Roots of Resilience by Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is a well-researched and emotionally charged take on how African American families preserved their identity, land, and legacy across generations.

The story offers a brief glimpse of how the Tooson family was affected by slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and social change. Jeffrey’s book also presents the Tooson family story as a broader reflection on resilience, cultural preservation, and the enduring value of memory.

Roots of Resilience follows a family that moved from bondage to land ownership and from survival to long-term community influence. Their descendants included farmers, educators, veterans, faith leaders, and advocates whose lives reflected the values passed down through generations. Through oral histories, family interviews, and historical context, Dr. Johnson brings together a narrative that is both personal and historically meaningful.

Roots of Resilience is not defined by hardship alone. It is also a story of faith, reunion, leadership, and continuity. The Tooson family’s commitment to gathering, remembering, and documenting its history becomes one of the book’s most important messages. Preservation is not passive. It is something families must choose, protect, and carry forward.

With growing public interest in genealogy, oral history, and the preservation of Black family stories, Roots of Resilience arrives as both a record and a reminder. It speaks to readers interested in African American history, family legacy, land stewardship, and the personal work of understanding where they come from.

By presenting the Tooson story with care, dignity, and historical awareness, Dr. Johnson offers readers a book that honors one family while speaking to many others. Roots of Resilience stands as a testament to the idea that history is not only something inherited. It is also something preserved through intention, memory, and love.

Roots of Resilience is available now on NPCL.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is a fourth-generation descendant of the Tooson family and the compiler of Roots of Resilience: My Tooson Family Story. His work draws from oral histories, family interviews, and historical research to preserve the legacy of the Tooson lineage for future generations. Through this book, he continues a long-standing family effort to

Website: https://www.npclfathersandfamilies.org/