Salvation on Sand Mountain

A reporter’s investigation of a snake-handling preacher accused of murdering his wife leads to a haunting exploration of faith.

“One of the best books on American religion from the last twenty-five years.” —Chicago Tribune

National Book Award Finalist

For New York Times reporter Dennis Covington, what began as a journalistic assignment—covering the trial of an Alabama pastor convicted of attempting to murder his wife with poisonous snakes—would evolve into a headlong plunge into a bizarre, mysterious, and ultimately irresistible world of unshakable faith: the world of holiness snake handling, where people drink strychnine, speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, and, some claim, raise the dead.

Set in the heart of Appalachia, Salvation on Sand Mountain is Covington’s unsurpassed and chillingly captivating exploration of the nature, power, and extremity of faith—an exploration that gradually turns inward, until Covington finds himself taking up the snakes.

“A book of revelation—brilliant, dire, and full of grace.” —New York Times Book Review

“Covington journeyed into a place where most of us would fear to tread, and acting on his instinct, faith, and heart, he wrote a book that is unmatched in a man’s attempt to understand who he is.” —Washington Post

“Riveting . . . flawless, seductive prose. . . . In its hypnotic, quietly powerful way, Salvation on Sand Mountain revives a reader’s faith.” —Seattle Times

“Salvation on Sand Mountain will jar you to the bone. It will make you wonder about things you never thought to wonder about and meet people you never dreamed existed. Dennis Covington is either the bravest or the craziest journalist I know.” —Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café