Born Brothers, by Larry Woiwode, is a novel exploring the relationship between two brothers, Charles and Jerome Neumiller. Born Brothers is a continuation of the Neumiller saga begun in Woiwode's widely praised Beyond the Bedroom Wall. A series of vignettes reveals the brothers' relationship from many angles and enables us to see how they influence each other over a period of thirty years. The reader arrives at an understanding of Charles' life that is grounded in the love the brothers share.
The following excerpt begins with the birth of Charles' son, named Jerome, in honor of his brother, and then continues with a series of flashbacks into Charles' childhood.
Larry Woiwode's first novel, What I'm Going to Do, I Think (1969), won the William Faulkner Award for best first novel. Woiwode (pronounced "why-wood-ee") has been a Guggenheim Fellow and in 1980 received an Award in literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. His other novels include Beyond the Bedroom Wall (1975) and Poppa John (1981).
Born Brothers is the first Woiwode novel to appear since the publication of his controversial Poppa John. Gregory Wolfe discusses this and other phases of Woiwode's career and comments on the state of contemporary fiction. Harold Fickett reviews Born Brothers. An interview with Larry Woiwode follows, in which he shares his viewpoint of life and writing.
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