Review of The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

Okay, first off, John Grisham hands down is one of the best authors EVER. Like this dude’s the epitome of legal bad-assery.  As many know it, his books are almost always related to some “law” theme and every single one of them is a masterpiece. I’ve read three so far- The Litigators, The Tort King and the latest one, The Street Lawyer. 

This book is a masterpiece!

 Grisham has a set framework for every of his novel (atleast so far in all that I’ve read), there is ALWAYS  some hot-shot/ some struggling lawyer who either suddenly becomes famous or leaves his high paying job to struggle and there is ALWAYS a relationship failure (law students, take note) and finally, there is ALWAYS a good prevails over the evil ending. But does it make his novels boring or predictable? The answer would be a resounding no.

Grisham is a master of words, a weaver of stories so intricate and complex; you’d scarcely believe the finesse with which he achieves it. I’ve been in awe of his writing ever since I picked up my first of his, The Litigators. Grisham knows the law and executes it flawlessly, and there is most certainly some moral lesson involved.

So the latest that I read, The Street Lawyer is one of its kind. It starts with a shooting (it’s the USA, what do you expect really?) in a law office where our protagonist is climbing the success ladder, soon to be a partner. He’s taken a hostage but fortunately, the rescue ops are a success and the perpetrator is shot down. But Michael (our protagonist) has developed some kind of PTSD, he goes in a search to find the identity of the guy and when he does, he finds out he was a homeless. This information is provided to him at a free legal clinic by a man named Mordecai (to whom this novel is actually a tribute).

From here starts his journey into the unknown, he leaves his job, his marriage is already falling apart and he figures he has nothing to lose. But before he leaves, he receives a mysterious note regarding some unlawful eviction his firm carried out to give effect to some contract and he ends up stealing a file from the Real Estate branch of his firm. 

What follows is roller coaster ride with Michael visiting shelters, helping the poor and everything. But it is the death of a family of four (a mother and three kids) that jolts him to the core and he takes up the cause of the homeless. So our once potential law firm Partner is now helping people get food stamps (!) while his wife files for divorce (pool ol’ lawyers).

Back to the stolen file, our protagonist lands into a lot of trouble for it- accidents, legal malpractice suit, prison where he gets beaten up, you name it! And what he finds out is *drum roll* S-C-A-N-D-A-L-O-U-S. Apparently, the Real Estate branch of the firm carried out an illegal eviction; the occupants were not “squatters” but actual tenants and *surprise surprise* the shooter and the family of four were also amongst the ones illegally evicted and his firm was involved in a hush-hush cover up of the “dirty act” lest they’d have lost the contract.

So Michael alongwith Mordecai file a suit against the firm which takes the newspapers by storm. What ensues is a constant tug of war between the two sides. Shots are fired and it gets downright mean (welcome to the legal world).  

But yes, it has a happy ending albeit not like you would expect it. But then again, he is John Grisham, he’s mad talented at what he does and he does it like a pro, never disappointing you.  There are certain very endearing incidents, like a homeless addict who’d come to their clinic just because Michael would offer her cookies and “crappy coffee”. You’d love every moment of reading it.

Grisham is the epitome of legal bad-assery!

Yet there is a hidden message underneath these gripping stories- you may win many wars in the courtroom but you’ll lose the battle of justice if your sole purpose is money while you’re practicing law. He doesn’t advocate sacrificing everything but striking a balance between the two. Maybe a little volunteer work here, maybe working a case of a poor person for free there. But as soon as you take up one extreme, you’ve lost direction and your world, professional and personal will fall apart.

 

I think I might be an empath! Here's the best and the worst part about it.

Are you an empath?

 

 So at the very outset I’d like to get this thing out of the way- I’m not a religious person but a very spiritual one. Yes, there’s a difference (a HUGE one, if you ask me) but I won’t get into the nitty gritties.

Anyhow, ever since I was child, I had a huge group of friends and was a favourite (everybody-would-write-best-friend-essay-on-me favourite) but over time I’ve ceased to be that person and have a very definite set of friends. Not because I’m a loner but because I think I might be an empath.

Now who exactly is an empath? In my dictionary, an empath is a person who is very sensitive to other peoples’ auras (or say frequencies or vibrations). Yes, it’s gonna sound a little maniac, but there are people who can literally perceive or sense other peoples’ positive (or negative) vibes. 

Empaths are highly sensitive to others' emotional vibes and frequencies

So what does this really mean? It means that as soon as a person on a negative vibe comes in contact with an empath, it starts affecting them and vice versa.

Basically empaths are people upon whom other people unload there share of negativity. Reiki healers, for example, are empaths. And I really don’t think it is an easy job really because the burden they unload is not just a psychological one but also a physical one. Empaths gets back pains, head aches or any other bodily pain (yes, it’s true and actually proven!) due to all this negativity. And each such person responds differently to it. Some empaths become healers, some become introverts while some choose to over-ride those negative vibrations to pass on their positive aura onto the former.

So fascinating, right? 

Empaths may be of various types

 

Empaths who are really advanced with their skills actually have the power to change the world. It’s not uncommon for people who are depressed to “Attach” themselves to an empath as it keeps their suicidal thoughts at bay.  There are numerous reportings wherein a person was attempting to commit suicide but the mere presence of “a positive vibe” (an empath passing by) made them change their mind. The list is really endless…

However, there are certain negative aspects to it, as I said before, physical pains, mental agony, in some cases empaths even gain weight (because their body is used as a defense mechanism in times of excessive negative vibes)! An empath will try to save everyone he comes across but it can be quite frustrating because not every battle can be won especially when there is a lot of negativity surrounding them.

Empaths need to come to terms with the fact that not all battles can be won.

But if you ask me, empaths are pretty cool though it may (literally!) be a burden in some cases.

For all the automobile lovers out there! (Bugatti Veyron Super Sports)

Hello lovelies! First of all I'd like to thank you for your immense love and support towards the blog. I've been working on a blog post that is really close and means a lot to me. In the meantime, my brother (who just turned 12 last month) decided to blog (I couldn't be more proud!).
He's madly into cars and hopes to become an automobile engineer someday. 

Aryan reads Top Gear from cover to cover and hope to become an automobile engineer

 Here's what he wrote:

Designed by Jozef Kaban, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is priced 3.4 million dollars. It is one of my most favourite cars and is one of the fastest in the world as well. 

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sports

At the top speed of 431kph and with 1,200hp the Super Sport has the W16 engine with four turbos which is the reason behind its super speed. The Super Sport has slid down to the 2^nd position in the world’s fastest cars and the Henessay Venom GT is at the first (it was a painful moment for me that time). Still, it is the fastest production car in the world (there was some controversy regarding it, but it was ruled finally in its favour). Just 450 Super Sports were made in the 10 year course.   

At one point, it held the record for being the fastest in the world

                     

Sadly, this Super Car was discontinued near the end of 2014, but it still remains one of the most powerful cars that ever came into being.


Well, I can not say I know much about cars, but I hope you liked it. I know, I did (but then again, I'm his big sister so I'm partial towards him)
Let us know what you thought of it! He'd love to see your comments!

If you can't meditate, color! Why coloring is good for your health.

Well, first I have to say I had no idea that coloring books for adults is actually a thing (!) and apparently it is a trend that is catching on fast (seriously, Google it). At the moment, numerous studies are going on to establish whether coloring does really have any health benefit. 

An article I read on The Huffington Post cites Mihály Csíkszentmihályi's (Nope, did not even try pronouncing it) ground-breaking book, Flow, in which the author describes coloring as what is known as an autotelic (heavy word, that) activity, which is to say, it is an immersive and absorbing behavior that is rewarding in and of itself. Engaging in autotelic activities has been shown to improve concentration and a sense of agency. 

Yeah, sounds interesting, I know. 

Apparently, adult coloring is actually a thing!

Anyhoooo, I'm not here to cite studies and bombard you with all these alien words (and names!) but to tell you my personal experience (and I had no idea about this trend, trust me). Of late, I had been going through some turbulent experiences personally and it had been unnerving me a lot. As luck would have it, my younger brother has his winter vacations and has loads of projects to do, which ultimately have to be done by *surprise surprise* (well, not really) ME.  

So he has loads of scrapbooks to do which means loads of pictures. Yes, so I set down to coloring, painting to be exact and I felt more calm and relaxed than ever. 

And I really don't know what it is and I don't claim to understand the science behind it. But what I do know is that when you sit down to color, first off, you feel a bit relaxed just by looking at those vibrant colors. Also, I'm a huge the-world-is-full-of-rainbows person so I guess that works to my advantage as well. 

That's is not all, I further felt my concentration and my hand eye coordination improving and trust me, I'm the least coordinated person I know (seriously, ask my friends!).

Personally I find it a great way to destress, it is very thereaputic to say the least and I think everyone should give it a shot. Plus, adults coloring never harmed anyone! It is a way better option than sulking or indulging in self pity or I don't know, disturbing the peace of the world. 

Happy coloring!

Here are some of the paintings that I did for his project:

Amer Fort, Rajasthan

 

Usain Bolt

Hari Prasad Chaurasia

Review of Justice is a Woman by Catherine Cookson

So I was at a Book Fair sometime in August (or September) I'm not exactly sure, where I (as usual) bought hoards of books as I have a penchant for reading (which you'll probably know in due course of my regular blog posts).
Well, the pile was huge and the time, not so much. I'm a law student. So well.
Anywayyyy, I finally got to read this novel by Catherine Cookson titled 'Justice is a Woman'. As I mentioned earlier that I am a law student, it was perhaps the only reason I picked up the copy of this amazing work. 

I got this at a Book Fair based only on the title. Oh boy, am I glad I did!

I am not much of a classics reader, I mean this was published in 1994 which I came to know later when I ran a Google search so I wasn't much sure I would like it. But I can never let a piece of literature lying with me left unread so I decided to give it a shot. And boy, am I glad I did. 
A couple of pages in, I feel a bit overwhelmed by the style of writing. I find it a bit difficult to grasp as it has a bit of a Victorian charm to it but I stick to my guns. After some odd 20-25 pages you start getting comfortable with her writing style. 
At first the story revolves around Joe Remington, a native of Fell Rise who falls in love with a Londoner, Elaine and eventually marries her. But from the outset, Cookson warns the readers that it is going to be one hell of a bumpy ride and delivers just that. Set in England in the period just at the dawn of the General Strike, it deals with family issues and the effect the Strike has on them. 

Catherine is a master at creating characters with different layers.
At first, you empathise with Elaine that she is unable to adjust in a foreign environment but you also dislike her a bit for her discrimination against David, Joe's colored "Butler" (in Elaine's words) but who is in fact (SPOILER ALERT! Joe's half brother, which is revealed at a later stage). However, you still like Elaine and hope that she's able to set out her differences with all of the staff at her husband's home and hope for a happy ending. Alas! That is what you won't get.
Apparently Joe's father (who's now confined himself to the top floor of the Remington house) had made a same mistake of marrying a "Madam" and warns his son to be careful and asks him whether his marriage is based on "love or lust". And just as his father predicted (*surprise surprise*parents are always right, well  most of the time) they soon start having disagreements. And what makes it worse is a pregnancy which Elaine is "tricked" into by Joe. What follows is a massive showdown between the two with  uptill now sweet Joe threatening her with physical harm. It is followed by eventual acceptance by the wife and the arrival of Betty, Elaine's sister who is pretty tomboyish in her view.

Anyhow, by this time you've started disliking Elaine and realised that she's a selfish person who knows how to get her way with people while her sister Betty is completely the opposite, always at the beck and call of the needy and also served in the army. She drove tanks (pretty badass, huh). She's also got an offer from an ageing lady, Mary to be her companion. So yeah, she's pretty dope and you instantly take a liking to her and feel bad for the poor soul who's exploited by pretty much everyone. Elaine uses her as she feels no one else is fit enough to be in her "class", Joe's father uses her to pass his time, Joe uses her to escape Elaine's nagging etc etc. You get the drill, right? She wants to get away from the family once the baby is born but Elaine is pretty happy to have her to take care of everything while she herself has an affair with her once ex in London. The nerve, I know. And there's also the Strike that the Remington business is facing the heat of, but they are still in a pretty comfortable position. 
On comes the second pregnancy. Another showdown. Yada Yada. But this time Elaine tries to abort the baby on her own! ( I know! She's crazy. By this time you start questioning yourself why you liked her in the first place. God.) Still the doctors manage to save the foetus but when the baby girl is born, she is half brain dead. Elaine wants to get rid of "it" but Joe cannot do that and starts hating his wife more than ever. Betty and the boy Martin are the only ones who interact with the little girl while Elaine hatches a plan to kill the baby girl and pins it on the boy, Martin! (By the point, you want to kill Elaine yourself).

However, everyone is pretty happy that the girl is gone as she wouldn't have got much acceptance in the society anyway. And the poor boy keeps having nightmares and it is not until Joe takes him to a hypnotist that the truth comes out. Joe drinks, gets into an accident, Betty saves him in a snowstorm and gets pneumonia herself and their love story starts. Betty gets pregnant but does not tell anyone. Then Joe wants to divorce Elaine but she won't do it (that selfish witch).

Also by this time, Joe has lost his business and is considering to take up a job as a manager in a similar business and Hitler has started attacking Britain. Elaine wants to move to England with her boy Martin who refuses to do so. And I could tell you the rest but the ending is THE BEST PART of this novel which shouldn't be ruined by A-N-Y-O-N-E. 

Catherine Cookson is an amazing writer and she was a best selling author for 17 long years!

All I can say is Justice is indeed a Woman and Catherine Cookson weaves magic in her words. I did not know she was such a big deal (She was the best selling novelist for 17 years in the UK! And continued to be so four years after her death. Damn.)
Anyhow, it made me realise that even though I am an avid reader, I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg. She is an amazing writer and every character in her novel has some significance and she does it with so much perfection, it absolutely drives you bonkers! But seriously, how glad I am to have read this novel and learned so much about human emotions and their complexity.
Really looking forward to reading more of her books.