Serpent and the Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story Contributor(s): Burton, Thomas G. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1572332468 ISBN-13: 9781572332461 Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD! Click here for our low price guarantee Binding Type: Paperback Published: June 2004 Annotation: A comprehensive, multilayered set of narratives telling the story of Holiness snake-handler Glenn Summerford, who is serving ninety-nine years for attempting to murder his wife by forcing her to be bitten by a rattlesnake. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - True Crime | Murder - General - Law | Criminal Law - General - Law | Litigation |
Dewey: 345.730 |
LCCN: 2003025093 |
Physical Information: 0.62" H x 6.02" W x 8.98" L (0.84 lbs) 280 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. - Cultural Region - South - Geographic Orientation - Alabama |
Features: Bibliography, Illustrated, Index |
Review Citations: Library Journal 06/01/2004 pg. 144 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: "A snake handler convicted of the attempted murder of his wife by means of serpent bite is serving ninety-nine years in prison. The reader is gradually pulled into an increasingly complex story as Thomas Burton allows the many individuals involved in this event to tell their stories. Readers are less likely to find themselves concerned with what "really" happened than with larger issues they too will become involved in. this is more than a story about the headline 'preacher tries to murder wife - with rattlesnakes " it is a story of individuals struggling with their faith and their fate under the steady gaze of their God." --Ralph W. Hood Jr., winner of the American Psychological Association's William James Award in the psychology of religion In this comprehensive, multilayered set of narratives, the story of Glenn Summerford's fall from grace is told by its participants, through interviews, court documents, and other primary sources. Free of either prejudice against or romanticizing about the snake-handling Holiness religion, this book presents an absorbing story of a fascinating group of people, while allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about Summerford's guilt or innocence. The Serpent and the Spirit is a startling commentary on truth and its representation, religion and its expression, humanity and its flaws. Thomas Burton is professor emeritus of English at East Tennessee State University. He is the winner of the Appalachian Consortium Laurel Leaves Award. |
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