"People read memoirs for various reasons. Sometimes the subject is a famous person with an interesting storyline. Other times, it is a recognizable situation or phase of life that many people can identify with. Lonnie Lazar’s Viva Lofton: Memoir of a Beginner Dad is of the latter variety. The situation is the father-son dynamic and any man who has had a son will be able to relate to this narrative.

Lazar is making an appeal to his son Lofton for understanding and forgiveness for his shortcomings as a father. Early on, I was reminded of Oscar Wilde’s often repeated line: “Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older, they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.” We don’t know what Lofton will do or how he feels about this, but Lazar, the lawyer, is going to state his case in a kind of pre-trial argument: 1) This was the kind of childhood I had and what I learned from my own parents, 2) These were the circumstances of your mother and I’s union and break-up, 3) This is what I was thinking about you at various stages of your life, and 4) These were the times I lived in, the person I am, and the choices I made.

Viva Lofton is a great read for #1, #2, #3 and occasionally (hit or miss) #4. The “hits” are impressive. There are several stand-alone episodes in the narrative that wouldn’t have been out of place in publications like The Rolling Stone or The Atlantic (see “A Favor for Keith Richards” and “Running Down a Dream”). Lazar’s Tulane years are memorable and the travel writing shines. In terms of style, these sections of Viva Lofton are a mix of panache, savoir-faire, and charm.

The jury is still out on Lazar’s case as it is for all of us Dads. We hope that our children will forgive us for the people we were or the things that we might have done better. As Lazar knows, fate is often kind and God is merciful."