Every so often we are blessed with events in our life that begin and end as a story should. However most of the time we are left with mystery – How does it all fit together? Dennis Covington gives us a description of his sprititual and journalistic journey into the heart of snake-handling churches. This journey unfolds as one of those rare occurences where the chapters of a life are clearly marked, beginnings can be seen and closures are tangible. However, that does not mean that mystery is absent from the story. For in fact, one of the books main focal points is the mystery of snake handling and God’s Spirit in the churches.

Covington begins his journey while covering the trial of Glen Summerford, a snake handling preacher from Alabama who was accused of attempting to kill his wife with snakes. As he probes deeper into the lives of those involved he begins to become one of them – people who handle poisonous snakes, drink strychnine, speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons, and, some claim, raise the dead. Covington soon discovers that his relationship with snake-handlers begins before he was born, with his ancestors – people who were forgotten in his family tree, and were themselves snake-handlers. This true story covers nearly a century of snake-handling history, five states, and the rural religious customs of them.

This was a great book. Covington reads very easily, and for a documentary type of story it was very gripping.

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