Someplace To Be Somebody
How do you choose life when all you’ve ever known is destruction? By the time Marshall Brandon was five he’d been beaten, abused, and abandoned. By eighteen he was addicted and dealing drugs, fully involved in living the life of a thug. By the time he finished his tour in Vietnam, all he wanted was to take the white man down.
But God had other ideas.
In a memoir that reads like an adrenaline-packed novel, you’ll delve deep inside the life of a man who should not have survived, let alone be ministering to men and women in a way few others can. A man working to free people from opioid addiction and fighting the brutal racial rifts that are battering our country. Someplace to Be Somebody is real. Raw. And the riveting story of a man crushing insurmountable odds through the power of a God that says nothing is impossible.
The Things they Carried meets The Rose that Grew from Concrete
It is hard to imagine while reading that this story is not fiction. Lisa’s beautiful writing puts you right in the middle of this story - like a fly on the wall. I cannot say enough about the writing! Even just peeking in glimpses into this man’s life - there were several times I had to put the book down and recover emotionally! I have no idea how Marshall lived it.
Sharon J. Matty
Recent Press - October, 2022 Christianity Today
If you wish to explore more about Someplace to be Somebody the Book Club has additional information. Check it out here!
“Someplace to Be Somebody is the raw story of a man who beat the odds and continues to change the world, one saved life at a time.”
Jeannie Waters ★★★★★
Someplace to be Somebody is a well-written, page-turner—the dramatic story of Marshall Brandon. The riveting plot travels from bad to worse as influences in Marshall’s life harden him. Poverty, abuse, Vietnam, drugs, crime, and prison. Author Lisa Loraine Baker skillfully traces racism and violence throughout periods of American history and how they impacted this man. But God used all of Marshall’s past for His glory. Truly an amazing story.
Jeannie Waters ★★★★★
Someplace to be Somebody is a well-written, page-turner—the dramatic story of Marshall Brandon. The riveting plot travels from bad to worse as influences in Marshall’s life harden him. Poverty, abuse, Vietnam, drugs, crime, and prison. Author Lisa Loraine Baker skillfully traces racism and violence throughout periods of American history and how they impacted this man. But God used all of Marshall’s past for His glory. Truly an amazing story.
“With all the drama of a Hollywood movie, Marshall Brandon’s story is too amazing to be fiction. That every word of it is true makes it the perfect gift for someone who doubts that God can transform the hardest heart.”
Meet the Authors
Lisa Loraine Baker and Marshall Brandon
Lisa Loraine Baker has been writing since she was in junior high school, but finally made the transition to full-time writer in the last few years (after a career in retail and direct sales, and as a pastor’s assistant). Always a lover of words and an avid reader, Lisa excelled in academic pursuits and also has a gift for languages. After becoming a Christian and immersing herself in Bible studies through her church body, Lisa entered Moody Bible Institute through online and extension studies. She has a heart for missions, and pours what the Lord shows her into her writing.
The call to write full-time came as Lisa shared through emails her late husband’s trials with cancer. Her priority was as his caregiver, yet throughout, she continued her writer’s training as a member of the Christian Writers Guild, gaining education and encouragement from a Guild mentor (Joyce K. Ellis). During her husband’s remissions, Lisa was able to attend two of their conferences and learn more about the business/craft, and met with agents/publishers.
The Lord called her husband home in 2014, and amid ongoing endurance of grief, Lisa’s passion for writing was renewed. For seven years (2004-2012), she assisted an African-American pastor (Marshall Brandon) at her former home church. He has an amazing and timely testimony, and they concurrently decided she should write his memoir. Lisa spent many hours interviewing Marshall and had a treasure-trove of material. She hired a writing coach (Ginger Moran) to help her get the story written in a tight and compelling form, and she and her coach have an ongoing professional relationship. She continued tightening the manuscript with help from editor, Janis Whipple, who works with Eva Marie Everson’s Pen in Hand Editing Service.
By the time Marshall Brandon was five he’d been beaten, abused, and abandoned. By eighteen he was addicted to drugs, dealing them, and living the life of a thug. By the time he finished his tour in Vietnam, all he wanted was to take the white man down.
But God had other ideas.
Ideas like Marshall becoming a pastor at a lily-white mega church. And speaking deep into the minds and hearts of his congregation.
In his memoir, Someplace to be Somebody, that reads like an adrenaline-packed novel, you’ll delve deep inside the life of a man who should not have survived, let alone be ministering to men and women in a way few others can. A man freeing people from opioid addiction, and fighting the brutal racial rifts that are battering our country.
