Title: Lawn Boy

Author: Jonathan Evison

Genre: YA Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★

Why I read it: Lit Happens Book Club book selection for May

I have written and rewritten this review about a million times now – there is so much to say, and I can’t quite figure out the right way to say it. While this book review isn’t meant to be a commentary on the importance of a book club and community, it feels imperative to mention that without a dialogue with my book club, I don’t think this review could have taken it’s final form. This is one of those books that needs to be discussed to be fully understood, as it’s value is hidden behind your personal prejudices, perspectives, and lived experiences. 

Mike Muñoz is a lawn boy. He works hard, he knows what he wants, and he doesn’t take crap from anyone. Literally. Lawn Boy is his story. Not so coincidentally, Lawn Boy is the story of it’s author, Jonathan Evison. More on that later.

After overcoming the initial shock of the abrasiveness of this young adult novel (our main character narrator is no stranger to curse words, and his friends are no strangers to slurs), Mike is a force to be reckoned with and, in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air. He tells it like it is, and you can’t help but want him to succeed. He’s had a difficult life, and at every turn life seems to kick him in the butt, and yet, somehow, he continues to bounce right back. In spite of, or perhaps because of, his anger at the hand he was dealt.

His tenacity is contagious, and while reading, I couldn’t help but wish I could channel some of his infallible spirit for myself. Throughout the novel, Mike goes through a series of trials and tribulations that touch on a variety of topics, including, and definitely not limited to, racism, classism, and homophobia. I thought the author did a fair job of approaching these topics in a way that felt real and tangible. However, I do acknowledge that the way Mike navigates this story may not be for everyone, as subtlety is not a trait Mike possesses. 

Lawn Boy is a banned book, and that was one of the reasons why the book club selected it. I assumed that it was banned because of the LGBTQIA+ themes. However, I have since uncovered that it was banned for allegedly including themes of pedophilia. After reading the book, I have to strongly disagree with those who are pushing to ban this book because of pedophilia, and I encourage others to read it to see for themselves before passing unfair judgments (also more on this later). That being said, I can see plenty of reasons why people may have qualms with this book; as noted in my prior paragraphs, the language is not subtle. And as one member of the book club pointed out, the voice used for Mike’s developentally disabled brother Nate in the audiobook is questionable at best. I read a physical copy, so I did not hear the voice myself.

To cut to the chase, I enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings over two days, and like I stated earlier, I couldn’t help but keep turning pages in hopes that things would turn around for Mike. Without giving away the plot, you are introduced to many interesting characters, which always makes for a quick read, and I felt the ending, although a tad predictable, was perfectly full-circle and satisfying. 

The book is advertised as being funny, and personally, I didn’t find any particular scene “funny,” but I think that is a result of my sense of humor, and not a fault of the author. I did feel that the praise on the back of the book was a bit heavy-handed, and while it is a banned book, I enjoyed that it was a lighter read versus some of the other banned books I’ve read. 

When I first sat down to write this review, I gave it 5-stars. It’s moving, has many great life-lessons, and opens your mind to new thoughts. I didn’t have anything negative to say about it. Then we met as a book club to discuss, and my rating dropped to 4-stars. While this could be a function of group-think, I agree with many points raised that at times, Mike’s character felt frustrating, and there were a few things that could have been done differently to better represent the communities it was trying to portray. And now that I sit here, finalizing this review, I’m teetering back on 5-stars, because why shouldn’t I trust my initial instinct? 

The fact of the matter is, I’m landing back on 5-stars because of one crucial detail: it proved me wrong, and brought a huge blindspot to my attention. 

A theme in this novel is the passing of unfair judgements: Nick unfairly judging gay people. Mike’s community unfairly judging Mexican-Americans. Society unfairly judging those who come from a lower social-economic class. I found myself unfairly judging the author. 

After the rush of a completed book wore off, a question came to my mind. Why is a white man writing about the expriences of a Mexican-American? What makes him qualified? In a rushed Google search, I received my validation: the initial results did not return anything on Evison’s background, and thus my assumption that he was white was falsely verified. Book club discussed this at length. Why couldn’t he have written Mike as a white character? How would our perceptions of the book have changed if we was white instead of mixed race? Would that have made a significant difference in the lessons learned from the story?

I went home feeling validated and something nagged at me to keep going, to dig deeper. This story is worth more than the 5 minute search I did that barely scratched the surface. So I did try harder, and the answer was revealed. From The Philadephia Citizen:

“Evison, who is in real life a gay Mexican American, writes the coming-of-age story with humor and witty observation of American society. Discovering one’s identity can be an uncomfortable, complex, and daunting process, but we all go through it. The novel’s frank and explicit language is geared toward an adult and teen audience, but that hasn’t stopped attempts to have the book removed from libraries across the United States, making it the 7th most banned and challenged book of 2022.”  Source link

Right there, in black and white, was confirmation of my blind spot. I unfairly judged this author. Lawn Boy is in fact his story, detailing his lived experiences, albeit with a little bit of flair. 

And that, my friends, is one of the many reasons why this book deserves my 5 stars. It taught me something, it made me feel something, and it is a book that will stay with me for a long, long time. Besides, I think this is the longest review I’ve written to-date. Shouldn’t that itself be an indicator of it’s value and impact? I guess only time will tell.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

Page 284: “And we made more lists: books to read, skills to learn, tools to develop. And it seemed like the more lists we made, the bigger my life felt by extension and the more possibilities that seemed to be out there for old Mike Muñoz, if he was only willing to think beyond the confines of his experience, if he could only summon the courage and the wherewithal to break the patterns that defined him, raze the walls that improioned him. If only he could believe in himself. And I was beginning to.”

Page 301: “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 inute and regather your vision for the thing, try to see it the way it originally came to you. Ask yourself, how did I arrive here? What was I trying to accomplish?”

TL;DR: Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, definitely. I think it’s an important exercise to continue to read stories that shift your perspective and give you new ways of thinking.