Rooted & RisingBooks by Peter Sheppard
Three generations of a Black family reading together on the back steps of a Louisiana farmhouse at sunset
MBP² Press · Black family stories

Stories that raise leaders.

Novels, puzzle books and a family cookbook of Black family, faith, and courage, written so every generation, from our children to our elders, can see themselves lead.

Shop the Books How Buying Works
  • FaithStand on something bigger
  • FamilyKnow where you come from
  • ExcellenceLet the work speak
  • ServiceLift as you climb
  • Each OtherNobody rises alone
Start Here

What are you looking for?

Pick a shelf. Every book is an instant PDF download you can read on a phone, tablet or computer.

Novels6 family stories · from $4.99 Puzzle & Coloring BooksKids, teens & adults · from $6.99 Cookbook36 Louisiana recipes · $9.99 BundlesSave when you buy together · from $16.99
The Books

Six novels. One family tradition.

Each story is rooted in Louisiana and in the Black American experience: love that stays, women who hold families together, men who keep their own tools, children who learn to love the skin they’re in, neighbors who keep a church door open for second chances, and people who pull each other up.

Not sure where to start? Every novel has a free Chapter One to read on your phone. No sign-up needed.

The Man Behind the Mask book cover: a couple seated on back steps under an oak tree at sunset
Family Life · Love Story

The Man Behind the Mask

A love story of family, faith, and the courage to be known.

Terry grows up in Baton Rouge, earns his mechanical engineering degree at Southern University, and becomes the only Black engineer at a Gulf Coast chemical plant. He learns to wear a mask to survive. Marie, his faithful partner, teaches him that real strength means letting the people you love see you.

The leadership lessonCourage isn't hiding the fear. It's letting the people who count on you see your whole heart.
Ebook (PDF) · 277 pages$5.99Paperback & hardcover coming soon
Buy the Ebook · $5.99 Read Chapter One Free
The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman book cover: a woman holding a patchwork quilt in front of a plantation-era home, surrounded by generations of women
Multigenerational Saga

The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman

Ten women. One quilt. One hundred fifty years.

From a traiteuse and midwife born into slavery to a pharmacist raising the next generation, ten women of one Louisiana family each add a square to the family quilt. Through the 1927 flood, the civil rights era, Katrina and beyond, each one passes down a quality the family can't live without.

The leadership lessonFaith, sacrifice, loyalty, truth, joy, excellence, presence, sisterhood, grace, service. A leader carries all of them.
Ebook (PDF) · 161 pages$5.99Includes a book club guide
Buy the Ebook · $5.99 Read Chapter One Free
The Unique Qualities of a Black Man book cover: a man kneeling beside an open cypress tool chest, with generations of men behind him and a country church on the river at sunset
Companion Saga

The Unique Qualities of a Black Man

Ten men. One toolbox. One hundred sixty years.

In 1866, a freedman builds a cypress tool chest from the boards of his slave cabin. For one hundred sixty years, every Toussaint man of Belmont Landing, Louisiana, adds one tool to it, but only when he has been given something that cost him. Through war, floods, the crack years, Katrina and beyond, each man passes down a quality his sons can't live without.

The leadership lessonProvide, protect, and respect. Be your brother's keeper. God bless the man that has his own.
Ebook (PDF) · 154 pages$5.99Includes a book club guide
Buy the Ebook · $5.99 Read Chapter One Free
Boot Straps book cover: muddy work boots on a Louisiana farm road at sunset between live oaks
Black Comedy

Boot Straps

Pull yourself up. Pull each other up.

A team of laid-off Black professionals trades the boardroom for a struggling Louisiana family farm. They bring corporate know-how, and the farm teaches them everything else. It's sharp, funny satire about "bootstraps" talk, and a big-hearted story about what people can build together.

The leadership lessonNo one makes it on their own bootstraps. Real leaders reach back and pull others up with them.
Ebook (PDF) · 297 pages$4.99Paperback coming soon
Buy the Ebook · $4.99 Read Chapter One Free
The Skin I'm In book cover: a smiling man with his eyes closed plays a worn bass guitar on a stage under string lights
New · Family Saga

The Skin I’m In

A boy they called Midnight. A family learning to wear it like Sunday.

In 1988, in Slaughter, Louisiana, sixteen-year-old Darnell Moffett is the darkest boy on the school bus, and the boys call him Midnight. With a bass guitar, a borrowed stage, and three friends, he starts learning to stand in the light. Thirty-eight years later, his granddaughter has been taught by a phone filter to wash the brown out of her own face, and Darnell has to roll up his sleeves.

The leadership lessonYou can’t teach a child to stand in the light while you’re still hiding. Lead by showing your own scars.
Ebook (PDF) · 116 pages$5.99Includes a book club guide
Buy the Ebook · $5.99 Read Chapter One Free
The Open Door book cover: a man walks through the lit doorway of a small brick church at dusk beside a moss-draped oak
New · Faith & Second Chances

The Open Door

Ten lives without a diploma. One church door that stays open.

Every Tuesday night in Opelousas, Louisiana, a retired millwright who earned his GED at thirty-eight unlocks the fellowship hall at Greater New Hope Baptist Church, sets out twelve chairs, and waits. Five men and five women walk through that door without a diploma. Over ten years, some rise, some stumble, and one is lost. Paired with the novel is a Field Guide to success and independence, with sourced statistics, prevention steps, programs that work, and Louisiana resources.

The leadership lessonPaper. Skill. People. A leader unlocks the door, sets out the chairs, and keeps showing up for whoever walks in.
Ebook (PDF) · 114 pages$5.99Includes a Field Guide
Buy the Ebook · $5.99 Read Chapter One Free
Best Value

The Rooted & Rising Collection

The Man Behind the Mask, The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman, The Unique Qualities of a Black Man, and Boot Straps in one download. $22.96 separately, $16.99 together.

Get All Four · $16.99
Lessons from the Page

Six lessons every leader can carry.

Every novel is a story first. But each one also holds lessons our families have passed down for generations. Read them, talk about them, and live them.

01

Know your roots

Your grandparents' hands built what you stand on. Learn their names and their stories, then add your own square.

The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman
02

Let the work speak

Do it right when no one is watching. Excellence is a habit before it's a reputation.

The Man Behind the Mask
03

Lift as you climb

Every step up is a chance to reach back. Success that stays with one person isn't finished yet.

Boot Straps
04

Be your brother's keeper

If you're on time, you're late. Stand on business, keep your word, and hold up the man beside you.

The Unique Qualities of a Black Man
05

Tell the truth

Honest words, said with care, protect a family and a community better than silence ever can.

The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman
06

Laugh through it

Joy is resistance. Humor carries a team through the hard seasons and keeps everyone human.

Boot Straps
Young Leaders

For our kids, our young women, and our young men.

Leadership starts at home, at the kitchen table, on the back steps, and in a good book. Here's how each reader can start.

1

Young readers: read together

Parents and grandparents can share chosen chapters out loud and talk about family, faith and doing your best.

2

Young women: the ten qualities

Meet ten women who led their families through history, and find the qualities you already carry.

3

Young men: take off the mask

Real strength, honest feelings, showing up for family, and taking pride in your craft and your word.

These novels are written for adult and older teen readers. Families can preview them first and choose the chapters to share with younger readers. Each discussion guide will mark mature themes.

Young Black men and women in a historic library discussing books, with a young woman standing to lead the conversation
A family quilt on a cedar chest beside a family Bible, worn work boots and a blueprint
Rooted in Louisiana

HBCU proud. Family strong.

These stories come from Louisiana soil, from Southern University Laboratory School and Southern University, from church pews, cane fields, plant gates and back porches. They honor the people who raised us and the schools that believed in us.

"May the work I do speak for me."Family words passed down by the author's grandfather
Mama Sweet’s Recipe Book cover: a warm Louisiana kitchen table with a cast-iron pot of gumbo, a skillet of buttermilk biscuits and a Sunday church hat
The Cookbook

Mama Sweet’s Recipe Book

Seasoned with faith. Served with love.

Good home cooking from south Louisiana, written in honor of the author’s mother, Lucinda, known to everyone as Mama Sweet. Thirty-six family recipes, from a dark roux and Sunday gumbo to grits, biscuits, red beans, crispy fried chicken, crawfish and pralines.

Every seasoning, sauce, sausage, rice, cane syrup and coffee in the book comes from makers in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette area. Measurements are in U.S. and metric units, with safe cooking temperatures for every meat and seafood dish.

“She could straighten a child out and comfort him in the same breath.”From The Man Behind the Mask
Ebook (PDF) · 76 pages36 recipes$9.99
Buy the Ebook · $9.99

Ten signature dishes for the ten qualities of a woman

Ten recipes carry a quality from The Unique Qualities of a Black Woman, each with a word from the novel and a memory of Mama Sweet’s table.

01 · FaithSunday Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
02 · SacrificeMonday Red Beans and Rice
03 · LoyaltyChicken Fricassee
04 · TruthMama Sweet’s Dark Roux
05 · Self-respect and joyPecan Pralines
06 · ExcellenceHomemade Buttermilk Biscuits
07 · PresenceCreamy Buttered Grits
08 · SisterhoodBackyard Crawfish Boil
09 · GraceBread Pudding
10 · ServiceRice and Gravy
Puzzles & Coloring

Something for every generation at the table.

Crossword and word search books for kids, teens and grown folks, and a coloring book for our youngest readers. Every page is rooted in family, faith, Louisiana and the Black American story.

Rooted & Rising Crosswords for Kids cover: a brother and sister solving a crossword on a Louisiana porch with a pelican watching Ages 6–9

Crosswords for Kids

Twenty easy puzzles about family, Grandma’s kitchen, Sunday morning, Louisiana animals and big dreams. Big boxes and a word bank on every page.

20 puzzles32 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $6.99
Rooted & Rising Crosswords for Teens cover: three teens sharing a puzzle book on the steps of a brick college building Ages 12–17

Crosswords for Teens

HBCU life, Black inventors, the civil rights movement, money smarts, the skilled trades, the Harlem Renaissance and faith. Learn something new in every grid.

24 puzzles36 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $7.99
Rooted & Rising Crosswords for Adults cover: coffee, a pen, a magnolia and a Bible on a porch table at a bayou sunset Adults

Crosswords for Adults

The Bayou Classic and the Human Jukebox, roux and filé, gospel and New Orleans jazz, the woodshop and the plant floor. Louisiana, legacy and Black culture.

24 puzzles36 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $8.99
Rooted & Rising Coloring Book for Kids cover: two children coloring a picture that comes to life as a live oak, a pelican and a church Ages 4–8

Coloring Book for Kids

Twenty-four pages of Black families cooking, praying, fishing, marching, building and dreaming, each with an affirmation like “I am brave” and “I can be anything.”

24 pictures54 pagesSingle-sided
Buy the PDF · $6.99
Rooted & Rising Word Search for Kids cover: a brother and sister circling words in a puzzle book on a quilt, with a pelican on the porch rail Ages 6–9

Word Search for Kids

Twenty easy puzzles with big letters. Find family words, kitchen words, bayou animals, big-dream jobs and “I Am” words like brave, rooted and rising.

20 puzzles32 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $6.99
Rooted & Rising Word Search for Teens cover: three teens laughing over a puzzle book on the steps of a brick college building in autumn Ages 12–17

Word Search for Teens

HBCU life, freedom fighters, Black inventors and writers, money smarts, the trades, the marching band and getting hired. Words hide across, down, diagonally and backward.

24 puzzles36 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $7.99
Rooted & Rising Word Search for Adults cover: an open puzzle book, coffee, sweet potato pie and a magnolia at a kitchen window over a bayou sunset Adults

Word Search for Adults

The Louisiana kitchen, Southern University, gospel greats, civil rights leaders, soul food Sunday, zydeco country and the music of our lives. Words hide in all eight directions.

24 puzzles36 pagesAnswer keys
Buy the PDF · $8.99
Peek Inside

Print at home. Share with your group.

Each book is an 8.5 × 11 printable PDF. Print a page for the kitchen table, or print a stack for Sunday school, youth group or the family reunion.

Sample page: the My Family crossword with a word bank, from Crosswords for Kids
Crosswords for Kids
Sample page: the My Family word search with its word list, from Word Search for Kids
Word Search for Kids
Sample coloring page: a graduate in cap and gown hugged by her little brother, with the words I will reach my goals
Coloring Book for Kids
For familiesSolve together after dinner, on road trips and on rainy Saturdays.
For churches & classroomsPrint copies for your own group. Answer keys are in the back.
For giftsPair a puzzle book with a novel or Mama Sweet’s Recipe Book.
An intergenerational Black book club laughing and discussing a novel in a cozy living room
Book Clubs, Churches & Classrooms

Read it together. Lead it together.

Our stories are made to be shared. Book clubs, church groups, youth programs and HBCU alumni chapters will get free resources with every release.

  • Discussion questions for each chapter
  • Leadership lessons and reflection pages
  • Family-history prompts to start your own story
  • Group order information for clubs and organizations
Request a Book Club Guide
Author Peter T. Sheppard in a dark suit and gold paisley tie
Meet the Author

Peter T. Sheppard

Peter Sheppard is a proud graduate of Southern University Laboratory School and Southern University, where he earned his degree in mechanical engineering, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He spent more than 35 years leading maintenance teams in chemical and industrial plants across the Gulf Coast.

He writes the stories he wishes he'd had on the shelf growing up: Black families who love hard, work with pride, laugh loud and lead with faith. He was raised by a strong mother and older sister, and taught by uncles who were carpenters and a grandfather who could read a blueprint. His books carry their lessons forward.

Peter is also the founder of MBP² (Maintenance Best Practices & Processes) and MBP² Press, which publishes his novels.

"Lead with faith. Build with pride. Bring someone with you."
Reader Reviews

Read one of our books?

Your star rating helps the next family find these stories. Open your Gumroad receipt, tap to view your book, and choose your stars on the download page. It takes less than a minute.

Want to share a sentence or two about what the book meant to you? Send it by email, and with your permission we may share it here.

Rate a Book on Gumroad Email a Review
How to Buy

Three easy steps.

  1. Tap “Buy”Every buy button opens the book’s page on Gumroad, our secure checkout, in a new tab.
  2. Pay and enter your emailGumroad sends your receipt to that email address.
  3. Download and enjoyYour receipt has the download link. Open it on your phone, tablet or computer, and print the puzzle and coloring pages at home.
Can I print the puzzle and coloring books more than once?

Yes. Print as many copies as you need for your own family, classroom or church group.

Can I read some of a novel before I buy?

Yes. Tap “Read Chapter One Free” under any novel. The sample opens as a PDF on your phone or computer.

Are printed paperbacks available?

Not yet. Printed editions are coming. Join the list below and you’ll hear first.

I can’t find my download.

Search your email for “Gumroad” and check your spam folder. Still stuck? Email [email protected] and we’ll help.

Do you offer group orders for book clubs or churches?

Yes. Email [email protected] with your group’s name and how many copies you need.

Be first to read.

Join the Rooted & Rising list for release dates, free book club guides, and leadership lessons for your family.

Join the List Opens a short sign-up page on Gumroad. Enter your email and tap Subscribe. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
↑ Top