An amazing story of a reporter who travels to Appalachia to cover a murder-by-snakebite and gets drawn into the Holiness culture. ( )

Covington's book works for me because of his compassion and identification with his proposed subjects. He turns over the notion of this journalistic relationship, too, and this helps the work become restorative, in some ways, to the pursuit of spirituality in a Judeo-Christian faith within a distinctly American context. I'd be curious to know what all the folks in the text would have to say about neuroscience studies of the brain during the ecstatic moments Covington captures.

Dennis Covington was a reporter covering the juicy case of a backwoods Appalachian snake-handling preacher accused of the attempted murder of his wife. By poisonous snake. Yes, I said snake.

He came to the small community and began to learn about the preacher and his wife and the snake-handling congregation, where he eventually committed a reporter's greatest sin: he became personally involved with his subjects. He even moved to the area and joined the church as a full-fledged snake-handling member.

Neither expose nor apology, Salvation on Sand Mountain is a fascinating portrait both of an often derided spritual sect and of a normal, modern man who briefly finds spiritual renewal with them. Covington does eventually leave the church, but not for the reasons you might think.

If you ever heard of snake-handlers and were curious, this is the book to read: honest and non-judgemental, Covington allows readers to draw their own conclusions. ( )

This book was incredibly engaging. Dennis Covington originally travels to the Appalachian mountains of northeast Alabama to report on the trial of a snake handling preacher who is convicted for the attempted murder of his wife, who suffered multiple snake bites. After covering the trial, Covington realizes that that his story has just begun and he spends the next several years immersed in the lives of the snake handlers and their followers.

He is so moved by the religious services he attends that he loses his place as an objective journalist and becomes an active participant in the worship, even taking his wife and children with him to church. Covington does such a good job describing the people he meets and his experiences at the churches. The way he describes the music, the speaking in tongues, the laying on of hands, and the snake handling captures the general sense of euphoria and emotion present in the church. At times the services he described seemed like such a genuine reflection of faith and surrendering to something greater than oneself. At other times the services seemed like an abusive and manipulative practice designed by the preachers to gain power over the vulnerable. It was just so interesting.

( )

This is one of the best books I have ever read! It's well written and very interesting. It also has a mystery, a real-life one, the type I like best. It has a "surprise" ending of an unusual kind. This book stands out, and always comes to mind as one of my favorite books when asked for a recommendation. It's non-fiction but seems like fiction since some of the things in it are surreal. Dennis Covington is a journalist so his writing is clear and to the point.
Not sure what else to say except read it! ( )