Lawn Boy

This book has one of the best first chapters that one could ever read. It is compelling, tragic, and funny at the same time. It is worth buying the book just for that wonderful chapter with its masterful writing. Along with that, I doubt that anyone reading this book will ever look the same way at asking their gardener to do extra “simple” tasks. The author, Luis Alberto Urrea, lauds Evison for his “hard-bitten empathy.” The reader can tell that Evison has had the experiences he details in the book.

Lawn Boy tells the story of a man who has a genius for landscaping and topiary that is not fulfilled by working for companies where the anglos take the money and the Mexicans do the work. The main character, Mike Munoz, can make more money if he, too, fronts the business and puts a white face on a business that exploits the labor of others. Given the current political climate around Mexican labor, this is a very timely novel that rings very true to life.