"Just Lassen to Me!"- A First-Generation Son's Story: Surviving a Survivor

Is it possible to admire a man's accomplishments but abhor what he stands for, to seek his blessing but spurn his legacy? What if that man is your father? John Simkovits, a native of Czechoslovakia, survived the ravages of World War II before immigrating to Canada to escape the onset of Soviet Communism. Over the next thirty years, he grew a business and real estate empire through corporate double-dealing, devious tax evading, and offshore money stashing-flitting from one tax dodge and haven to the next. Johnny groomed his second son, Harvy, to be the heir of his fortune, enticing him into a world of questionable deals and backroom chicanery. Unlike his religious brother and embittered mother, Harvy was drawn to his father's shrewd business savvy and listened to his advice, which often began with, "Just lassen [listen] to me!" Harvy faces hard choices and undergoes shattering life changes to reconcile, repudiate, and rectify his father's dubious legacy.