Sonny Lamb is a good old boy who cannot get things working on his ranch. He is always doing the wrong thing, like buying his own bull at action. This not only puts him more in the hole financially, but it makes him the joke of his small West Texas town. Who buys his own livestock? Sonny is nearly broke when a wildfire breaks out, and he rescues a child from a burning barn. Overnight, he goes from being mocked to revered as the local hero.
A political operator,L.D. Sparks, takes notice. He has a seat to fill in the Texas Legislation. It doesn’t matter that Sonny has no desire or experience, or has even really thought about politics. Those are just details. L.D. is well dressed, well connected, powerful, and deeply immoral. He can make anything happen in Texas politics, and he has chosen easygoing Sonny.
What begins now is a rodeo ride of ups and downs, being thrown a couple of times, but with an eventual win and a move to Austin. Sonny soon learns freshmen on the floor are like children, to be seen and not heard. They are to vote in the block they are told to. Sonny was over his head in ranching, but he is drowning at the state capitol.
Undeterred by L.D.’s continued devious guidance and temptations all around, Sonny is determined to make a difference his first time in office. He takes on a political cause from his daily West Texas life, brackish water. His plan is progressive and expensive, which irritates his party. It would be an excellent investment providing long term solutions to not only his district but to all of Texas. That really doesn’t matter to either side. Can’t someone control this kid? Doesn’t Sonny know his place? What unfolds is just like the old adage of laws and sausages, leaving the reader both sick and satisfied. Still, you are left with a deep love of our great state, and gratitude to those who have an impact and create positive change.
I read this book about a year go, and laughed and cringed in equal parts. Lawrence Wright, the author, holds nothing back. A former Texas Monthly journalist, he has obviously spent time in Austin and is knowledgeable of Texas politics.
“Mr. Texas,” a political satire by Lawrence Wright. You’ll find the story to be evenhanded, accurate, and entertaining, which we need in times like these.
