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John Grisham

John Grisham was working as a criminal defense attorney in Southaven, Mississippi when he wrote his first novel. “A Time to Kill,” was based on an actual court case that dealt with racial issues in the South. It enjoyed modest success.

He entered politics, serving in the state legislature on the Democratic ticket and began writing his second novel. It was not Grisham’s intent to leave law and politics to become a published author, but the runaway success of his second endeavor “The Firm” changed his mind.

Grisham quickly became a prolific best-selling author. In addition to novels, he has published short stories, nonfiction, and young adult books.

Malcolm X

Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965) was a minister, human rights activist and prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s. Due largely to his efforts, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. Articulate, passionate and a naturally gifted and inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted blacks to cast off the shackles of racism “by any means necessary,” including violence. The fiery civil rights leader broke with the group shortly before his assassination on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been preparing to deliver a speech.