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104 reviews for:
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
Dennis Covington
3.89 AVERAGE
104 reviews for:
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
Dennis Covington
3.89 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. It's actually embedded itself in my brain a little since I read it, but with that in mind, I enjoyed it with some MAJOR caveats and concerns.
Realistically, for me, it was more like a 3 1/2 star rating.
So, know that I enjoyed it with the following parentheses...
I thought the book felt a little too "pulp-y." I think it was definitely voyeuristic, and did pander to the side of all of our personalities that likes to relish in the odd, obscure, and weird.
As I read it, I also found myself fairly critical of how close the author was to his subject. On the one hand, it provided a little credibility when he discussed what it was like to take up a snake himself, on the other, it made me question how reliable and indifferent he could possibly be to the subject. It also glossed over many of the tough points about a very conservative religious group - many of the ideas and tenants that folks will take exception to - without too much explanation. I think that, if you're going to put yourself that close to a subject, as a journalist, then you run into almost "editorial" territory. Once you get there, I think you owe it to your readers a greater explanation of how you found yourself justifying or coping with the contradictions and challenges presented to you as a participant in this sort of scenario (how do you ignore the issue of women in the church, for instance? The author "preached" against their disenfranchisement, but at the same time, to participate so long, he tacitly went along with it, too).
Finally - I struggle a little with this book as one that goes "slumming" a little (for lack of a more generous term). Well-traveled, NYT author, with the "correct" sort of educated credentials goes into small, poor Appalachia to write a book about how weird all those poor snake handlers are. It seems a little... inappropriate.
Anyhow, in the end, though, despite those concerns, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It was a quick read and a curious trip into a area and culture very, very different from my own. Glad to have read.
Realistically, for me, it was more like a 3 1/2 star rating.
So, know that I enjoyed it with the following parentheses...
I thought the book felt a little too "pulp-y." I think it was definitely voyeuristic, and did pander to the side of all of our personalities that likes to relish in the odd, obscure, and weird.
As I read it, I also found myself fairly critical of how close the author was to his subject. On the one hand, it provided a little credibility when he discussed what it was like to take up a snake himself, on the other, it made me question how reliable and indifferent he could possibly be to the subject. It also glossed over many of the tough points about a very conservative religious group - many of the ideas and tenants that folks will take exception to - without too much explanation. I think that, if you're going to put yourself that close to a subject, as a journalist, then you run into almost "editorial" territory. Once you get there, I think you owe it to your readers a greater explanation of how you found yourself justifying or coping with the contradictions and challenges presented to you as a participant in this sort of scenario (how do you ignore the issue of women in the church, for instance? The author "preached" against their disenfranchisement, but at the same time, to participate so long, he tacitly went along with it, too).
Finally - I struggle a little with this book as one that goes "slumming" a little (for lack of a more generous term). Well-traveled, NYT author, with the "correct" sort of educated credentials goes into small, poor Appalachia to write a book about how weird all those poor snake handlers are. It seems a little... inappropriate.
Anyhow, in the end, though, despite those concerns, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It was a quick read and a curious trip into a area and culture very, very different from my own. Glad to have read.
Salvation on Sand Mountain is the fascinating personal account of a journalist who was caught up in the world of snake handling and Southern folk spirituality. The book is remarkable for its suspended judgment, and thus offers a truly unique perspective on an oft-maligned religious movement. Covington refuses to rationalize or pathologize the behaviors of the people in the churches he visits, an admirable decision. However, this book still disturbs my inner social scientist because of how Covington alternates between the dispassionate character of a reporter and the engaged, uncritical character of a participant. He uses real names in the book, which would make it seem more like a memoir, but he also does extensive background research and uses anthropological techniques to analyze his subjects. This combination seems inappropriate given the socially stigmatized position of most of the subjects of this book.
A reporter, drawn to danger, camps out with some snake handlers on assignment to cover a trial. Throughout the process, he uncovers his own history and religious ideology. Fascinating peek into a life that I will never know.
"There are moments when you stand on the brink of a new experience and understand that you have no choice about it. Either you walk into the experience or you turn away from it, but you know that no matter what you choose, you will have altered your life in a permanent way. Either way, there will be consequences."
-Dennis Covington, "Salvation on Sand Mountain"
I'll admit to being hardwired to loving journalist non-fiction books - the ones where the author can't help but become part of the story they are trying to objectively write as an outsider. Thompson's "Hells Angels", Wade Davis's "The Serpent and the Rainbow", or even the surprisingly entrancing "Positively Fifth Street" by McManus are all fantastic books and representative of the genre. Similar to Covington (and the fantastic paragraph I've quoted above), the author / journalist recognizes that they are on the precipice of life changing events brought about by their subject matter. Anthony Loyd's "My War Gone By, I Miss It So" (one of my favorite non-fiction books of the past few years) parallels Covington's experience in the American South; Loyd's time covering the Balkan conflagration in the '90s as a journalist transformed him permanently. In all of these great books we get to walk in the shoes of these authors and experience what they do in a down-the-rabbit-hole, scene by scene telling of a tale that results in something better than fiction.
Covington's writing style and word choice is simple, compelling and perfectly matched to the rhythmic story line of an American sub-culture that reads like a discarded Hollywood script. He never pulls any punches, but neither does he take cheap shots. His subject matter is so real to him that its pull is overpowering, even tripping an atavistic response in his character so deep that it sends him on soul searching quest through his genealogy to understand more about why he is sucked into the story of snake handling backwoods Christians.
Please, read this book - take the ride, and enjoy Covington's journey. It is worth the trip.
And thanks to Petra X for a fabulous recommendation!!
"Knowing where you come from is one thing, but it's suicide to stay there." - Covington
-Dennis Covington, "Salvation on Sand Mountain"
I'll admit to being hardwired to loving journalist non-fiction books - the ones where the author can't help but become part of the story they are trying to objectively write as an outsider. Thompson's "Hells Angels", Wade Davis's "The Serpent and the Rainbow", or even the surprisingly entrancing "Positively Fifth Street" by McManus are all fantastic books and representative of the genre. Similar to Covington (and the fantastic paragraph I've quoted above), the author / journalist recognizes that they are on the precipice of life changing events brought about by their subject matter. Anthony Loyd's "My War Gone By, I Miss It So" (one of my favorite non-fiction books of the past few years) parallels Covington's experience in the American South; Loyd's time covering the Balkan conflagration in the '90s as a journalist transformed him permanently. In all of these great books we get to walk in the shoes of these authors and experience what they do in a down-the-rabbit-hole, scene by scene telling of a tale that results in something better than fiction.
Covington's writing style and word choice is simple, compelling and perfectly matched to the rhythmic story line of an American sub-culture that reads like a discarded Hollywood script. He never pulls any punches, but neither does he take cheap shots. His subject matter is so real to him that its pull is overpowering, even tripping an atavistic response in his character so deep that it sends him on soul searching quest through his genealogy to understand more about why he is sucked into the story of snake handling backwoods Christians.
Please, read this book - take the ride, and enjoy Covington's journey. It is worth the trip.
And thanks to Petra X for a fabulous recommendation!!
"Knowing where you come from is one thing, but it's suicide to stay there." - Covington
Shallow analysis, self centered but not self aware. Mostly a memoir.
Doesn't actually talk about the socioeconomic reasons of snake handling or Appalachian culture too much.
Doesn't actually talk about the socioeconomic reasons of snake handling or Appalachian culture too much.
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
This is an absolute must read for those passionate about Appalachian literature.
I honestly cannot remember why I requested this book from the library, but I am glad I did. It is well written, compelling, and a journey into a culture I knew absolutely nothing about. I found his exploration of the line drawn between writer and subject, objectivity and experience, fascinating. And his discovery of fundamental truths- that humans are, at their core, beholden to insecurities, power, and greed that threatens even the most “faithful”- was not as an obvious conclusion but as a well-reasoned and deeply felt awareness that grew from his experiences and did not set him aside as author from those faults. It’s an exceedingly rare writer who can achieve exploration of a subject in which he himself is immersed but not lost. Quite an accomplishment.
Calling it. This felt far more focused on Jesus than snake handling, and I've no interest in the former.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
so so excellent, maybe as perfectly imperfect a memoir can be, quiet and sweet and sad
Skeptical journalist joins, then quits, Pentacostal serpent-handling sect.