Family Matters

About the Book

Family Matters, originally in the New Yorker, is about the Bernsteins — Sam, the father; Jennie, the mother; and their three children: Leonard, Shirley and Burton, the book's author. In this updated edition, Burton intimately recounts the family's roots, its trials, and the stunning success of his older brother, whose worldwide celebrity changed all their lives.

About the Author

Burton Bernstein, a staff writer for The New Yorker from 1957 to 1992, was born in Boston and was educated at Dartmouth College and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His seven other books are two works of fiction, The Grove and The Lost Art; The Sticks, a Profile of Essex County, New York; Thurber: A Biography; Look, Ma, I Am Kool! and Other Casuals, a collection of humor pieces; and Sinai: The Great and Terrible Wilderness; and Plane Crazy: A Celebration of Flying. Mr. Bernstein lives in Connecticut.