ALA conference speaker John Grisham to be 2011 Honorary Chair of National Library Week

John Grisham, who has been selected as the 2011 Honorary Chair of National Library Week, expressed his views on the value of libraries in a featured speech at the 2010 American Libraries Association (ALA) conference. ALA's Cognates publication includes highlights from his June 28th address.

"I have a long, wonderful history with libraries and librarians," John Grisham told an appreciative audience at the ALA event. Grisham recalled that, during his childhood, his father's job required that his family make frequent moves to new locations. "When we moved we did two things immediately," said Grisham. "Joined the local Baptist church… and went to the local library. "

 John Grisham signs a copy of Theodore Boone:
Kid  Lawyer for librarian Janice Knudson.

Grisham explained how ibraries played a major role, too, in the selling of his first book, A Time to Kill (1989). Of his second work, The Firm (1991), Grisham said, "Most of the encouragement came from two groups – independent booksellers and librarians.”

Grisham signed copies of his May 2010 release, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, at the conference. This is the first title in Grisham's new mystery series focused on the adventures of a thirteen-year-old "amateur lawyer." In his ALA address Grisham credited his daughter, a teacher, with influencing him to write the series.

Grisham will take on his role as Honorary Chair of National Library Week (NLW) next year. The event, which will be observed from April 10-16, 2011, has as its theme "Create your own story @ your library®" Grisham's appointment follows that of Neil Gaiman, who was the 2010 NLW Honorary Chair.

In the YouTube video below, filmed prior to his ALA conference speech, Grisham discusses the many contributions made by American libraries.

 John Grisham  was one of two mystery fiction writers addressing the ALA conference as a part of the organization's Auditorium Speaker Series. As the Mystery Series Examiner's article "Dennis Lehane credits libraries with his becoming a writer in ALA conference speech" reveals, Dennis Lehane, whose latest Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series title Moonlight Mile will be released in the U.S. on November 2, 2010, also spoke at this meeting. 

Images on this page appear in ALA's Flickr photostream and are published with permission from the American Library Association.