Lawn Boy

Lawn Boy

Jonathan Evison

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

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.


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  • bookgang
    Mar 30, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    I was such a big fan of, This is Your Life, Harriet Chance (you can see my interview on this one here), so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Evison's latest novel, Lawn BoyThis YA coming-of-age story is a great one to hand to a teen to help illustrate the struggles of our different social classes and also illustrate some of the hot button topics that are happening right now in politics.

    In this story, Mike struggles to keep steady employment after a short stint working as a lawn boy for a landscaping company. His family struggles financially and they rely upon Mike to help provide for their family. Despite living hand to mouth, Mike is determined to pull himself out of the hole no matter what. Unfortunately, he faces hurdle after hurdle after hurdle to just get a good job.

    This is such an honest portrait of what it is like to be poor and how every time you get ahead, you find yourself behind again. Evison does an incredible job illustrating these difficulties that helps the reader find a new empathy for what it is like to financially struggle, but he writes this story with heart and humor.

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  • one_crazy_eliott
    Dec 16, 2024
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    Lawn Boy
    Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.57/10 overall

    Characters - 6

    Atmosphere - 6

    Writing - 7

    Plot - 7

    Intrigue - 7

    Logic - 7

    Enjoyment - 6

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