Wounded

Three lifelong friends — Ben, Levi, and Tracy — take very different paths after high school, but all have brushes with danger and war. What happens in war? Only injury, if one is lucky.

This powerful novel tells of Levi’s war with family tragedy and alcoholism, of Ben’s war with rage, and Tracy and Levi’s Vietnam War experiences. Ben is called to treat the wounds of war, both with his friend Levi, and in his professional role as an organizational consultant.

This unusual combination of prequel/sequel to author Nick Mann’s 2013 debut novel, Forgetful, weaves compelling stories around the intersecting themes of urban renewal, the Vietnam War, addiction, and the professional and personal lives of contemporary black friendship networks. The gang from the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Michigan Park returns in his second novel to face challenges of love for one another and struggling with the complexities of their own existence.