Holy Hills of the Ozarks

"Fascinating. There is no work that approaches the remarkable history of Branson in such complex fashion. Ketchell weaves together engaging analysis of The Shepherd of the Hills, the music business, and hillbilly lore and culture with interpretation of built environment and observations on the national mood. Holy Hills is rich with insights into the world of 'family-values,' Christians in America, and the commercial aspects of American Protestantism, regional distinctiveness, and the trajectories of literary influence."

"A fascinating, fair-minded assessment of a unique American subculture."

"As Ketchell brilliantly argues, Branson entrepreneurs wove Christian sentiment 'into a fabric of nostalgia, premodern longing, and whitewashed rusticity.'"

"Thoroughly researched and carefully documented... includes a great deal of material that challenges basic assumptions in the scholarly study of religions. Ketchell confronts readers with the implications of a popular tourist destination founded on the values and sentiments of American evangelical Protestantism."

"A sophisticated interdisciplinary study... Ketchell squarely tackles this important and complex story with sensitivity and skill."

"Punctuated with moments of humor... Ketchell's treatment is fair, including his description of organized religion's distaste for Branson's 'alternative worship opportunities'... well illustrated with reproductions of historical cards, photographs, and advertisements."

"This is one of those books that seems to deal with a fairly minor topic but is in fact quite important... At a time when Jim Wallis and other observers have forecast the end of the prominence of right-wing-religion on the U.S. political stage, this book will cause many readers to question that prediction."

"The vivid written descriptions as well as photographs, thorough historical documentation, and a keen eye for cultural landscape formation make this book an excellent piece for geographic education and a great starter for discussion of the essence of Missouri heritage."

"Holy Hills of the Ozarks is a delightful case study of popular religious practice in America. It should find a broad audience. Ambitious in scope, Ketchell has written a thought provoking work."

"Holy Hills of the Ozarks provides the colorful story of how this tiny town on the Missouri-Arkansas border became host to the spectacular example of religious tourism (and tourism as religion)."

"Ketchell has done a wonderful job."