AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR โขย From the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author, a hilarious, sharply drawn send-up of local politics โข A novel about a dark-horse candidate who risks his personal happiness for a career in the Texas House of Representatives โข "Required reading in these politically turbulent times.โโSusan Orlean, author of On Animals
โA rollicking satire . . ."โ Paul Begala, The New York Times Book Review
Sonny Lamb is an affable, if floundering, rancher with the unfortunate habit of becoming a punchline in his Texas hometown. Most recently, to everyoneโs headshaking amusement, he bought his own bull at an auction. But when a fire breaks out at a neighborโs farm, Sonny makes headlines in another way: not waiting for help, he bolts to the farm where his heroic actions make the evening news.
Almost immediately, and seemingly out of nowhere, a handsomely dressed lobbyist from Austin arrives at his ranch door and asks if heโd like to run for his West Texas districtโs seat in the state legislature. Though Sonny has zero experience and doesnโt consider himself political at all, the fate of his ranchโand perhaps his marriage to the lovely โcowgirlโ Lolaโhangs in the balance. With seemingly no other choice, Sonny decides to throw his hat in the ring .
As he navigates life in politicsโfrom running a campaign to negotiating in the capitolโSonny must learn the ropes, weighing his own ethics and environmental concerns against the pressures of veteran politicians, savvy lobbyists, and his own party. In tracing Sonnyโs attempt to balance his marriage and morality with an increasingly volatile professional life, Lawrence Wright has crafted an irresistibly funny and clever roller-coaster ride about one manโs pursuit of goodness in the Lonestar State.