The Magician's Law

By Jess D'Amico in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 11, 2008 5:19PM

You've been a struggling magician for years now. Money is short, and it is past time for you to go get a "real job" like a normal person. What do you do? If you're Chicagoan Rick Lax, you do the only sensible thing and follow your father, grandfather, and several uncles' lead and go to law school. Lax's first book, Lawyer Boy: A Case Study on Growing Up covers his transformation from tying rope tricks to tying neckties (he purposefully never learned), and how to become a lawyer without giving away his soul. Peppered with fake rejection letters informing Lax the board had a good laugh at his application, and real legal jargon that will make your head spin, Lax weaves a funny, meandering story of an underachiever in an overachiever's world.

Although sometimes Lax tries too hard for humor where it is already evident, Lawyer Boy is a fun, easy-going book that will make you think that you could never survive law school, but if you tried to, reading the book would help ease your pain.

Lax will read from Lawyer Boy tonight at the Book Cellar, and perform a magic show after. He promises books, wine, tricks, and his tax lawyer father present to sign books.

Rick Lax. July 11 7 p.m. The Book Cellar, 4736-38 N Lincoln Ave. Free.