The Nine Lessons by Kevin Alan Milne

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

August Witte and his wife Erin have been married for seven years. They have no children and that is fine with August because he really does not think he would be a good father. His mother died when he was very young and his father has not been a perfect example of what a good dad should be.

Much to their surprise, Erin announces she is pregnant. August was not too happy about this for the obvious reasons. Erin, of course, is very happy to finally have a child.

August meets with his father, London, and discusses his reservations with him. August told his dad he did not feel he is ready to become a father. London makes a deal with his son. London is an avid golfer. He asked August to meet him once a month for nine months (the length of the pregnancy) at the golf course. He would try to get his son interested in golf. However, London had his own hidden agenda. Each month the golf lesson pertained to the sport in a way but the main objective was to give August a lesson in life. August did not know much about his mother. He learned a great deal about her during these “lessons” because London kept memories of her written on golf scorecards. After these nine months, August felt much more prepared to be a father.

Kevin Alan Milne does an excellent job in making his characters seem so real. This is the second book I have read by this author and he really knows how to get his message through to the reader. You will even start to understand August’s fears of being a father. I would recommend The Nine Lessons to any father, son or soon to be father. This is a great read especially with Father’s Day right around the corner.