With the Devil's Help: A True Story of Poverty, Mental Illness, and Murder

(Paperback)

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In the tradition ofThe Glass Castle, Educated,andHeartland,Neal Wootentracesfive decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain family astheyears and secrets coalesce.

Neal Wooten grew up in a tiny community atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, where everyone was white and everyone was poor. Prohibition was still embraced. If you wanted alcohol, you had to drive to Georgia or askthebootlegger sitting next to you in church. Tent revivals, snake handlers, and sacred harp music werethenorm, and everyone was welcome as long as you werent Black, brown, gay, atheist, Muslim, a damn Yankee, or a Tennessee Vol fan.

The Wooten's liveda secret existence in a shack in the woods with no running water, no insulation, and almost no electricity. Eventhe school bus and mail carrier wouldnt go there. Neals family could hide where they were, but notwhatthey were. They were poor white trash. Cops could see it. Teachers could see it. Everyone could see it.

Growing up, Neal was weaned on folklore legends of his grandfatherhis quick wit, quick feet, and quick temper. He discovers how this volatile disposition led to a murder, a conviction, and ultimately to a daring prison escape and a closely guarded family secret.

Being followed by a black car with men in black suits was as normal to Neal as using an outhouse, carrying drinking water from a stream, and doing homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. And Neals father, having inherited the very same traits ofhisfather, made sure the frigid mountain winters werent the most brutal thing his family faced.

Told from two perspectives, this story alternates between Neals life and his grandfathers, culminating in a shocking revelation. Take a journey to the Deep South and learn what its like to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of a violent mental illness.

Reviews

"From the very first page, this book takes you by the throat and doesnt let go. Its brutal, fast-paced and, above all, honest. Like every good book before and after it, With the Devils Help takes you to a place youve never been and never known youve wanted to go, for a little while, at least. Daniel Wallace,New York Timesbest-selling author ofBig FishandThis Isnt Going to End Well
"A true story of the Deep South that grabs your imagination with both hands and never lets you go. Prepare to stay up all night after you read the first page." Homer Hickam,New York Timesbest-selling author ofRocket Boys/October Sky
I encourage you to read it. It could be a movie. Louie Saenz, The Book Club, NPR

"With the Devil's Helpis a survival story in the mode of Harry Crews brilliant memoir A Childhood. Crews concluded that for a 'grit,'a redneck like him, survival was triumph enough. Wooten concurs." Don Noble,The Tuscaloosa News

"Stand-up comic and writer Wooten turns in an earnest, sometimes sorrowful account of his upbringing in the poorest part of northeast Alabama...A Drive-By Truckers album of a book, sometimes appalling, always heartfelt and vividly observed." Kirkus Reviews
"Readers who are interested in complex family histories like Tara WestoversEducatedwill enjoy this book." Library Journal

This story takes you into the heart of Sand Mountainhas readers and true-crime lovers practically giving themselves paper cuts from turning the pages so fast. Charles Montgomery and Anna Mahan, WAFF News Huntsville, AL

"I devoured this book. It is engrossing, relatable, intriguing, heartbreaking and so well written. I could visualize it and that is not something that every writer can convey. The author took a brutal childhood and somehow turned it into a story filled with heart. The way he intertwined the two storylines was masterful." William Dameron, author ofThe Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing and Coming Out
A powerful story told by an excellent writer that paints a true picture of the Deep South. Neal Wooten weaves a tale that will make you cry and then laugh, often in the same paragraph. This book will draw you in and hold on to you. Jerry Ellis: author ofWalking the Trail: One Mans Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears

Author Bio

Neal Wootengrew up on a pig farm on Sand Mountain in the northeast corner of Alabama.Thefirst person inthehistory of his family to graduate from high school, Neal went on to graduate from Auburn Universitywitha B.S. in applied mathematics. He became a math teacher and director of a math school in Milwaukee, winning numerous math awards. He is now the Managing Editor for Mirror Publishing, a contributor to the Huffington Post, columnist forThe Mountain Valley News, curator of the Fort Payne Depot Museum, creator of the popular Facebookcomic strip Brads Pit,and standup comedian.