Customer Reviews

Handling Serpents: Pastor Jimmy Morrow's Narrative History of His Appalachian Jesus' Name Tradition

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This a great book on serpent ahndling and its History.Pastor morrow takes the history before George hensley which most historians on serpent handling stop with him.This a a great Book and i highly recommentd it.
steve [...].

This book contains a lot of information, historical facts and narratives from people that have lived through most of their lives with the serpent handling tradition. I find it a fascinating book, with a lot of information (especially to those researching church history), written with passion and warm feelings by the author.

However, I find the typing mistakes disappointing, syntax and grammatical errors, that make it tiring for someone to read through paragraphs, at times. I'd prefer more "order" in the stories of the book, so that you'd not have to flip pages to understand-link the persons and stories with the ones you're reading about at that particular time.

I remember what the editor, R.W.Hood, said about editing this book. That it was not his job to criticize or anything like that, but to try and compile all these notes and scraps of newspapers into a story, as much as possible. Even with these minor "flaws", mentioned above, I still admire his work.

I recommend this book, to anyone interested in learning about the tradition from someone who is living inside it, and, naturally, recommend *caution* should you get the temptation of handling serpents yourself, unless you're fully prepared for a full-blown experience, of life or death!!

This book is fascinating-very, very fascinating. I live in Del Rio, Tennessee, and am well aware that "snake handling" exists. However, since it is not a subject of idle discussion, I knew very little about its history and its continuing adherents and practices. I was excited when my librarian showed me the newly arrived book. I had it shipped to me from Amazon immediately--to add to my collection of books about Cocke County, Tennessee, and its various communities. I am sad that the practice is outlawed. I feel if a person, through their sincere religious belielf (and who is an adult, and can advisedly choose to do so), chooses this practice, that under our country's constitutional guarantee of freedom of and from religion, that they should be allowed to do as they wish. I see the practice as part of a belief system that is no stranger than belief systems and practices of many other religions around the world. This book is a very valuable source of information about a very minority religious belief and practice, and belongs in the library of anyone who studies religion. Thank you Jimmy Morrow for bravely sharing this information at your own personal risk of arrest at one of your church(es) services!

HOWEVER, I thought an editor's job was to prepare text for publication. This book has endless disconcerting and distracting sentence fragments, singular words when plurals are needed, and grammatical failures of every description. Even person's names will be spelled differently from one paragraph to the next. I used to make part of my living as a typesetter, and if I'd received a manuscript in this condition, I would have called the "author," and asked a lot of questions. If the editor typed it himself (or used a typesetter or typist), then he could have made great use of a proofreader! It is sad to have some much detailed and fascinating information delivered in such a constantly muddled format! If not for that, this would definitely be a FIVE STAR BOOK.

The book is written as Preacher Jimmy Morrow speaks. Hood's editing role was to put it all into context that one could follow and understand. Most importantly it was written that we might appreciate the values of life in Appalachia in a time when a dime in a man's pocket made him a wealthier fellow than his brother.
Jimmy is a neighbor here in Del Rio, TN and a good friend of many years. I've not attended Jimmy's services yet but should. His invitations are non-ending and welcomed. His Holiness Church was a vital part of the Appalachian culture since the early 1900s and one which is usually misunderstood by those who try to relate today's Christian denominations with an earlier Appalachian population searching for some salvation in a world of poverty, without education but with a hunger for something in which to believe.
Today our cathedrals are built of colored glass, polished and padded pews with regal alters as a focus. They're heated and cooled for our comfort. Choir voices are amplified and television monitors suspended above the congregations project the vision of a minister in a new suit. Appalachians sat under the sun in grassy fields for hours and listened to the preaching. We pass the collection plate to fund utilities, salaries and ministries around the world. Appalachians shared food, fellowship and family values. Children played and sang songs. When the day ended the families walked home through the mountains together. And their prayers that night asked for health, peace and a better day tomorrow.
So if editor Hood was to change the words, spell them all correctly and explain this remarkable belief on the Lord in his own words...it would not be Jimmy Morrow's story. This book was written as Morrow speaks and that is a large part of it's value. It explains, in the Preacher's own words, his own devotion to his church and it's dogma.
The Holiness Church in Cocke County, TN has few members but all are devout believers. The serpents are alive as is the spirit of the church.
Kindly, Tom Rosberg Del Rio, TN end