IR VERDICT:
Marc Krulewitch’s novel BOULDER COUNTY offers a timely look at the budding pot industry and the challenges it faces from greedy big business, Christain zealots, hidebound law enforcement officials, and entrenched political interests. Despite legalization in Colorado, third-generation cannabis farmer Buddy Fisher tries to maintain a low-profile growing marijuana because of a checkered past but his potent hybrids rocket in popularity, bringing him more attention and trouble than he asked for. The witty, smart and well-researched book examines cannabis’s role throughout American history, serving a scathing and thoughtful critique of corporate power, unbending ideological fanaticism, and how society exploits and chews up people.