The Racketeer by John Grisham (2012)
I remember a time in the early 80s when I was helping out in a relative's place. It was in an isolated part of town and I was in isolation all by myself in an empty house. The only form of entertainment there was a box of books. The TV antenna was not fixed and there was no radio for company.
Rummaging through the contents of the box only revealed volumes of law journal and a few paperbacks. Unfortunately the readable books were not my cup of tea at that time. The only 'readable' book was 'The Jungle is Neutral' by F.C. Chapman which was not much to my liking - too much circumlocution and dry.
And why I was wondering why people read non-fictions! How times have changed.
The history of storytelling is the story of mankind. Messages imparted in condescending or instructive manner are rarely remembered for a long time. Tell it in a story form, spice it up with emotions, suspense and drama, you got your audience hooked. The best way to be a favourite uncle is to tell stories or give sweets.
History has shown that stories, and later books when more people began to read, gave the people in power the feeling of being hot under the collar. Book burnings in the Moghul era, Nazi and lately Cultural Revolution in China is nothing new. It seems the biggest library in Bihar, India took a month to burn when it was set ablaze by the invading Moghul legion. During the pre-Independance India, dramas and puppetry were means to get the message of nationalism and spirit for self rule across the land.
Why am I not talking so much about this book? There is nothing much to tell of it anyway. As it says on the cover, it tells of a lawyer who loses everything about a client is involved in a high profile money laundering scheme and he, being his lawyer is implicated.
He gets even with the FBI who put him in by planning a devious plan involving a dead judge, gold nuggets, fellow inmates and a deal under witness protection programme.
With heightened security in the post 9-11 era, nobody buys the author's story of being able to cross boundaries carrying gold ingots and smuggling hard cold cash!
Well, just help to immerse oneself in the land of make believe.
I remember a time in the early 80s when I was helping out in a relative's place. It was in an isolated part of town and I was in isolation all by myself in an empty house. The only form of entertainment there was a box of books. The TV antenna was not fixed and there was no radio for company.
Rummaging through the contents of the box only revealed volumes of law journal and a few paperbacks. Unfortunately the readable books were not my cup of tea at that time. The only 'readable' book was 'The Jungle is Neutral' by F.C. Chapman which was not much to my liking - too much circumlocution and dry.
And why I was wondering why people read non-fictions! How times have changed.
The history of storytelling is the story of mankind. Messages imparted in condescending or instructive manner are rarely remembered for a long time. Tell it in a story form, spice it up with emotions, suspense and drama, you got your audience hooked. The best way to be a favourite uncle is to tell stories or give sweets.
History has shown that stories, and later books when more people began to read, gave the people in power the feeling of being hot under the collar. Book burnings in the Moghul era, Nazi and lately Cultural Revolution in China is nothing new. It seems the biggest library in Bihar, India took a month to burn when it was set ablaze by the invading Moghul legion. During the pre-Independance India, dramas and puppetry were means to get the message of nationalism and spirit for self rule across the land.
Why am I not talking so much about this book? There is nothing much to tell of it anyway. As it says on the cover, it tells of a lawyer who loses everything about a client is involved in a high profile money laundering scheme and he, being his lawyer is implicated.
He gets even with the FBI who put him in by planning a devious plan involving a dead judge, gold nuggets, fellow inmates and a deal under witness protection programme.
With heightened security in the post 9-11 era, nobody buys the author's story of being able to cross boundaries carrying gold ingots and smuggling hard cold cash!
Well, just help to immerse oneself in the land of make believe.
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