Brothers and Keepers is John Edgar Wideman's seminal memoir about two brothers - one an award-winning novelist, the other a fugitive. Wideman recalls the capture of his younger brother Robby, details the subsequent trials that resulted in a sentence of life in prison, and provides vivid views of the American prison system.

A gripping, unsettling account, Brothers and Keepers weighs the bonds of blood, tenderness and guilt that connect him to his brother and measures the distance that lies between them.

"A rare triumph . . . Wideman has succeeded in both understanding his brother's life and coming to terms with his own" - * New York Times *

"Powerful and disturbing . . . Brothers and Keepers is guaranteed to shock and sadden" - * Washington Post *

"Brave and brilliant, an almost frightening thing to behold" - * Philadelphia Enquirer *