STRENGTH THROUGH GENERATIONS: A Black American Family’s Fight for Equality Through Faith, Love, and Education

by Percy Brown Jr

STRENGTH THROUGH GENERATIONS

In his debut book, Strength Through Generations, Percy Brown, Jr. takes the reader on an in-depth journey to understanding the history of race and its evolution to shape the current cultural climate in our country. Through his family's personal story and experiences, Percy details his own story of cultivating his identity of self within the complex reality of being Black in America. He inspires readers to look within to develop their personal identity while committing to doing the work to appreciate the cultural values of others. This book, filled with optimism and hope, serves as a call to action and a beacon of inspiration for a path forward together.

172 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2025

Reviews

[Justin Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely eye-opening as a white reader. I’ve heard different arguments about how prevalent racism is in America but this publication really outlines the creation and sustaining of a racist structure in a factual, hard-hitting manner that resonated much better than other arguments I’ve heard. A main theme that really stuck out: every time black Americans make progress as a group, a major event “mysteriously” seems to set them back (Convict-leasing, crack epidemic, etc.). A lot of readers could benefit by seeing this laid out.

Change is best started with the youth, and this book makes a crucial insight that the first images of blacks shown in history textbooks are in chains. Thinking retroactively on my own education, while I do remember learning about Mail briefly, I had never learned about the kingdoms of Songhai nor Benin, yet medieval history was a major focus. As Percy mentions, this is the case for most schoolchildren. For everyone to reach self-fulfillment they need to be inspired and these initial images of slavery are an obvious detriment to black children. Ultimately this country needs to learn to celebrate each ethnicity’s achievements, past, and culture while recognizing that we are all a part of the human race; no ethnicity’s style is right nor wrong, just different.

I thought the personal narratives were good, I appreciated the historical vantage point more however. With that said, I do admire the familial message of perseverance through love and patience rather than violence.

This book is absolutely a worthwhile read, especially for Wisconsinites, and I’m glad it found me.

[Suzy Scudder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of Black people in America, from slavery through the present day. The broader history is intertwined with what was happening to Percy Brown Jr.'s own family members at the time, which is an extremely effective method of engaging the reader. I especially appreciated the chapters of the book that were direct interviews with Percy's father and uncle. Parts of the story took place in Madison, Wisconsin, where I too grew up. Percy's experiences were vastly different from my own, growing up as a white middle class girl. It was really eye-opening to hear of some of the events that took place in my home town to which I was completely oblivious. The Brown family's ability to overcome obstacles through faith, love and a commitment to education and community, is inspiring and should be widely shared!