No Other Help I Know: singing in the key of Faith

In a homespun vernacular all her own, Shirley Brantley narrates this true tale of struggle and triumph. Her debut novel, No Other Help I Know, is set in the early sixties in the rural south. It centers on a family who is looking up and reaching out and holding on to the only thing that sustains them, their faith in God and themselves. Deeply rooted in the African American tradition, the message transcends cultural and racial divides with a universal truth. For every high, there is a low, and for every mountain top there is a valley experience. We are always in pursuit of our higher selves. Largely autobiographical, the story begins with Jeane Brockton en route to her hometown of Pendelton, South Carolina. During this sentimental journey, the scenes along the countryside cause intense memories to emerge, evoking a telling of her childhood that lends itself to the heart of traditional fiction.