We Were Brothers by Barry Moser
When the last surviving member of a family writes a memoir, that person has license to say what he wants to say, with little resistance from others. Barry Moser, the incomparable book print maker and illustrator who has created vivid and memorable illustrations for classic books ranging from The Holy Bible to Alice in Wonderland, has written a lovely tribute to his now-deceased brother, their family and the Southern world they all lived in. While he worries that his recollections are one-sided, I can say with confidence that his family would approve of We Were Brothers, which is set at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in Chattanooga, Tennessee during the last century. While Moser's illustrations are black and white, with rendered realism bordering on the photographic, this book is written in vivid color. Moser and his older brother Tommy are typical of brothers growing up in the same household who, on the way to independent adulthood, fail to truly connect with each other. Their differences continue to grow and when the two men finally engage, both wanting some resolution before they are dead, the cultural and social differences between them create an emotional chasm that they struggle to cross. The message here is clear: do not wait until a loved one dies to make amends. – Rob Eckman
