Story To Tell: Disabled Cottondale Man Hopes Books Touch Others

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Brandon Johnson can vividly recall the moment he realized he wanted to continue forward with his newfound dream of being an author. He was standing in his bathroom shaving when his daughter Piper, four years old at the time, walked through the open door and informed him of her desire to also write a book.

"She looked at me and said 'Daddy, I wanna write a book like you," Johnson told Patch in an interview. "So I said, 'Ok baby, I’ll sit down and write one for you.'"

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That day would prove the genesis of his second book — an "autobiography" of his daughter — but Johnson drew much deeper from the challenges in his life for his first self-published work of non-fiction, "How The Johnson Boys Were Raised."

Johnson, a native of Cottondale and graduate of Holt High School who will turn 34 in November, suffered a traumatic head injury in a car wreck when he was seven years old on March 7, 1993. Recalling the life-changing experience, Johnson said he was not wearing a seatbelt when the wreck occurred on Hidden Valley Road in Cottondale, resulting in him being thrown through a front window and hitting a tree head-on.

The wreck stands out as the central theme in his first book, even referenced in the book's subtitle, and while no one was killed that fateful day, it has shaped every aspect of Johnson's life since.

"I walk with a cane and I can't get out and do stuff like normal people do, but I still get out there and do it the best way I can," Johnson said. "I can use my left hand but can’t use it real good. I still use it the best I can, too."

Johnson's daughter is five years old now with her own work of non-fiction to her name and her budding-author father has two other children's books on the way. He said without his daughter taking interest, he may not have stuck with it at all.

"It was overwhelming," he said of his reaction to his daughter's request to write a book. "I was done with my book and wasn’t even going to write no more and she came to me with that, and I thought that could be my second book, so I just sat down and wrote it."

When asked about what initially inspired him to tell his own story in a book, Johnson said he never had any prior ambitions of being a writer until recently. One day, Johnson said he noticed the stream of authors appearing on Good Morning America and that set the literary wheels in motion.

"They were all talking about their books and how everybody has a story to tell and I sat around and thought about it," he said. "I had always wanted to write a book about everything I’ve been through, so I just sat down and started writing and it took me two years to write the [first] book."

Since then, he has honed his craft and even recently appeared on television as a guest to discuss his books and experiences on Great Day Alabama with Kip Tyner.

Johnson describes "How The Johnson Boys Were Raised" as written in the style of a journal, with his life's story being the overarching theme. The stories are told in a non-linear way, though, pulled from the ether in real-time as he sat and wrote. As for his voice on the page, Johnson said he is straight-forward and not willing to sugarcoat experiences for the sake of bringing out certain emotions in readers.

The book also focuses on Johnson's family — namely his brothers — along with the wreck and life for the family after the tragic incident.

"I tried to get [the stories] in order and never did," he said with a laugh. "I just wrote it as I thought of it. Everybody was interested in it and said it turned out pretty good."

Bookstores may not be carrying his titles yet, but Johnson, who has self-published all of his books, hopes to reach his audience via Amazon and through small-scale sales. His main goal in getting the books out to readers is to show others that anything is possible.

"I just want to touch people," he said. "I know I'm not the only one disabled out here and with everything I’ve overcome, I want to get it out there and reach others so they can reach for bigger goals and overcome their obstacles."

Johnson's third book, "Whacky Bob," is currently in the works and the author hopes to have it published soon.

Click here to view "How The Johnson Boys Were Raised" on Amazon and click here to view "Piper Johnson 4 Years Old: An Autobiography." Both titles are available in paperback and on Kindle.

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