This must have been a difficult book for Patricia Dubin McGuire to write. Her father, Al Dubin, was a premier lyricist who wrote the lyrics for “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “September in the Rain,” “Lullaby of Broadway” and other jazz standards. But his life was marred by addictions to food, alcohol, gambling, and eventually drugs. As a youth Dubin was a star athlete and a talented writer who was unable to follow rules and often was expelled from school. He was a disappointment to his father, a doctor, and his mother, a chemist, who hoped he’d enter the medical profession. Al’s determination to become a lyricist bore fruit when he teamed with composer Harry Warren in 1933 for the first of several successful musical films, 42nd Street. This is a compelling story, and McGuire manages to balance her great affection for her father with reality. While there is no index, there is a complete list of Dubin’s songs.

Patricia Dubin McGuire has worked in the fields of journalism and public relations and as a reader for David O. Selznick Studios. She is currently a freelance writer.