Brothers

So when I was 8 years old back in April of 1998, just a couple weeks before my birthday, my dad took my brother and me out to some retirement home 2 hours from my house. He took me to a photo shoot with my great grandfather and his bro, my grandfather and his bro, my dad and his bro, and finally my bro and I. The photo shoot was for the June issue of Esquire Magazine in 1998, the Brother's Issue. I remember standing on this big black sheet of paper taped to a wall, and at one point I vomited in a trashcan cause all of the lights made me really hot and uncomfortable. But I made it through the 20+ photos or so. If anyone has the magazine, we're on page 137, I'm all the way to the right, the little one leaning on his brother. The Brother's book is basically all the pictures of brothers from that issue binded into this great book with added essays. Once again, the four generations of my family and I are towards the back, "The Last Picture". The two old guys all the way to the left passed away not too long after the shoot, but boy did they live a long life. It's almost 10 years later since the magazine and this book came out, but my family still has copies of both. If you want a great brother's book, this is a perfect choice. Anyways, just thought I'd put a nice review about the book on here, it was my 15 minutes of fame for a little while, now it's just a pleasant memory.

Having grown up as the only boy with two wonderful sisters, I never regretted not having a brother. Until now. This is simply a beautiful book. As you'd expect from Esquire, Brothers is visually magnificent, with great, creative(but never contrived)shots of celebrities and non-celebrities alike, all sharing the joys of brotherhood. The shot of James Garner and his golf pro brother, in a rooftop hot tub in Beverly Hills, is worth the cover price alone. But what really makes this book special, elevates it far above the level of another attractive coffee table volume, are the essays. This is the rarest of literary birds -- a photo book that DEMANDS to be read. Not only have the editors culled essays from some of the leading authors of the day, Tobias Wolff, Frank McCourt and others, but they culled supremely thoughtful pieces from each. Perhaps it's the subject matter, but not one of the literary heavyweights phoned this one in. Not one. And some of the best writing is by writers you haven't heard of. Check out the powerful, evocative piece by a North Carolina law professor named Thomas A. Kelley, about a trip to Africa with his brother. Brothers is a beautiful experience, whether or not you've experienced the real thing.

Good news, guys: You don't have to get your bro another garden weasel for Christmas. A few days ago I had a chance to flip through this book and I instantly ordered a copy for my kid brother. The photos are hilarious and heartbreaking (James and Jack Garner livin' large in a Beverly Hills hot tub, three blind brothers in Rhode Island who build furniture); the essays (by the likes of Tom Junod and Frank McCourt) knock you flat. This isn't some sappy, bogus collection of "Deep Thoughts" and greeting-card cliches. The words and pictures are real, potent, and deeply moving. I can't put the book down, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking to buy his brother something better than a batch of golf balls this holiday season.