Nothing Left to Lose

The year is 1968 and the Vietnam War is at its height. William Carson, a World War II veteran teaching in a small New England Prep School, has for more than two decades been haunted by nightmares whose content he has never shared with his wife, Anne, or their two sons, Joshua, a Marine on active duty in Vietnam, and Andrew, an ROTC college senior bound for active duty following graduation. When Joshua is reported missing in combat, the web of secrets and denial that has kept the family together for more than twenty years begins to unravel as Anne and William face the possible loss of their sons, and Andrew must confront the tangle of love, obligation, and loyalty that he feels toward his country, his father, his brother, his mother, and himself.“In Nothing Left To Lose, the hard teachings of the Vietnam War are reflected in one family's anguished choices, and with a depth of compassion that reveals fresh meaning for us today. This beautiful and engrossing novel lets us see with fresh eyes what war-making costs the soul of a nation, and especially its men. Here we find both a chronicle of an age and a prayer for our future, perfectly tuned to this historical moment.” Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self “Allan Johnson's mournful yet ultimately hopeful novel captures beautifully what history textbooks always miss: that wars overseas exact enormous emotional and familial costs at home, and that for men especially, it can be just as heroic to resist wars as it is to fight in them.” Jackson Katz, Ph.D., creator of video Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinity and author of The Macho Paradox Praise for The First Thing and the Last “Allan Johnson's illumination of the mind of a woman recovering from horrific abuse and loss is miraculous, carried by a story that is both gripping and inspiring. It is a stunning achievement.” Jean Kilbourne, creator of the award-winning film series, Killing Us Softly “Allan Johnson's writing is moving, insightful, and deeply human. He takes us inside painful lives with courageous truth-telling, yet at the same time takes us inside of characters who can heal and thrive. This is a novel that rings true, and that we need urgently to take into our hearts.” Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That? “The First Thing and the Last portrays an extraordinary woman who is brutalized – but the abuse becomes her sorrow and not her identity in Allan Johnson's complex, masterful, and exacting understanding of such a woman's life. His ability and willingness to see so deeply, to portray a woman and her story so Nothing Left To Lose profoundly, takes our breath away. Welcome this extraordinary and most original novelist to the ranks of American literature.” Deena Metzger, novelist, poet, and author of Writing for Your Life