If I respect you, we unify and stop the enemy from killing us. But I don't know, I'm no mortal man, maybe I'm just another nigga" - Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics reflect the story of Dominicus Preach Hood in Mortal Man.

If Indiana is a Plantation, Gary, Indiana is the Slave Quarters, and it's the home of Dominicus Preach Hood. When his father was killed by a racist organization and a detective, Dominicus was filled with rage and plotted for revenge. He resorted to tactics similar to American Religion's attack on black and brown communities and blocked out Yehwah in the process.

During college, he retaliated by flooding white America with opioids and other legal drugs. Dominicus eventually chose to abandon his mission, putting the pursuit of the so-called American Dream and its god, money, first. Despite leaving his hometown and achieving financial success, he finds himself still disconnected from Yehwah and his legacy - tragedy continues to follow Dominicus and his wife Veronica, regardless of their wealth.

Dominicus turns to Yehwah

Veronica turns to her flesh.

Veronica Hood was born into a noble Black Church family and never felt any need to apologize for the privileges she enjoyed. Her hard-won childhood experiences and her mother's ominous presence led her to develop negative preconceptions of men, money, and marriage. As a result, she ended up seeking attention in the wrong places, putting her husband and his accomplishments at risk..

Will this epiphany impede Dominicus from achieving the last mission of slaying his physical form? What is a leader to do when all eyes are upon them? When their innermost feelings urge them to use violence, and their followers are ready to carry out the command? When shit hits the fan, will they still be a fan?

"Understanding is discerning—when God is readying you for grandeur, the Devil is grooming your physicality to impede you from said grandeur. Prudence is being aware—God's design accounts for the Devil. That's why your body/vanity is the devil's most potent weapon against you. That's why it has to perish, Son.” Sabbath Pops Hood a.k.a. Black Sabbath

Animus's debut novel Mortal Man is the First book in the American Religion Series. It follows Dominicus’s journey as he confronts his innermost feelings to ultimately triumph over his physical form and defeat the Devil's most potent weapon.

Country/region

Mortal Man American Religion 1

Mortal Man American Religion 1