The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller

John Grisham · Focused Ultrasound Foundation

Mar 2015 · Focused Ultrasound Foundation

About this ebook

John Grisham says THE TUMOR is the most important book he has ever written. In this short book, he provides readers with a fictional account of how a real, new medical technology could revolutionize the future of medicine by curing with sound. 

THE TUMOR follows the present day experience of the fictional patient Paul, an otherwise healthy 35-year-old father who is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Grisham takes readers through a detailed account of Paul’s treatment and his family’s experience that doesn’t end as we would hope. Grisham then explores an alternate future, where Paul is diagnosed with the same brain tumor at the same age, but in the year 2025, when a treatment called focused ultrasound is able to extend his life expectancy. 

Focused ultrasound has the potential to treat not just brain tumors, but many other disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, hypertension, and prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer. 

For more information or to order a free hardcopy of the book, please visit The Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s website www.fusfoundation.org. Here you will find a video of Grisham on the TEDx stage with the Foundation’s chairman and a Parkinson’s patient who brings the audience to its feet sharing her incredible story of a focused ultrasound “miracle.” 

Readers will get a taste of the narrative they expect from Grisham, but this short book will also educate and inspire people to be hopeful about the future of medical innovation. 

Ratings and reviews

As I am on an EXTREMELY limited budget, I was excited and thought I lucked out to find a Grisham book, even a short story, for $1.99. I DID read that it was a non-fiction, non-legal thriller and as he has written others again, I felt like I got a gift as I cannot afford any of his books unless I find them at a yard sale. This was awesome information, exciting and promising. Granted, the story of Paul and Karen was in there, as the non-fiction thriller(?) that was promised, but I would have appreciated knowing (if that was what I was doing, more or less) was donating to this cause. Good to know info, but not what was presented. Three stars for that.

Extremely optimistic. The projected benefits are far less than certain for this extremely fast invasive tumor. However, the benefits of the proposed treatment on other less pathological tumors is probably greater than can be imagined. I met a man who was only 22yrs old. He had this same tumor and had surgery four years earlier with no return of tumor. It was 1976. Never give up hope.

Grisham is a very intelligent and articulate author.he did a good job on this one. Really insightful book,I recommend to everyone to read....p.s I hv been reading grisham's book since I was a girl,am addicted to his books nd it helps me in my lawyer practice too...

About the author

John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. He was admitted to the bar in Mississippi in 1981 after receiving a law degree from the University of Mississippi, specializing in criminal law. While a lawyer in private practice in Southaven, Mississippi, Grisham served as a Democrat in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1983 until 1990. He left the law and politics to become a full-time author. His first novel, A Time to Kill, was published in 1989. His other novels include The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, The Broker, Playing for Pizza, The Appeal, Calico Joe, The Racketeer, Gray Mountain, Rogue Lawyer, The Confession, The Litigators, The Whistler, Camino Island, The Rooster Bar, and the Theodore Boone series. Several of his novels were adapted into films including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas.