Longhorn Reviews

By: Bryan Yansky

Simon hates his life – he doesn’t get along with his adopted parents, his girlfriend just dumped him, he’s been in trouble with the police for possession of (and selling) pot, and he hates school. In a fit of desperation, he finds the name of his birth parents, steals his father’s car, and leaves Iowa in a cloud of smoke. He hits the road in search of his dream “perfect” parents, picking up all manner of interesting characters along the way. This book chronicles his travels and his parent quest, which brings him here to Austin. We get a great picture of what Austin was like in 1979, when the story takes place. On 6th street, for instance, Simon encounters a street person who asks if Simon knows him. Simon shrugs.
“I’m Jesus Christ the Savior. I died for your sins. I can’t even afford a cup of coffee. Don’t you think you could spare a couple of cents for the Savior? Don’t you think that’s the least you can do?” . . . I reached in my pocket and gave him what I had. He made a bugle sound by blowing through his closed hand. He turned to me. “May I be with you,” he said.

And yes, as you may have guessed, Austin is the pretty girl capital of the world.

Reviewer: AJ Johnson

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