James Grippando is another lawyer turned novelist. He has written 20 thrillers, several of which were New York Times best sellers. They have been translated into 26 languages. He grew up in rural Illinois and his family moved to Florida, where many of the novels are set. He left his law practice after his first two books were successful. Nine of them feature a lawyer, Jack Swyteck, as protagonist. I just finished Born To Run, which was published in 2009. Although it is a fast, entertaining read, its 324 pages reading more like 250, it is empty of meaning. It plays like a Hollywood popcorn movie. The prose is solid, the dialogue a little too hip in spots for my taste, the plot outlandish. I was surprised only once in the narrative by a hardcore turn. The final twist did not wow me. One of the reasons I decided to sample his work was because of his Italian-sounding name. Although one of the characters is Sicilian, I found no mention about Grippando's parents’ background at either Wiki or his web site. There are no cultural references at all in the previous novel I read, Steve Martini’s The Jury. Perhaps there are in his other works. Perhaps these men are thoroughly assimilated. Although I love America and have never been to Italy, most of my work is influenced by Italian-American culture. I grew up bilingual, although my Italian is beyond rusty these days. I still use or conjure in my mind Sicilian terms. I still imitate and chuckle about the way my parents pronounced words in their fractured English. I have no objection to those writers who resist being what is referred to as “ghettoized.” There’s no dishonor in considering oneself thoroughly American or simply a writer. My parents frequently scoffed that I was ’merigahn, and I loved it. It’s odd that I treasure my upbringing infinitely more now than I did decades ago, when I was a know-it-all who failed to appreciate how daring my parents had been to leave their home for a foreign land. I will be forever grateful that they did. Anyway, back to Grippando, who may even not be of Italian descent or only half so. On a scale of five, I rate Born To Run, which beyond the dedication to his wife has no relation to the Springstein song, 2.5. Although his books have sold in the millions, none has been adapted to the big or small screen. Since 2004 he has served as “counsel” to a successful national law firm.
When Cuz decided to forgo our Monday round of golf because of the gloomy forecast, I hoped to get in a couple of hours of book-selling before the rains came. Alas, it was not to be. I’m grateful mother nature at least opened her skies before I left the house to set up shop. The metropolitan area is experiencing a second straight week of unsettled weather, predicted to continue through Friday. Chance of showers all day long. Yuck. At least it's not the triple digit heat the west is suffering.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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