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A review by arielamandah
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington
4.0
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.