Satire at its sharpest: 'Mr. Texas'Read about the other entries on the list.
I could not stop giggling. Lawrence Wright's satire, "Mr. Texas" (Knopf), portrays the state's political culture so accurately, one winces with the shock of recognition. A well-meaning West Texas cowboy, considered something of a joke in his community, wins a seat in the state legislature with the help of a sleazy political consultant. What he discovers in Austin is a system so corrupt and convoluted, it might be hard for out-of-staters to credit. Texans know better. Wright has been developing this comic romp for decades. (I saw a stage version decades ago.) As a novel, "Mr. Texas" is expertly populated, textured and paced. He has updated the pointed political and cultural commentary already shared in his nonfiction book, "God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State."
--Marshal Zeringue
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