Lawn Boy

by Jonathan Evison

For Mike Muñoz, a young Chicano living in Washington State, life has been a whole lot of waiting for something to happen. Not too many years out of high school and still doing menial work—and just fired from his latest gig as a lawn boy on a landscaping crew—he knows that he's got to be the one to shake things up if he's ever going to change his life. But how? In this funny, angry, touching, and ultimately deeply inspiring novel, bestselling author Jonathan Evison takes the reader into the heart and mind of a young man on a journey to discover himself, a search to find the secret to achieving the American dream of happiness and prosperity. That's the birthright for all Americans, isn't it? If so, then what is Mike Muñoz's problem? Though he tries time and again to get his foot on the first rung of that ladder to success, he can't seem to get a break. But then things start to change for Mike, and after a raucous, jarring, and challenging trip, he finds he can finally see the future and his place in it. And it's looking really good. Lawn Boy is an important, entertaining, and completely winning novel about social class distinctions, about overcoming cultural discrimination, and about standing up for oneself.

Genres: Banned Books, Fiction, LGBT, Young Adult, Audiobook, Coming Of Age, Contemporary

312 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Jonathan Evison is the New York Times Bestselling author of All About Lulu, West of Here, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, and Lawn Boy.

In his teens, Evison was the founding member and frontman of the Seattle punk band March of Crimes, which included future members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

Born in San Jose, California, he now lives on an island in Western Washington.

Reviews

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

SO, I found out about this book because I heard it was being banned from some (maybe all) school systems in a particular area. One of the parents brought it up on Twitter...that she was going to read it...and since I read a LOT, I thought...hmmm...banning books is a really serious matter. I don't usually agree with many of the books that have been banned by schools. In fact, one year...I read nearly exclusively banned books. I wanted to see what their reasonings were. MOST of the time, it was purely based of a bias against Fantasy (magic) and I thought that was bunk.

Now, I do believe in "age appropriate" material, so I would not say that this would be a good book for grade school kids, but I think Juniors and Seniors in High School...with a good discussion could/should talk about the themes in this book.

So, here are my thoughts on Lawn Boy.

So, yes...there is a LOT of curse words. My wife and I do not curse (cuss) in general. Every once in a while...one slips through, but for the most part...we do not. BUT, I have read many books with these words in them...and whether we like it or not, they are in our society and they are used prolifically in certain parts of our society.

I watched the movie Freedom Writers on a plane one time...and it seemed ODD to me, to hear these ghetto kids saying fudge and sugar to their friends and teacher. It made no sense.

Here are some totals (thank goodness for electronic books):
110 F*ck words in the text.
66 Hells
107 Sh*ts

So, you can definitely say, this book is edgy. It is being told by one person named Mike Muñoz. Our protagonist is cynical, because of the life that he has lived...hasn't been too kind to him. He feels that the "system" is against him. Sometimes, we are products of their environment. This being said, I have hear RICH people curse just as blatantly as POOR people.

We see early on in the story, that he has a tough home life. Single alcoholic parent. Has gone through many husbands/boyfriends. Money was always tight. Two kids and his best friend (who is annoying) who practically lives with them (bc of his own home life not being perfect).

I did find that this book has a male gaze problem, but since it is written from the perspective of a young man...struggling with his sexuality...it doesn't seem unwarranted. There are a LOT of juvenile sex jokes and the idea rating of others...with the goal of labelling them in one category or another. Not that anyone would like this (especially as an adult), it does happen between kids (also, knowing this is something we do not encourage, but shun for our children to do).

Since this is one kid's experience, he comes in contact with people as the story progresses that use racist language against ethnic groups, though the protagonist doesn't agree with this...he also doesn't always fight back against this, either. He tries to walk the narrow path, especially since he has Mexican blood in him...but others see him as acceptable from both sides. Many people with mixed raced backgrounds find that they are shunned from both groups usually, not accepted by both groups, BUT this is one person's story...so it is what it is.

There is also talk about homosexuality in this book, mostly with negative connotations, but then again...it is being told by a young man...within a society that has not (in general) accepted homosexuals. He fights against the labels and the injustices, but at the time he himself was not sure who or what he believed in. So...at times it was hard to read, since the talk was not always "nice" to hear. BUT, the eventual ending...made it clear the why of the particular parts that were IN the story.

Lastly, as a parent...I felt for this kid. He really did NOT have any good role models in his life. He continues to flounder around, making bad decision after bad decisions. It was heart breaking for me to see. I wanted to bring him under my wing and help him through his struggles, but alas...that was not HIS story. There are mounting pressures for his life to get better, but unfortunately he keeps making bad decisions. Which leads to what we have seen in Industrial England and Pre-Revolutionary Russia, that once you are down, you really cannot get back up. Dickens and Dostoyevsky wrote a LOT about this in their works.

Overall, this is a discussion piece. I think the parents should read this BEFORE their children. Be prepared to answer questions and also lead conversations. I think this is not an easy book to be on the sidelines with. You will either hate it or love it. BUT, here I am...giving it THREE stars. Well, for me, I judge a book on the enjoyment level of my reading experience, not just how technically it is written. I cringed a lot while reading this book. I was frustrated for the protagonist. I wished that there were people in his life that could give him the tools to overcome his situation (in the right way)...there are always people in our lives that find short cuts and ways to skip the line...that eventually lead to ultimate destruction.

If you read this book, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it. I wouldn't have minded my kids reading it in school, though I and my wife would have read it BEFORE hand. We were very involved in what they read. Never banning books, but we did postpone books that we felt were not age appropriate.

We believe that our children have become better citizens because they learned to find their way through books, and now are approaching their lives in the same way. We continue to have "good" discussions with them...even to this very day.

Thank you.

[Bud Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A working class comic novel that doesn't play tough and put on a show. This novel is loveable and true. Lawn Boy is a look at what it means to start from nothing and simply have the aim of getting some points on the board rather than stay at zero in the weird game of life. Mike Munoz, the narrator, as well as all the characters in the novel (mostly his family and friends), are nobodies striving for success, but their success is something like 'not having to pick up dog shit for minimum wage' or 'being able to afford minutes for their cellphone' or 'moving out of the shed'. The style of the novel walks the line between hyper-realization and the tone of the TV show Arrested Development. I was reminded of the novel A Confederacy of Dunces also. The writing in Lawn Boy is so conversational and without pretense that you get swallowed up in much of Mike Munoz's life as it twists and turns along the many odd paths he takes away from the failure that could be his permanent bed if he wasn't such a driven and strong person. Anyways...really loved this one. Evison is badass. Something as simple as a trip to the library, a meal at the diner, a conversation at the kitchen table with your mom's boyfriend who has a nut hanging out, all those things are made masterful here. Here's a guy who can put the world, as it is, in a paragraph.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/



I saw something somewhere comparing Evison’s latest main character to Holden Caulfield, so I probably should have known immediately that would equate me hating it. In my defense, I held off reading it for eternity due to this fear and despite my unfortunate reaction to this selection, I remain 100% smitten with all things that are The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. But then I was just hankering for something of the Evison, Tropper, Nicholls variety (you know, a cluck cluck type of story only written by someone with a penis) and when I logged on to the library site to see what they might offer up I realized I still had an unread ARC of this one on the ol’ Kindle.

I’m not going to waste much time bashing or belittling this one. I’m simply going to recognize that I was most certainly NOT the intended audience for this one. If you are a brochacho who finds yourself constantly missing the point regarding things like how to become a grown-up or treat other humans like – you know – HUMANS, Lawn Boy might be just what you need to be beaten over the head with so you can realize that “fag” and “retard” probably aren’t super cool words that will soon be making a return to the everyday vernacular of the majority of the population and that just because you think you have it bad, doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t have it worse.

As for me? One-dimensional characters and a story that ties up with a pretty red bow – or in this case a pretty green topiary – was a far cry from the Evison I fell in love with.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

[Jarrett Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I review Lawn Boy, I need to put on a pair of boxing gloves, step into the ring, and deliver a TKO. This novel, like so many others, has been swept into the flood of right-wing hysteria surrounding content in literature deemed objectional in various school districts. Subsequently, the novel has been banned in many areas. Scanning the host of reviews of Lawn Boy on Goodreads, I've noticed several one-star reviews that attack the book for both depicting and promoting pedophilia. These are serious accusations and they merit careful consideration. The very notion that a writer would promote such a pernicious act seems specious to me, and as I firmly believe no book should ever be banned or any work of art censored, I read Lawn Boy not only for my own edification and enjoyment but also to figure out what got people so alarmed over it. Besides, I've learned that reviews are often suspect, and any book that gets lots of one-star reviews or five-star reviews usually means something is amiss.

Let me state this as forcefully and diplomatically as I can. Those who believe Lawn Boy describes or advocates pedophilia obviously don't know what pedophilia is. Here's a spoiler: the furor over this novel concerns an encounter between two little boys of the same age that occurs in the exposition of the novel. What some readers wrongly see as child abuse is little more than curiosity and sex exploration between two preteen boys. And that is all. Anyone who thinks this constitutes pedophilia is deluded, possibly sick, and is projecting their own sexual hang-ups and fears onto the text. Personally, I find it appalling that prudes, bigots, and would-be fascists casually level charges of child rape at art and artists as if ordering meat from a butcher. Every decade or so the nation gets caught up in a pedophilic panic, usually once a marginalized group of people (African Americans, women, gays and lesbians) advance their cause and make significant strides toward equality and full acceptance into American life. People are crazy, often stupid, and lash out in ways that can do permanent harm. But banned books endure and any art that perpetuates culture wars will grow in stature. They never fade away. To those who want to read Lawn Boy and learn why I think it deserves five stars, keep reading. To the book's detractors, get help. Trust me, you need it.

The fact that I'm taking so much time to pen a lengthy, thoughtful review/defense of Lawn Boy (I'm writing this on July 4) conveys a lot about my admiration for the book and Jonathan Evison's writing. This is a novel that achieves the rare accomplishment of both informing and entertaining without being preachy, insulting, or grandiloquent. In Mike Munoz, the main character, Evison gives readers a protagonist that is endearing and relatable, someone to truly root for and empathize with. Mike wants to get out of poverty and the malaise of his early twenties, yet he is stymied by circumstances and the capitalist social order of twenty-first century America. He knows what he's up against and he knows he is better than the life he's been given. Readers follow along with Mike as he courses through a labyrinth of dead-end jobs and false starts, meets a host of people who think they know what's best for him, and struggles to use his grit and talents for landscaping to rise into the middle class.

The strength of this novel lies in Evison's writing. The world Evison builds in Lawn Boy is authentic, the characters are clearly and distinctly drawn, and the style poses no challenge to readers. Mike is a bookworm who decries MFA fiction and lofty prose, and Evison, hewing to his hero's wishes, denies the sort of linguistic gymnastics that turn so many people off reading. He also presents various views and political statements in the book without being didactic or picking a side. Chaz, Doug, Piggot, and even Freddy, each express their views to Mike in a effort to help him figure out his life. He samples a little from each person until he figures out which course is right for him, taking note of the ways those views both help and harm those around him. At its core, Lawn Boy is about identity: how individuals create their own identity and the extent to which identity is crafted by one's environment. Evison's easy prose succeeds in doing what so many Iowa writers fail to do: write good books readers can easily digest.

Any qualms I have with this novel are slight, but I should note that Lawn Boy is episodic, so readers shouldn't expect a grand narrative arch. Somehow I found it hard to believe that Mike, a bright young man who reads literature of all sorts, would have such a hard time securing better employment, but that's the whole point Evison is trying to get at, the way the workforce is rigged. The big surprise near the end of the book came from out of nowhere but I can believe it. Lawn Boy is full of surprises, and to someone like Mike, twenty-two, in flux, and desperate to evolve, every experience is new and alive and scary and fascinating all at once. I'm very grateful for this book, and it might be cliche but I definitely wish Lawn Boy was a novel I had read when I was in my early twenties and searching for my true self. We've all got a Mike Munoz inside of us, and we need to be truthful and let him out no matter how scary it will be to us or others.

[Jennifer Blankfein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful coming of age story about a 22 year old Mexican man, told with wit and humor, Lawn Boy author Jonathan Evison brings to light the struggles based on race and socioeconomic class. Mike Muñoz mows lawns for a living. He has limited education, lives in a dilapidated home, has no money and although all he wants is the American Dream, he has so many strikes against him. Through trials and tribulations, Mike moves one step forward and two steps back as he makes choices to better his future and tries to achieve his goals. He is extremely likable and although he makes some questionable decisions, I was always rooting for him. A disabled older brother, a shady businessman and a sleazy real estate agent are some of the people in Mike’s life that create havoc, but he takes the good with the bad and learns along the way. I love that he finally felt energized and supported and conjured up the power to live his authentic self through his relationship with Andrew, a wacky activist who works in the library. Andrew generates great conversation, brings Mike new experiences and opens up his world to possibilities that could lead to happiness and success.

Mike enjoys reading, has great passion for tree sculpting and landscaping, loves his family and is persistent… and despite his faults, you will love him too! A heartwarming story with many colorful characters – fun and entertaining, while at the same time bringing to light how ethnicity, education, money and perception all play a role in success. I highly recommend it!

Follow Book Nation by Jen at https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com for all my reviews.

[Amy Saunders · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is disgusting! It's marketed to YA, but I would never let any of my children near it. I could not even finish it, it made me feel so icky. It is clearly nothing but a pedophile propaganda tool to indoctrinate and sexualize children! I don't understand why any of the other reviewers rated it so highly. I mistakenly purchased this when looking for Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen and now I'm going to have to bleach my eyeballs and brain to rid myself of the horrific, explicit descriptions of the atrocities perpetrated in this book. Don't let your precious children anywhere near it!

[Kirsty]

This just got banned at a local high school, so it is now a book I need to read. No better publicity than banning something, am I right?

[Bonnie G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I desperately wanted this to be a 5-star read as the book has for several years been among the most often challenged/banned books in the country, but alas I found it awkward, overly sentimental, filled with contrived characters, and more intent on making points than on telling any naturally developing story. I don't generally read YA, and the only other Evison book I have read earned a 1-star review from me (I did not realize it was the same author until well into this book or I might not have read it.) I am the wrong reader for this. All that said, Evison clearly set out to make points regarding sexuality and gender, toxic, masculinity, economic disparity, disability, race, and the erosion of decency, and he makes them. I always consider in reviewing a book whether it appears the author accomplished what he was trying to accomplish, and Evison did that. That got me to a 2.5.

Speaking of making points, I want to make a few. The right-wing contingent here has left all sorts of reviews calling this filth and saying it contains pedophilia. These are also the grounds upon which the very same people and their cabal challenged the book in my former home, Fairfax County VA. So, point one: There is nothing remotely graphically sexual in this book. The content the terrified quivering loudmouths seem to object to is a plot point where two 4th grade boys snuck away from bible camp and took each other's penises into one another's mouths. This event is remembered by one of those boys as a young adult with discomfort and embarrassment (though not shame), never with any sense of arousal. There are no adult-child sexual activities at all, and no other on-the-page sexual activity beyond kissing. Zero. If people see pedophilia here the only thing I can assume is that when they read about this awkward and not particularly rare behavior they became aroused. Sorry Chip or Brad or whatever your names are, you with the khakis and torches, your reaction to something doesn't make that something dirty, it just makes you dirty. You are like those men who molest children and then blame the children for being too sexual. Turns out, it is all your fault. Now that I have given you something to talk about at your Promise Keeper's bible breakfast we can move on to point two. Those people who claim their objection to the book is due to repeated use of the word "faggot" can just go right to hell. The word is used to show real attitudes and behavior, it is not there as a suggestion that the reader start using the word -- quite the opposite, and you know that. Don't go pulling that disingenuous crap. Kind of like the crap you pull when you try to ban books or stop the teaching of American history that employs a Black lens, or attack Disney or Sesame Street for acknowledging that love is love and then call out cancel culture when some blowhard loses his job for suggesting that devaluing Black lives is the American way. (Which I suppose it is. It is the bad American way, the American way that evolved from laws drafted and practices developed by slaveholders, the American way that needs to change before one more drop of blood is shed.) Point three, and the last for this review, books with Gay characters who do not allow their lives to be guided by shame are your real problem. May I suggest you look for the "why" of that within yourself and freaking deal with it, because your issues are killing people. Though I did not much like this book, I am grateful to Evison and writers like him, and for librarians who stand up to pressure, for making sure adolescents have access to material that helps to balance out, hopefully to blot out, the fear and hate your kids are learning from you.

[Brady Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just... don’t.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Fantastic through and through. This is the kind of book that makes me want to hug it to my chest in glee. It's gloriously honest, there's a clear respect for human beings and their flaws, and there is no elitism.

The gist of it is pretty simple. Mike Muñoz is twenty-something guy living with his mom and special needs brother. He quits his job and subsequently encounters a series of obstacles that force him to figure out what kind of life he’s going to live. This is not something that is easy when everyone around you is following rough versions of the same life template. So Mike figures stuff out by paying attention to the people in his life, new and old. He sees how each are succeeding and failing in their own ways, what they value and how that fits in to what he values. Eventually, Mike starts to get a clearer grasp on what’s important to him and how he might go about getting it. He also falls in love (okay maybe love isn’t explicitly stated, but the romantic in me assumes). Then he circles back to the people he cares about and tells them how he’s going to approach life differently from the way they think (or the way he thinks they think) he should. Everyone is cool with it. And in the end, life is better for Mike than when the book started. It’s just a beautiful look at figuring out how to live the best life for you when the freedom to choose doesn't even feel like it exists for you.

One of the things I love the most about this book is that even though we’re looking at a young, broke, half-Mexican guy who works as a landscaper and lives with his table-waiting mom, we are not looking at a literary tableau of working class misery. Mike has friends and loved ones, an actual passion for the work he does, and a very health relationship with his library. Do we see the injustice present in his life? Yes. Do we see prejudice and social stratification? Yes. Do we see how hard it is to create a life that doesn’t feel miserable? Yes. But none of it comes off as woke intellectual wank bait. Mike’s perspective is the most true-to-life fictional portrayal of this I’ve seen, and the blue collar world of the pacific northwest is something I know intimately well.

The hardest problem Mike faces is figuring out how to change the way he lives in a world where the people closest to him do not know or expect anything different from life as they already know it. The template for life has already been given to him: job, truck, marriage, mild vice, sports and beer. So where does that leave a young person who thinks he might want something more or something different? How does he even begin to imagine what that could look like? Mike doesn’t know, but he pays attention, asks questions, tests ideas until he starts to piece things together for his own life.

The library plays a pretty integral role to Mike’s story. He spends hours per day there as a kid. As an adult, he visits regularly. It’s where he meets his future boyfriend. Opposite Mike for much of the story is his friend Nick. They share a similar background, but as young adults are clearly taking different paths. Nick’s going after the prescribed life: job at Les Schwab, girls, sports and beer. Maybe Mike is just naturally geared differently, but I have to wonder if the library is here deliberately as the place where people encounter ideas that change the way they choose to live.

There’s also an examination of work and a person’s motivation behind what they do for money. In the beginning, Mike is desperate for a job and money. By the end, he ends up turning down "opportunities" for work as he challenges the idea that he has to do work that other people think is worthwhile. He loves landscaping and topiary, he owns it, and that is ultimately what he goes after.

Another thing I loved? The book doesn’t pretend that people don’t have flaws, but those imperfections are obviously only one small part of a complex human being who has other qualities. Mike’s mom smokes a lot, but she works 50+ hour weeks to support her kids. His best friend says bigoted shit but begs his smug boss to give Mike a job. His mom’s boyfriend lets his junk hang out but is really good with his special needs brother. Mike’s boyfriend has big metal braces and his efforts at activism sometimes go really wrong but he tries really hard to live the best life he can. The imperfections are there more as part of a complete portrait than anything else, and I love how forgiving Mike and the book are in this regard.

“He wasn’t all terrible; almost nobody is, deep down, once you strip away all the terror and trauma and neurosis and bad conditioning.”

Some other things I loved:
- Trying to be better, even if you’re imperfect in your pursuit of better.
- Families and friends who value you over things like what you do for work or who you love.
- Merman topiary.
- Hipster beard shade.
- Andrew and his lists. 💛

And really, I love that while we see that Mike has problems, we also see him find his way to a solution. And he wins in the end.

[Dexter Lawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Filth

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the biggest lesson I’ve learned, in art and in life, is that when the questions become too numerous and the considerations begin to feel a little overwhelming, you just have to look away for a minute and regather your vision for the thing, try to see it the way it originally came to you. Ask youself, how did I arrive here? What was I trying to accomplish?

Mike Munoz, landscaper extraordinaire, was born with few opportunities but stacks of responsibilities. His narration is funny, sarcastic and clever, and his conversational tone engaged me from the first page. This book has a lot to say about the disparate structure of American society, imparting a vivid contrast between lives of the privileged and the under-privileged, the rich and the poor, the whites and the browns and the blacks. For me it was a chance to view life through the eyes of someone less fortunate than me, someone who had to work a hell of a lot harder than I ever did to get to where he ends up in life. And that, my friends, is some shit that I love to read. No punches pulled, plenty of dirty twenty-three-year-old-male humor, at times sentimental, at times outlandishly funny, full of unflagging spirit. A valuable find, this one.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was craving a strong clear narrative and this book delivers. I’ve listed this as YA because it is a coming of age story, and the main character is a young 22. More than that I don’t want to say — no spoilers from me.

It does veer into the sentimental towards the end, and the topiary details are ridiculous — you just can’t take a bush and turn it into a duck! It takes years of training to coax the duck shape out of that bush, and then, even so, half the people will see a kangaroo.

The fanciful topiary details threw me out of the story, which otherwise was grounded in the realities of struggling to cope with the overwhelming everyday challenges of poverty and lack of opportunity.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Munoz is a skilled lawn crew member in Washington State; his edges are immaculate, his mowing perfect. What he doesn’t like about his job is that some clients expect him to do non-lawn services like picking up St. Bernard dog-poo in the rain. Not cool! He loses his temper and his job! And so, he is back looking for work—any work. It doesn’t help that his truck ‘dies’ and his mower gets stolen.
His mother works fifty-five hours a week to support herself, Mike and Mike’s older brother Nate. Mike’s father left when Mike was 11-years-old. Nate has ‘issues’ with mental impairment and Mike has often been his caregiver while his mother worked. Their family is poor, despite being hard-working.
Mike is not afraid of trying new jobs, new ways of getting ahead, and doesn’t get discouraged for long despite encountering setbacks. He loves creating a beautiful yard and especially if it can include topiary. This is a man with dreams and Evison’s effervescent writing captures Mike’s journey to achieving them beautifully. But Mike needs a community to help him on his way—friends and family are indispensable. Highly recommend.

[Aaron Cance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experience has taught me that the release of any new novel by Jonathan Evison is truly a cause for celebration, and this year’s Lawn Boy is no exception. His early opus, West of Here, aside, Evison’s books typically operate around a small constellation of vividly imagined characters, characters so artfully and intricately rendered, they remind you of someone you either know or are related to. Lawn Boy is no different in this respect, but is arguably Evison’s most politically charged book to date, taking a long, unflinching gaze at the stark income inequality of twenty-first century America, and at the difficulty with which many Americans meet even their most basic needs.

Young Mexican-American Mike Muñoz has a way with the landscape and an eye for sharp lines, for the movement and flow of any given yard. He’s a master of composition, and fancies himself a sculpture artist with a pair of pruning shears. However, most people decide what to expect from him before he even opens his mouth. Living from paycheck to paycheck with his loving but downtrodden mother and his developmentally disabled brother, Nate, there seems to be nothing he can do to get ahead, and dreams of anything beyond basic survival seem an outright impossibility. In his orbit are his uncouth best friend Nick, who’s holding down a job at the local Les Schwab Tire store, Freddy, an unemployed pseudo-philosopher-musician (who’s underwear rarely contains everything it should) who’s taken up residence in the family tool shed, Chaz, an unabashed alcoholic capitalist who’ll let nothing stop him from thinking big, and his new friend Andrew, a local librarian, who offers him small doses of salvation in the form of book recommendations.

Evison’s readers will find themselves rooting for Mike Muñoz intuitively because most people have worked, at one time or another, at a job that offered no upward mobility, and Mike, after everything is said and done, really just wants to be something better. He doesn’t want to con, cheat, or steal his way home, but is simply looking for a path to a better life for himself and his family. Alternately hilarious and frustrating, exuberant and infuriating, Lawn Boy reads like an anthem for the common man, and makes as strong a statement as a street march, while at the same time offering an absorbing narrative, which is consistently one of Evison’s greatest talents as a writer. Like Steinbeck, Evison keeps his heroes close to the ground, and finds nobility and goodness in even the most rough and ragged hearts.

Even as it lays bare the ways in which the American dream has become seemingly inaccessible to so many, Lawn Boy is not without its notes of optimism. One of its finest qualities is, in fact, how it explores how success is still a possibility for those, who like Evison’s Mike Muñoz, have the character, perseverance, and stamina to hold their ground and put all obstacles behind them. It may not be as accessible to everyone as it once was, and there is good deal of work still to be done to a buoy up the working poor, but being a good person does matter, and the American Dream, whether it takes the form we’ve imagined it would or not, can still take shape unexpectedly.

[soda · Rating 1 out of 5]

What.the.actual.fuck is this DISGUSTING pedophilia SHIT!??! Who reads this and thinks it's OK for a 4th grader to be doing these things? This is grooming. This is sick and whoever thinks this is a "good story" needs their head and morals examined! It wasn't too long ago (10 short years at the least) that these pedo freaks would be dealt with. WTF happened to society? Oh yeah, liberals and their "diversity" bullshit. This is SICK, DISGUSTING pedophilia TRASH!

[Kerry Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just made me happy. It’s as simple as that. Do you want to be happy? Read this book. I love Jonathan Evison’s humor and heart. I’ve always loved his quirky yet relatable characters and Mike Muñoz is a delight of a character. He made me both laugh out loud and well up with tears over the course of his struggle to find himself. And then there are all the little side characters: every one of them distinctly drawn and well developed. I felt like I knew them all. Once again, Jonathan Evison shows us that he can write completely different stories with each novel he puts out into the world, but they all have his distinct voice, cadence, and soul.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

First appeared at http://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.co...

I love Jonathan Evison novels because they're about people vastly underrepresented in fiction — people who are able to keep a sense of humor and self-deprecation despite how much life can kick them while they're down. Evison (The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, This Is Your Life Harriet Chance, and more) is a charming, funny writer who really understands people of all walks of life. And that shines through in his empathy for his characters.

In his new novel, Lawn Boy, his protagonist is Michael Muñoz, a 22-year-old landscaper. Mike is stuck on the bottom rung of society's ladder, but fighting hard to climb up. He lives with his mother and his older developmentally disabled brother — their father skedaddled when Mike was a kid. But not before truly traumatizing him by telling him he'd take him to Disneyland, driving him to a parking lot, and telling him "Hm, they must've moved it." So Mike is used to disappointment.

One of the things that immediately endears you to Mike is that he truly enjoys being a landscaper — he has a real talent for topiary. He takes pride in a profession society sort of deems a job for folks on the lower-tier. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have big dreams — for instance, he plans to write the Great American Landscaping Novel. If you need another reason to like Mike: He's also an avid reader, getting recommendations from his new friend Andrew, a librarian at his local branch. (Andrew steers him clear of "MFA fiction" — Evison, a proud graduate of the "school of life," delights in pointing out how "MFA fiction" is overwrought and boring.)

So Mike spends his time hanging out with his neanderthal buddy Nick who berates him for his crappy fantasy football team. Mike also harbors a crush on a cute waitress named Remy, which seems to go awry when his brother throws a salt shaker at her. The novel follows Mike as he lives the ups and downs of life in a society where he can't seem to catch a break...or can catch a break, but it always ends up being a mirage, or he's swept up in the whims and wheelings of other people. For instance, when Mike loses his landscaping job, a rich but shady dude named Chaz hires Mike to assemble bobbleheads at a factory, and grooms him to take over a new business — but Mike has no idea what it is or if it's even real. Then, he thinks he finally has a piece of good luck when he runs into a former grade school friend named Goble who's made it big selling real estate and hires Mike to landscape some big rich properties. But it soon becomes clear that Goble has had to sell his soul to sell real estate, and if Mike wants to hitch his wagon, he'll have to kill his conscience as well.

The difference between the haves and have nots, the privileged and not, is never more in stark contrast than Evison sets them in this novel. If you're a Mike Munoz — born without a silver spoon and unwilling to compromise your morals — is the willingness to work hard really enough to make
it in this society that is so obviously stacked against you? Maybe, maybe not. But it's only when Mike begins to fully understand who and what he is and who and what he cares about that he starts to see the world more clearly.

These little moments of catharsis and lessons learned in Evison's novels are one of my favorite parts of his writing, as well. He makes you feel good about his characters — that they've learned lessons and have found how to be happy. And that in turn makes you happy as well. Evison doesn't always get it his dialogue exactly right and you may sort of scratch your head about a strand of plot here and there, but for the most part, Lawn Boy, like the rest of Evison's work, is a great example of a story that deals with a tough issue. And when it's overcome, your faith in humanity is restored for having read about it.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread (re-listen audio) per seeing it as #2 on the 'Most Challenged' top 10 books in the new 2023 Almanac. I was glad for this ending, as Mike has a good heart. Yea, there are some 'penis' references here that get books like this on banned lists, but that is not the crux of this story. Surely you want Mike in your community.

Well-done reading, with crisp audio that allowed me to easily increase reading playback speed to 2.0x


The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2023
pg 247 "Most Challenged Books, 2021"
Source: Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Associaion (ALA)
1. Gender Queer; Kobabe
2. Lawn Boy; Evison
3. All Boys Aren’t Blue; Johnson
4. Out of Darkness; Perez
5. The Hate U Give; Thomas
6. The Absolutely True Diary ...; Alexie
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Andrews
8. The Bluest Eye; Morrison
9. This Book is Gay; Dawson
10. Beyond Magenta; Kuklin

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My first read/review

A short book that took a while to catch me. The writing felt raw and the story quite linear. But it was Mike Muñoz realistic life that kept me reading. Multiple opportunities came by for the author to let Mike take a happier path. Just keep reading though.

The ending did take quite a while to set up, and then it all felt a bit rushed. But I liked it and felt good. My 3* first half feeling rose to 3.5+ as it ended. I almost stopped reading this book early, but it was short and I trusted a few good reviews here on GR. Glad I stuck with it.

The story of struggling good-guy went from heart-wrenching to heart-warming.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised by how much I loved this book! A fictional story about a landscaper wouldn't normally be one I'd be inclined to pick up, but I loved the realistic characters and truth of this novel.

Mike Muñoz comes from a complicated family-life, and he is constantly dealing with cultural discrimination, financial issues, and a difficult job market. He is trying to find the secret to living the American Dream as he landscapes for minimum wage, builds bobble-heads, or constantly gets turned away from service jobs like Subway or Walmart. Mike's story is honest, difficult, but ultimately uplifting.

All of the characters serve a purpose, even if you hate half of them. I loved how the relationships between characters evolved throughout the story. Thinking back about the story, there are a lot of simple scenes that take place at bars or at home, but none of them feel mundane as you read them. Each scene feels essential to Mike's story, and I needed to keep reading to see if Mike's life would improve.

Overall, this is a quick read that touches on a lot of difficult issues. It handles them well, and I liked how the author ties everything up in the end.

4.5 stars!

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great novel from one of my favorites, Jonathan Evison. I've been fortunate to be hired as proofreader by Algonquin for a number of his books and I always look forward to the next one. This one will go back on my list to read again when the book comes out!

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attingo a quella parte della mia libreria che contiene libri comprati d’impulso, sulla base di suggestioni varie e non verificate. Nella fattispecie non ricordo nemmeno quali. In ogni caso si tratta, a caldo, di una lettura veloce, leggera e complessivamente piacevole ma monocorde e con passaggi, secondo me, a volte troppo “spiegati” (citofonati direbbe qualcuno), in cui la mano dell’autore è fin troppo evidente, a volte troppo poco indagati, lasciati sospesi come se fossero una naturale conseguenza. Non manca di brio e vivacità ma anche di una prevedibile ironia non molto originale; il paragone con il ben noto Holden Caulfield assai discutibile per non dire inaccettabile. Un libro di intrattenimento facilmente dimenticabile.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Evison develops his story with appealing characters and clever and hilarious banter. A fabulous "feel-good" story with Evison's love of libraries and librarians front and center.

From the advance reading copy: After receiving readers' advisory help from Andrew at his local library, Mike thinks, "Once again, the library had my back. I left feeling a lot less desperate and scared than when I'd arrived. I clung to that security as I walked down the hill to town, clutching my five books." This is why librarians love Jonathan Evison. He gets us.

This book about the challenges faced by a young man, not only in being unable to make a decent living, but also in maintaining friendships and figuring out where one belongs in this world, would be a perfect recommendation for older teen boys.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Lawn Boy was a book club book for October and I was uncertain how much I would like this. It was better then what I was expecting!

Lawn Boy is about the ups and downs of the life of Mike Muñoz. Mike lives in Washington State and loves landscaping. I loved the setting of the book because I live in Washington and knew all of the cities mentioned, cheering for the Seattle Seahawks and local flavor of the area.

But Mike has an issue. Landscaping doesn't pay well and he's got a terrible boss. So one day he quits in a dramatic way. This is the beginning of his soul searching journey on what he really wants to do in life, who he wants to love and the type of people he wants in his life.

The book touches on social issues such as the lack of a living wage, racism and homosexuality. There are a few characters in the book that aren't the best. Because of the way they are raised, they just haven't been able to rise above their prejudices or thoughts. Mike had way more patience then I would with this lack of understanding.

This is the first book that I've read by Jonathan Evison and I was entertained while reading this. The book felt like a fast read and I was cheering for Mike to find hope, understanding and something more then the oppressing weight of poverty in his life.

[Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite of Jon's books so far. I am buying copies to give to libraries when it comes out. I flat out loved it. I was having a shitty week, and the story made me laugh out loud. The jokes were slapstick to subtle, and I know how it pained him to be subtle. You really should read it. It will lift your spirits. It's a great story and a great read. The story pulled me in and I put everything else aside. The book is transformative.

[Dawn Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book like this - Evison's writing was hilarious and effortless. I was snort laughing by the 25th page. A ridiculously honest book with crazy likeable characters. Who hasn't imagined life like this (shudder)? I'll re-read this one in years to come, and definitely want to read all of his other books. This was a random pluck from the library shelves and gah! What a great read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow this was amazing. A modern day Holden Caulfield without the privilege. How could I not have known about this? My favorite so far this year

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was suggested to me a few months ago by my avid reader cousin, Nancy, who has never given me a book recommendation I didn't like.

So many things I enjoyed! It was sweet yet sometimes sad and then sweet. Mike is a guy just trying to find his way in the world. He is 23, still living at home with his not-so-present mother, his older and highly autistic brother and early on, a guy name Freddy randomly is allowed to live in their shed. He has an interesting mish-mash of friends who are good but not the best. And he loves to do lawn work! I mean really has a passion for it - mowing and edging straight lines and he particularly loves working with bushes and shrubs - particularly if he is allowed to utilize his gift of creating amazing topiaries.

He loses jobs, gets jobs, loses them again and along the way meets others who SORT OF become mentors to him - good mentors or not...he is not really sure. Again, he's just trying to figure tout the world. Why do some people have money and he can't get ahead?

I work at a staffing agency where we primarily work in the light industrial space. Through this, we encounter people from all walks of life and I have grown to respect the people I refer to as "my people". Here's an excerpt that really resonated with me:

"They were my people. They hung Sheetrock and mowed lawns. They drove delivery trucks and repaired hot tubs. They lived fiercely and kept their blinders on and didn’t look much past their next paycheck. People with grease under their nails and name patches on their work shirts and deep worry lines at the corners of their eyes. People who lived for the promise of a little immediate satisfaction, when they could get it."

RESPECT! So many hard working people who work with their hands every day. Some can make a pretty profitable living over time and others simply get by. There is a scene in the book where this young man is out with this random group of friends he has met and grown closer to and he realizes that he's actually happy. He doesn't have a big new car or a fancy job or a big house. Life's about our relationship and putting good into the world. For me, at least!

Another quote that I loved was when one of his somewhat of a mentor / teachers is explaining to him about Walmart and is comparing COST to VALUE. He is talking about the local independent merchant and yes, the COST is more, but look at the value of the local small business owner:

“The point is, the value doesn’t end there, with the savings. Let’s follow the exchange further. What happens to that extra buck? Well, for starters, Dick sponsors a Little League team. He’s also in the Kiwanis. Turns out, he votes for school levies. He has three kids that go to school with your kids. He lives right down the street from you, as a matter of fact. Once, he found your freaked-out beagle in a thunderstorm and brought it back to you. Dick shops local, he buys Girl Scout cookies, and he pays his employees a fair wage.”

That's quite the inspiration to me to shop local.

The end of the book I would not say was a surprise but yet it was not what I expected. Just loved it all from cover to cover.

You know how sometimes a book is just so easy to pick up? When you can't want to get home so you can pick up where you left off? This was that kind of book for me. It was simple, yet wonderful.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the relationship that develops at the end that really struck the only false note for me. The relationship itself was actually sweet, but how it got there...just something about it didn't quite ring true. But that was just a single flaw in what is otherwise a small gem of a book.

[Carla Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully surprising and deeply tender coming-of-age story. Laugh out loud and tearful, too.