WOUNDS: A Collaborative Memoir in Stories BOOK & RESOURCES

“In an age when discussions about race and privilege seem to inevitably escalate into us versus them tribalism, Razel and Daniel model for us what it looks like to engage in culturally intelligent dialogue, perspective-taking, and friendship. Their rich, honest narratives are rich with lessons for all of us in how to create a more culturally intelligent world.”

— David Livermore, PhD, thought leader on Cultural Intelligence & founder of The Cultural Intelligence Center

 “Wounds is a must-read for every American of every color. Razel Jones, a black man, and Daniel Abbott, a white man, share their stories of race, family, resistance, loss, violence, overcoming, and love with astonishing grace and candor. Whether it’s Abbott exhorting white Americans that they can no longer look away from our nation’s systemic racism or Jones insisting that beauty and righteousness reside not in our similarities but our differences, this book is both a clear-eyed testament and a call to action written by two brothers who know what of they speak. If we allow it—if we don’t look away—Wounds is a book that will heal us.”

— Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women had Wings 

“There are few things more powerful than authentic storytelling. In fact, research reveals that it can be a very effective strategy in impacting another person’s perspective or attitude towards an idea or problem. We all know that racism is a problem. Razel’s and Daniel’s raw and rich stories not only help us all better understand the realities and effects of this insidious disease, they challenge and push us towards a call to action. Read the book. Improve your cultural intelligence. Take action.” 

— Dr. Sandra Upton, VP of Educational Initiatives, The Cultural Intelligence Center 

 “Wounds is a gem of writing. Daniel and Razel’s styles of writing are related, but uniquely their own identities. They weave similar themes, but from their own perspectives.The writing is so raw, so real, so human.”

— Mwenda Ntarangwi, PhD., author of Reversed Gaze: An African Ethnography of American Anthropology 

 “Wounds begins with Abbott and Jones writing that their pens will be their swords as they confront American racism in this time of police brutality and Black Lives Matter. And that is what Abbott and Jones do. They wield their pens against racial ignorance and injustice. But they also wield their pens toward empathy, so that we can “experience difference from a new perspective.” Wounds teaches us to see the world, and race in America, in a beautiful, complex, and honest way. It asks us to bathe in how we, each, are ‘beautifully different,’ how ‘our world is not colorless. It is colorful, and we’re better for it.”

— Sean Prentiss, author of Finding Abbey 

 “I truly could not put the book down. Razel Jones and Daniel Abbott are speaking out boldly and bravely. They both know it is time. It is often asserted that most white folks are of good intent and only a small percentage are overtly racist. If indeed that is true, it is time for all people of good intentions to stand up for what is right. The time is now. -Carla Roberts, President & CEO Fremont Area Community Foundation”

— Carla Roberts, President & CEO Fremont Area Community Foundation 

 “A searing, sobering, and heartfelt dual-memoir that serves as a poignant illustration of cross-cultural friendship, an indictment of this country’s entrenched racism, and a clarion call for action at a time when it is so sorely needed. Wounds is a brave and important work of activist literature.”

— Dan Sheehan, author of Restless Souls