyed reading it though. Many who read the book and posted reviews here found the central character's (Michael Brock) sudden change of lifestyle and career path to be unbelievable. Personally, I did not think so. If the incident with Mister at the beginning were the only motivator, I might think the same. However, I viewed that incident as an 'eye opener' for Brock. He was not a happy man, and he finally realized that he needed to do something about that. Mister was simply the catalyst. The story wraps up a bit too neatly, and some of the complaints I've seen here about Grisham's preaching about the homeless is certainly justified, however this book is definitely still worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham has done better
Review: Despite being an avid reader and an immense John Grisham fan, I found "The Pelican Brief" slow and stale. The book started out promisingly enough, but soon failed to hold my interest. The plot was lame, the characters underdeveloped, and the ending left much to be desired. I do not reccomend this book to anyone, Grisham enthusiast or not. Save your money, and your time.
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