Foreword

Cody Coots is a fourth-generation "Signs Follower." His childhood was anything but normal. 

At age 6, he started handling fake serpents with his sister Trina. They used leather belts for props. Such was life in East Kentucky. Cody's congregation of believers proclaimed themselves to be the truest followers of an "Old Time Religion."

Cody tries his best to have a normal childhood: He rides his bike, practices drums on pots and pans in the kitchen, and even watches WWE Wrestling with his dad Jamie – one of the most famous serpent-handling preachers of all time.

When an unspeakable act of evil leaves Cody devastated at 8 years old, Cody turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, his God, and even himself.

What is Marked for Life?

Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood.

He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God.

As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too.

Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"