Lawn Boy

Recipient of the 2019 Alex Award​​

“Mike Muñoz Is a Holden Caulfield for a New Millennium–a ’10th-generation peasant with a Mexican last name, raised by a single mom on an Indian reservation’ . . . Evison, as in his previous four novels, has a light touch and humorously guides the reader, this time through the minefield that is working-class America.” — The New York Times Book Review

“A coming-of-age story wrapped in a conversational critique of class and capitalism, with equal doses of humor and heart planted here and there.” — Bainbridge Island Review

“Joyful, funny, and life-affirming.” — Signature Reads

“A swift, engaging read, with an alternately wry and wistful sense of humor. But it also addresses painful territory head-on, especially when it comes to American economic and cultural inequality.” — Cascadia Magazine

“Moving, hilarious, and uplifting . . . The genius of the novel, and of its author, lies in the complexity of emotions Mike’s journey evokes, both from its hopeful beginning to its unexpected fulfillment. But it’s also in the nature of that fulfillment—in the subtle sleight of hand Evison works to show that the grass can be greener on either side of the fence.” — Four Corners Free Press

For Mike Muñoz, 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’s smart enough to know that he’s got to be the one to shake things up if he’s ever going to change his life. But how? He’s not qualified for much of anything. He has no particular talents, although he is stellar at handling a lawn mower and wielding clipping shears. But now that career seems to be behind him. So what’s next for Mike Muñoz?

In this funny, biting, touching, and ultimately inspiring novel, bestselling author Jonathan Evison takes the reader into the heart and mind of a young man determined to achieve the American dream of happiness and prosperity–who just so happens to find himself along the way.

Paperback | 336 pages | Hachette Book Group | 2019