Holy Hills of the Ozarks

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

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

"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."—Thomas S. Bremer, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"A sophisticated interdisciplinary study . . . Ketchell squarely tackles this important and complex story with sensitivity and skill."—Tona J. Hangen, Journal of American History

"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."—Stanley M. Burgess, Religious Studies Review

"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."—David Stricklin, Journal of Southern History

"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."—Larry G. Brown, Missouri Historical Review

"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."—Chad E. Seales, Pneuma: Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies

"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)."—Kathryn Lofton, Journal of Religion

"Ketchell has done a wonderful job."—Eric Michael MAzur, American Studies