How a centuries-old injustice shapes the plot, and purpose, of Robert M. Morgan’s legal thriller.
Reparations for slavery, for decades, the question has lingered. Should the descendants of enslaved people be compensated for generations of stolen labor, broken families, and systemic oppression?
In Personal Injuries, debut author and former attorney Robert M. Morgan doesn’t just explore this question, he builds it into the foundation of his story.
The novel’s main plot follows Steve Win, a young personal injury lawyer who turns his name into a brand and stumbles into a dark world of legal manipulation and mob ties. But beneath the satire and suspense lies a deeper historical current: the story of Henrietta, a runaway slave whose journey toward freedom anchors the novel with emotional weight and historical urgency.
The Fictional Thread with Real Roots
Henrietta’s narrative opens the novel with a haunting escape, barefoot, hunted, and desperate for safety in what was supposed to be a “free” state. Her story is fictional, but it draws from real events and reflects the broken promises that defined America’s treatment of Black citizens, even after slavery officially ended.
Morgan uses this subplot not as a side story, but as a moral contrast to the modern-day chaos of personal injury law. Henrietta seeks survival and dignity. Steve seeks money and influence. The juxtaposition is stark, and intentional.
Reparations in Legal History
Reparations have deep roots in the U.S. legal and legislative history. After the Civil War, promises like “40 acres and a mule” were made to freed slaves. Only to be revoked by subsequent administrations. Since then, various lawsuits, legislative proposals, and activist movements have attempted to revive the push for compensation.
And yet, no federal reparations program has ever been implemented.
In Personal Injuries, Morgan taps into this unresolved wound. The subplot raises powerful questions: What happens to justice when it’s delayed for centuries? Can the law ever make it right? Or is the system too broken to try?
Bringing the Past into the Present
What makes Morgan’s treatment of reparations unique is that he doesn’t preach, he parallels. While Steve manipulates insurance companies and clients in modern New Orleans, Henrietta’s legacy remains in the background, reminding readers that the fight for justice didn’t start with car crashes and courtroom ads.
It started in chains.
By tying present-day legal hustle to historical injustice, Morgan challenges readers to consider how today’s legal system serves (or fails) communities that have long been marginalized.
“Freedom was supposed to begin in Ohio,” Henrietta thinks, “but even freedom had boundaries.”
That line resonates deeply, and reminds us that legal freedom and true justice are not always the same.
A Thriller That Dares to Dig Deeper
Personal Injuries delivers all the fast-paced twists and courtroom tension legal thriller fans crave. But it also asks bigger questions. About power. About morality. And about the debts that still haven’t been paid.
In blending a legal conspiracy with historical truth, Morgan turns his debut novel into something more than entertainment. He turns it into a conversation.
Whether you’re a student of law, history, or just someone who believes in accountability, Personal Injuries will challenge what you think you know, and keep you turning the pages.