Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

In Anthony J. Mohr’s memoir, Every Other Weekend, the author tells the story of a childhood suspended between two contrasting worlds. After his parents’ divorce at a time when divorce was rare, young Tony lives between two worlds: his biological father’s world, Gerald Mohr, who is a charismatic radio and television actor known for playing Philip Marlowe, and that of his stepfather, Stanley Dashew, a real estate entrepreneur who helped launch the credit card industry. It is set in the 1950s and 60s Southern California, and the book traces Tony’s coming-of-age as he experiences Hollywood glamour, the virtues of business, and parental betrayals. Whether describing his stepfather’s volatile temper, his father’s declining career, or his own confused loyalties, Mohr captures the emotional arithmetic of divorce: the competing households, the every-other-weekend custody visits, and the slow understanding that he must build his own identity from the fragments of two very different lives.

Anthony J. Mohr executes these elements with the perceptive wisdom of the judge he eventually became. He offers a portrait of the two fathers as vividly as possible, shining a light on Gerald, the womanizing dreamer and chain-smoker, and Stan, the pipe-puffing, conservative businessman. Each of these people in his life is rendered through crisp, revealing dialogue and detailed descriptions. The narrative voice is dryly humorous, excavating painful memories in a tone that reflects an adult’s irony and the innocence of a child. While suspense is not the primary engine that moves this book forward, quiet tension thrums through the revelations of Gerald’s affairs and domestic scenes. Every Other Weekend takes you on a journey from the Brown Derby to Beverly Hills High School, unveiling an era when make-believe and reality were almost synonymous. This episodic memoir is fast-paced, and it brilliantly explores class, loyalty, and identity.