Lawn Boy has regularly been the target of controversy and censorship in the United States. In 2022, the American Library Association reported it was the seventh-most-banned and challenged book in the country due to its inclusion of LGBT+ content and being considered sexually explicit. [6] Gary Paulsen has written MANY wonderful stories, that I highly recommend this one. Lawn Boy is so real, but yet different from the rest of his stories. This story takes place in Minnesota, in a neighborhood called, Eden Prairie, where they’re tons of lawns to be mowed! Our showroom has a wide range of machinery such as lawnmowers, ride-on tractors, chainsaws, trimmers, blowers, shredders, hedge-trimmers, log splitters, scarifiers and accessories.

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. In November 2021, Fairfax County Public Schools decided to return the two books to its high school libraries following a committee review. [11] 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).

Did we miss something on diversity?

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). Additional ALA Awards 2019". The Horn Book. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021 . Retrieved September 29, 2021. Duncan, Charles (December 15, 2021). "Wake County libraries pull LGBTQ book from shelves after complaint". Spectrum Local News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022 . Retrieved April 29, 2022.

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 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. Lawn Boy Farm Services has been a family run business providing expert service to Downham Market, most of Norfolk and surrounding counties since 1969. We are suppliers of garden machinery from top manufacturers including Ariens, Arbortec, Briggs & Stratton, Cub Cadet, Hayter, Honda, Husqvarna, Stihl, Tanaka, & Toro.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. 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! 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. We have an extensive spare parts department and if we do not have the part, we can get it fast as we are main dealers for most leading brands.

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.

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.) 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.

In December 2021 Wake County (N.C.) Public Libraries responded to a patron complaint about Lawn Boy and Gender Queer. They let Lawn Boy remain on shelves but removed Gender Queer. [12] Perkins, Christine. "Lawn Boy". Library Journal. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021 . Retrieved September 28, 2021. 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. 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 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!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. It had a set to demonstrate why the existence of illegal residents in a country creates odd legal loop holes that unprincipled people can take advantage of. And it was used as an excuse to not call police, but rather on a big muscular guy to fix things. And wasn't it nice that they guy in question was happily willing to totally loose his career and get time behind bars for some kid? Especially, as if the violence wasn't comic book style (big bangs, every one walks away with little swirls over their heads) several of the things he did would have ended with dead bodies and premeditated murder. 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. 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. For the ‘Lawn Boy’s,’ birthday she gives him a lawn mower, a riding lawn mower. He really doesn’t know what to do with it, let along work it!