This commentary is by George Longenecker, a resident of Middlesex.
‘Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison is one of the top banned books of the past year, according to the American Library Association.
As I read this 2018 novel, I wondered what it was that caused such an uproar. Had most of the people screaming about its lewdness even read the book?
“Lawn Boy” is a first-person fictional memoir told by Mike Muñoz. Mike lives with his mother in a rundown rental on Bainbridge Island in Washington. It’s a beautifully written story of working-class struggle.
Mike’s mother has worked for years as a waitress. Mike works dead-end jobs, and finally makes it as an entrepreneur with his own property maintenance business, while writing on the side.
The heart of this novel is hard work, class disparities and class resentment. Little in this novel is about sex, which is what has stirred up the cauldron of animus. Mike had one exploratory sexual encounter with another boy when they were 11. At 23, he comes out as gay.
Sexuality is part of the novel, but is not the main theme. The furor seems out of proportion to a book that’s a story of work and class disparity.
Author Jonathan Evison says in the current issue of Poets and Writers: “Let me be clear: There is no pedophilia in my novel.”
Last year, Evison awoke one day to find a firestorm of messages on Instagram, including one that read: “There’s a special place in hell for people like you. I hope you burn.” Another message read: “You probably f*ck your daughter’s (sic), you sick f*ck.” Critics were convinced “Lawn Boy” was promoting pedophilia.
Evison goes on to say that: “Several weeks later, after a similar controversy in a Virginia school district, Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin decided to take this misinformation and run with it for his own political gain, not only perpetuating falsehoods about ‘Lawn Boy’ and other challenged books, but also smearing librarians in Virginia and elsewhere.”
The critics of teachers, librarians and books like “Lawn Boy” are losing the culture wars and know it. They are clever and good at stirring up controversy.
The Intellectual Freedom Blog of the American Library Association says: “What sets ’Lawn Boy’ apart is that it focuses on race, class and economic disparity; it is a moving, humorous and insightful portrait of a young man searching for the American Dream.”
The controversy and harassment have been painful for the author. It’s harmful for the nation to have people on the book-banning bandwagon who may not understand the purpose and scope of schools and libraries. We need books, teachers and librarians who take us beyond our own worldview.
Ironically, in the year since the controversy began, “Lawn Boy” sales have increased. Usually, sales of novels drop after four years, but this book has gone into three additional printings. We can thank the critics for bringing awareness to a noteworthy novel and helping its author make a good living.