Fathers, Sons, and Brothers [Hardcover]

Bret Lott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 1997

The author writes about his experiences and perceptions across three generations of the men in his family. He re-creates the moments of anger and love, work and play, intimacy and distance; he evokes the subtle ties that bind father to son and brother to brother. This author makes the quietest moments of everyday life shout with joy or howl with pain. From the world of men at work to the world of boys at play, this book describes not only the ways men and boys relate to one another but also how their lives evolve over decades, endlessly imitative and endlessly varied. This is a book about men and a book for anyone who knows a man – and the boy in him.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bret Lott approaches his family history from the perspective of father, son, and brother, allowing him to interweave three generations of experience and communication with the intent to both teach and learn. The individual stories are not laid out chronologically, but the essays serve as a sort of memoir and, when combined, create a clear picture of the family dynamic. In recalling stories of his childhood, Lott compares his interaction with his brothers to the relationship between his two sons, noting the subtle ways in which life comes full circle. Almost unwittingly he finds himself passing on some of the same paternal advice he received, often with undesired effects. Without lapsing into sentimentality, Lott negotiates his family album with sincerity and a keen eye for detail, unafraid to admit that his memories are not always based in reality. There are plenty of tender moments here, from childhood revelations and shared secrets among brothers to tacitly conveyed declarations of love and respect. Not all of the stories end happily, though, despite Lott's optimistic tone. What emerges is the understanding that the male relationships in this family, or in any other, are cause for reflection, wonder, and quiet celebration.

From Library Journal

In this brief memoir, novelist and short story writer Lott (How To Get Home, LJ 7/96) ruminates on the relationships between fathers, sons, and brothers as he examines the lives of three generations of Lott males. Work plays an important role in these lives, specifically the RC Cola company, which at one time employed a father and two sons in the story. Lott's work lags when he treats experiences all too common to male readers?working a paper route or discussing the facts of life?but these are balanced by more dramatic episodes like those that reveal the fear occasioned by a botched tonsillectomy or the devastation wrought by Hurricane Hugo. Fans of Lott's fiction and those interested in men's studies are the most likely readership for this work.?William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First edition (June 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151002622
• ISBN-13: 978-0151002627
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,133,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bret Lott is the author of thirteen books, most recently the novel Dead Low Tide(Random House 2008); other books include the story collection The Difference Between Women and Men, the nonfiction book Before We Get Started: A Practical Memoir of the Writer's Life, and the bestselling novels Jewel, an Oprah Book Club pick, and A Song I Knew by Heart. His work has appeared in, among other places, The Yale Review, The New York Times, The Georgia Review and in dozens of anthologies. Born in Los Angeles, he received his BA in English from Cal State Long Beach in 1981, and his MFA in fiction from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1984, where he studied under James Baldwin. From 1986 to 2004 he was writer-in-residence and professor of English at The College of Charleston, leaving to take the position of editor and director of the journal The Southern Review at Louisiana State University. Three years later, in the fall of 2007, he returned to The College of Charleston and the job he most loves: teaching. His honors include having been named Fulbright Senior American Scholar and writer-in-residence to Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel; having spoken on Flannery O'Connor at The White House; and being appointed a member of the National Council on the Arts. He and his wife, Melanie, and live in Hanahan, South Carolina.