John Grisham's The Confession Awarded the Harper Lee Prize for Fiction that Best Exemplifies the Role of Lawyers in Society

The Harper Lee Prize was created by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal last year to honor Lee for the enduring influence her To Kill a Mockingbird has had in the public perception of the legal profession. John Grisham's The Confession has received the inaugural prize this year. The ceremony will take place at the National Press Club on September 22 in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Hat tip to the ABAJ article.

The writer of Publishers Weekly's review of The Confession might disagree on literary merits grounds. "Grisham's recent slump continues with another subpar effort whose plot and characters, none of whom are painted in shades of gray, aren't able to support an earnest protest against the death penalty." Quoting from Amazon's entry for The Confession. However, it would be damn near impossible for any author to meet the literary standard and social impact of Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. [JH]