{"product_id":"serpent-and-the-spirit-glenn-summerfords-story-9781572332461","title":"Serpent And The Spirit: Glenn Summerford'S Story","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThomas Burton is professor emeritus of English at East Tennessee State  University. He is the winner of the Appalachian Consortium Laurel Leaves  Award.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Tennessee Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51041439383895,"sku":"9781572332461","price":21.71,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781572332461.jpg?v=1750950281","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/serpent-and-the-spirit-glenn-summerfords-story-9781572332461","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}