Brother Epistles
Shanda McManus, MD
Family Medicine, SOPW Board member
2026, Split Lip Press
On a Philadelphia street in 1992, Shanda McManus’s brother Monir was killed in a drive-by shooting. Three decades later, still haunted by his murder, McManus traces her brother’s life through their upbringing in North Philadelphia, Monir’s teen fatherhood and stint in the U.S. Army to support his young sons, and finally, his participation in the drug trade. In Brother Epistles, a series of intimate letters, McManus writes as both sister and physician, blending social commentary, memory, and collective history to lament the fragility of Monir’s life while demanding an American reckoning for the socioeconomic structures responsible for so many young Black men dying through homicide. A heartbreaking conversation between a sister and her brother, leavened with humor, family love, and unconquerable Black joy, Brother Epistles is a powerful meditation on Black identity, the criminalization of Black boys, and the devastating ripple effects of a tragic loss on the loved ones left behind.
Praise for Brother Epistles
"An affecting tribute to a lost brother and a nuanced portrait of what it means to be Black and upper-middle class in America.”
— Kirkus Reviews“McManus’ story will grab your heart, hold it gently, then hand it lovingly back to you.”
— Bridgett M. Davis, author of Love, Rita:
An American Story of Sisterhood, Joy, Loss, and Legacy"McManus follows the pulse of her grief as it guides her toward wholeness, showing us how remembrance itself can be a form of healing.”
— — Rana Awdish, MD, bestselling author of
In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope