In this part of Florida, sex crime convicts cannot live within a certain mileage of schools, children, playgrounds, churches or anything that might have children associated with it. The causeway where he and other convicted sex offenders have taken up residence is the only place that they can live without breaking this law.
The Kid's life mainly consists of working off the books at a restaurant busing tables, taking care of his pet iguana and biding his time as he awaits the end of his ten year sentence so that he can get the electronic ankle monitor off.
All of this boredom ends one day when the sociology professor shows up at the causeway and asks to study The Kid. Homelessness is a specialty of The Professor and he wants to study how convicted sex offenders are made homeless because of their status. The Professor has soon banded together a group of the sex offenders at the causeway and has convinced them to elect positions amongst them: Leader, Security, Garbage Cleanup, etc. It is his belief that if the sex offenders can prove to society that they can keep their area clean and neat and without drugs that the police will stop harassing them.
For his part though, The Kid can't figure out what The Professor's angle is and even wonders if The Professor is a sex offender himself. The Kid keeps going along with everything The Professor suggests though, because The Professor buys him food for him and his pets. Not only does his friendship with The Professor end his boredom, but it helps him see things differently in his own life.
I liked this book because it was written from the perspective of a sex offender - which is a perspective you don't hear very often.
If you decide to read this book, please take into consideration that The Kid talks a LOT about the porn he watched as he grew up and speaks very explicitly about sex.
Rating: 7/ 10
ISBN: 9780061857638
Publisher: Harper Collins
Edition: 1st Edition