It's one thing to write a book; it's another to live it. Wendell Affield never knew his father. His childhood was punctuated by a volatile mother and an unpredictable stepfather. At twelve, he and his siblings were placed in foster homes, his mother committed to a mental hospital. At sixteen, he rode the rails out west and lived in hobo camps. At seventeen, he enlisted in the navy. At twenty, he was wounded in an ambush while driving a river patrol boat in Vietnam and medevaced home. This lifetime of adventure and instability are the foundation for everything he writes. After being diagnosed with PTSD in the 90s, Wendell began exploring writing as a way to process everything he had experienced. He studied the writing craft at Bemidji State University. Today, he speaks to groups across Minnesota about PTSD and leads workshops to show veterans and others how to use writing as a way to move forward from their experiences.
"I could speak at length here about the merits of Muddy Jungle Rivers: its eloquence, its emotional generosity, its urgent and haunting prose. But the book's enduring virtue is that it records, with utmost fidelity, the unspeakable horrors of the author himself, as a young man adrift in the moral chaos of war." Steve Almond, author of "God Bless America: Stories" and many other works"I found this book compelling, chilling and intensely real. The experience of being there with a slice of American youth - good and bad, the tension of frequently being on edge, the horror of battle and being wounded severely is the start, but the rejection upon returning home and carrying all of those feelings for the rest of a vet's life sank even deeper. I found myself profoundly grateful that the author described his experience, and even more so that he was able to get this off his chest. As a fellow author, I understand the catharsis of pulling thoughts from within and describing them for others on a printed page. Congratulations and thank you Mr. Affield." Amazon review, "Harleysmith""I read this book because a friend and brother had spent time in the Brown Water Navy. He has never spoken of his service, and I wanted to have an understanding of what he had experienced. I learned that in the pages of this book. Wendell described what was happening in such a way that makes sense of a difficult time in his life, he doesn't pull any punches, or try to make things palatable for a wider audience. Every blue water sailor should read this story for their own edification. Thank you for your service Mr. Affield." Amazon review, Greg Peterson
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