Grisham on Political Manipulation

Former lawyer, former state legislator, and current mega-selling author John Grisham recently shared his opinion with the Associated Press of how the Democrats have been outmaneuvered by Republicans in elections. "I think what the Republicans have done in past elections is brilliant . . . they've convinced a lot of people to vote for them against their own economic self-interest, and they've done that by skillfully manipulating a handful of social issues, primarily abortion and gay rights and sometimes gun control," he said. "And the Republicans have used those to scare a lot of people into voting for Republican candidates. It's skillful manipulation."

Lest you think the hard-boiled legal/political author is full of hubris, Grisham also threw water on his own literary importance, stating "I'm not sure where that line goes between literature and popular fiction. I can assure you I don't take myself serious enough to think I'm writing literary fiction and stuff that's going to be remembered in 50 years. I'm not going to be here in 50 years; I don't care if I'm remembered or not. It's pure entertainment." He believes he's an entertainer, not a Faulkner or Joyce. But at $9 million earned last year, he's obviously compelling to contemporary readers.