Wounded Wings: One Man’s Secret Struggle

by Jeanne Donovan, Ronald Johnson

Wounded Wings is the true story of Gilbert Johnson, a tragic young man who chased adventures around the world, all the while dreaming of becoming a novelist. He especially wanted to tell a story based on his life, but a secret struggle shackled his creativity. Meanwhile, Gilbert found safety by earning a black belt in karate. Ohara Publications hired him as the Assistant Editor of Black Belt magazine, and following the death of Bruce Lee, he was assigned to edit Lee’s memoir Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Gilbert also practiced falconry, and flew his birds while living in Iran and Saudi Arabia.




Despite all his travels, Gilbert fell in love with a woman, but their affair wavered on and off for years. He couldn’t commit to marriage because of confusion about his sexual orientation. Ten years of childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by a close family member distorted his mind. 




This book concludes with information to help identify potential pedophiles, lists warning signs of abuse, and offers helpful resources, all in the hope that other children might be saved. Additionally, a Certified Graphologist offers in-depth handwriting analyses of both Gilbert and his mother.

236 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2025

About the author

Sister, wife, mother, grandmother, silver clay jewelry artist, author, children's game designer, and world traveler to Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Chile, South Africa, France and Mexico. Married to a geology professor who has made my adult life pure joy--a great contrast to the heartbreaking and disruptive childhood I shared with my brother Gilbert, for whom our book was written. Our half-brother Ronald co-authored the book with me. He is a mechanical engineer within the Department of Energy and holds a Professional Engineering license. He has also served as a forensic expert witness in accident reconstruction litigation throughout the state of Texas.