Brothers: 26 Stories of Love and Rivalry

Book Overview

"The next best thing to not having a brother (as I do not) is to have Brothers. " -- Gay Talese Here is a tapestry of stories about the complex and unique relationship that exists between brothers. In this book, some of our finest authors take an unvarnished look at how brothers admire and admonish, revere and revile, connect and compete, love and war with each other. With hearts and minds wide open, and, in some cases, with laugh-out-loud humor, the writers tackle a topic that is as old as the Bible and yet has been, heretofore, overlooked. Contributors range in age from twenty-four to eighty-four, and their stories from comic to tragic. Brothers examines and explores the experiences of love and loyalty and loss, of altruism and anger, of competition and compassion--the confluence of things that conspire to form the unique nature of what it is to be and to have a brother. "Brother." One of our eternal and quintessential terms of endearment. Tobias Wolff writes, "The good luck of having a brother is partly the luck of having stories to tell." David Kaczynski, brother of "The Unabomber" "I'll start with the premise that a brother shows you who you are--and also who you are not. He's an image of the self, at one remove . . . You are a 'we' with your brother before you are a 'we' with any other." Mikal Gilmore refers to brotherhood as a "fidelity born of blood." We've heard that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But where do the apples fall in relation to each other? And are we, in fact, our brothers' keepers, after all? These stories address those questions and more, and are, like the relationships, full of intimacy and pain, joy and rage, burdens and blessings, humor and humanity.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470391294
• ISBN13: 9780470391297
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.1" x 1.1" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

brilliant compilation

In many ways, this book changed my conception of family. The complexity of sibling relationships is perhaps the least discussed and most complicated of all family dynamics. While there has been much written on the topic of sisters, this book is bold and rare. Of course, the writers (Gilmore, Wolff(s), Menaker & McCourt, to name a few) are sublimely talented. Their investigations of these unexamined and universally experienced territories are fascinating. Some speak of competition and complexity (see Kazinski) while others depict great loyalty and love. None of the stories in this book are predictable or saccharine sweet. This book is gem, one which I highly recommend to anyone who has a brother, father or son.

Siblings

Moving and refreshing narratives by multiple male authors who are talented and accomplished in many fields, and who have had mixed or tension filled relationships with their brothers. The writing is surprisingly robust and encompasses a wide range of emotional experiences.