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

4.0

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.