12th & McGraw

Forrest Haskell
Top Publications (2007)
ISBN 9781929976294
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/07)


I was immediately drawn into “12th & McGraw.”  In this autobiography, Forrest Haskell, Jr., tells the story of life with his father, Forrest Haskell, Sr.  Although it was not an easy life, it was an incredibly interesting life.  His father became successful by running several illegal operations.  These included bootlegging, gambling, and loan sharking.  The characters involved with his dad were incredibly interesting in their eccentricities.  I really enjoyed reading about these people; they contributed to bringing the story to life.  Mr. Haskell does an excellent job of describing these people and the places that they frequented.

Mr. Haskell’s father was raised by an unstable, verbally-abusive man.  He chose to be a different kind of father.  He raised Mr. Haskell with a good self-esteem and the belief that he could accomplish anything.  This was really positive.  Mr. Haskell passed this gift down to his own children.  He also made the choice, as an adult, not to follow in his father’s footsteps by getting involved in his illegal operations.  His father was a good man in that he let his son make his own decisions.  He wasn’t so good in providing his son with a stable home environment.  The mother of Forrest, Jr. was married to someone else when his father came into his life.  His father was also married to another woman.  Both women had to share him.  This was incredibly painful for the women and their children.
      
“12th & McGraw,” is an incredibly interesting story that also offers several lessons on life.  Parenting is a big one.  Mr. Haskell, Jr. chose the positive aspects of his fathers parenting skills.  He also learned from the painful lessons that his father taught in regards to the relationships.  All of the children and the two mothers had to live with the pain of having to share their dad.  As his dad slowed down later in life, he expressed regrets over the damage that he caused from his decisions.  He also made peace with his own father prior to his death.  This part of the story made me reflect upon my own life and realize that I need to live my life in such a way that I don’t have huge regrets at the end.  His father was sure that he was going to hell.  That is not a very peaceful way to be at the end.  He had a great adventure getting to this point in his life.
        
I highly recommend this book.  It would make a great Father’s Day gift for a man that loves to read.   I am really happy that I had a chance to enjoy “12th & McGraw.”

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