The Monkey Trial

Revealing little-known facts about the fight to teach evolution in schools, this riveting account of the dramatic 1925 Scopes Trial (aka “the Monkey Trial”) speaks directly to today’s battles over what students learn, the tension between science and religion, the influence of the media on public debate, and the power of one individual to change history. Kirkus Best Book * School Library Journal Best Book * New York Public Library Best Book for Kids * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Arrested? For teaching? John Scopes’s crime riveted the world, and crowds flocked to the trial of the man who dared to tell students about a forbidden topic—evolution. The year was 1925, and discussing Darwin’s theory of evolution was illegal in Tennessee classrooms. Lawyers wanted to challenge the law, and businessmen smelled opportunity. But no one imagined the firestorm the Scopes Trial would ignite—or the media circus that would follow.As reporters, souvenir-hawking vendors, angry protestors, and