A review by wmapayne
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington

2.0

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.