Barry and Tommy Moser were born of the same parents in Chattanooga, Tennessee, slept in the same bedroom, went to the same school, and were both poisoned by their family's deep racism and anti-Semitism. But as they grew older, their perspectives and their paths grew further and further apart. Barry left Chattanooga for New England and a life in the arts; Tommy stayed put and became a mortgage banker. From attitudes about race, to food, politics, and money, the brothers began to think so differently that they could no longer find common ground. For nearly forty years, there was more strife between them than affection.
In Barry's new memoir "We Were Brothers," he tells the story of how the rift between himself and Tommy developed, and how they eventually reconciled, to have a few "good years" together before Tommy died. Barry spoke recently with WFPL's James Bickers about many of the themes touched on in the book.
Barry Moser is currently Irwin and Pauline Alper Glass Professor of Art and the printer to the college at Smith College, and has illustrated and designed more than 350 books.
