Like the protagonist of his novel, James E. Crouch is an outsider living in Appalachia. In a previous lifetime he had an academic career in the field of religious studies, teaching in locations as ...ver maisLike the protagonist of his novel, James E. Crouch is an outsider living in Appalachia. In a previous lifetime he had an academic career in the field of religious studies, teaching in locations as disparate as Oklahoma and Japan. More recently he has been translating theological works, primarily from German to English. With the publication of Family Values he is beginning a new career.ver menos