A very interesting read.

Although the author appears to hold a left wing perspective regarding the Scopes trial, he still manages to offer an impartial view of the trial.

Moreover, he also presents the unprofessional nature of the entire ordeal.

The Scopes trial was a highly significant event in American history, and the author's account provides valuable insights.

By presenting both sides of the story, the author allows the reader to form their own opinions.

This is a refreshing approach, as many accounts of historical events tend to be one-sided.

The unprofessional manner in which the trial was conducted is also a fascinating aspect that the author explores.

Overall, this is a well-written and engaging article that is sure to interest anyone with an interest in American history or the Scopes trial.

This was a book club read that was centered around investigative journalism. It was one of four books that we would be reading in the upcoming months.

It is truly hard to fathom that we are approaching the hundred-year mark of an argument that persists. The legacy of the 1925 Scopes trial is the creation vs. evolution debate, which mars political discord even today. When I first started this book, I was completely ignorant about Scopes and had no idea what the book would entail when I turned the first page. I had been cautioned to "skim" as the pages were filled with quotations. However, this is the essence of the book - a presentation of the trial, how it was conducted, the creation of the ACLU, how misinformation is disseminated and refuted, and how culturally the winner and loser are perceived through the lens of public opinion. I chose not to skim but rather devoured every word.

Thoroughly researched with attention given to both sides of an intentional legal battle, what makes Larson's book so significant is that the conflict still endures. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from its pages, regardless of one's personal interest in the fundamentalist or evolutionist perspective. As stated, "... the majority should never assert control over matters of individual conscience" (62). This is something to ponder in our ever-evolving political climate.

I truly desired to know more details regarding the trial itself. However, to my pleasant surprise, the book accomplishes an outstanding task of situating it within a historical context.

It provides a comprehensive overview that allows the reader to better understand the significance and implications of the trial. By delving into the historical background, the author is able to shed light on the events and circumstances that led up to the trial.

This not only enriches our knowledge of the trial but also gives us a broader perspective on the era in which it took place. The book's ability to blend the specific details of the trial with the larger historical narrative is truly remarkable.

It makes the reading experience not only informative but also engaging and thought-provoking. Overall, while I may have initially craved more about the trial directly, the book's approach of presenting it in a historical context has proven to be a valuable and enlightening alternative.

Interesting book, but not a page turner. As a Christian and someone with a degree in biology, I have no trouble reconciling God and evolution. However, I read the book more as a critique of the media and its interpretation of things, and how facts get lost in the process and turned into fables. This is still very true today. The great majority of people who have heard of the Scopes trial have no idea what the court's decision actually was. They don't even know what Darrow was advocating against and what Bryan was advocating for, mainly because most people today have learned about the trial through the play, "Inherit the Wind", which distorted the whole trial.

It was interesting to discover that the authors of "Inherit the Wind" used the Scopes trial as a representation of McCarthyism in the 1950s. This shows how historical events can be misinterpreted and used for different purposes. It also highlights the importance of understanding the true facts and context of an event before forming an opinion. In today's age of misinformation and fake news, it is more important than ever to be critical consumers of media and to seek out reliable sources of information.

I've had extensive experience with the teaching of evolution in schools, both from my days in textbook publishing and in my studies of physical anthropology. It truly amazes me that the controversy surrounding evolution refuses to go away.

We gain so much knowledge and understanding from stories, and yet stories are constantly evolving and subject to change and reinterpretation. There is a real beauty in this fluidity.

We have the freedom to believe in God and higher powers that may be beyond our complete comprehension. At the same time, we can also lead good and moral lives without necessarily subscribing to a particular religious belief.

It is a sad fact that so much evil has been committed in the name of God throughout history. What is truly incomprehensible to me is why some people feel the need to accept the Bible as literal truth and become threatened when others do not share the same view. This is especially puzzling when we consider that even true believers often have completely different interpretations of religious texts.

It seems that we should strive for a more open and inclusive approach to understanding and respecting different beliefs and worldviews, rather than engaging in endless debates and arguments over matters that may ultimately be unknowable.

Excellent, if not always readable account, of the famous 1925 Scopes trial. What really happened is a quite important and difficult task to uncover. The 'monkey trial', as it's often called, has attracted an overwhelming amount of misinformation, misunderstanding, and downright legends. It's nearly impossible for anyone to refute all of it. Even on Goodreads, one of the most lengthy reviewers contradicts Mr. Larson's book and the facts, stating that under the Butler Act of 1925, Scopes or any other teacher faced going to jail for teaching evolution. In reality, teaching evolution was only a misdemeanor, similar to a parking violation.

The most fascinating part of the book is how it places the trial in the context of its time. The trial was a setup by various citizens of Dayton, Tennessee, as a way to gain publicity and boost their economically declining town. By doing this, all sorts of interesting and unexpected issues come to light. For example, the anti-evolutionists, especially Williams Jennings Bryan, were against evolution and Darwin because of their opposition to the new fangled eugenics movement.

The book is particularly strong in presenting how the trial was presented and used from the 1930s through the 1960s. It shows how it was used as a way to condemn and fight McCarthyism, especially in the version presented in the play and film 'Inherit the Wind'. Although the play and film had good intentions regarding McCarthyism, they had as much to do with what really happened as 'The Crucible' is an accurate presentation of the Salem witch trials.

As a UK reader, my concern about its readability refers mainly to the opening chapters. These chapters set the scene in terms of what many religious groups in the USA thought about evolution. They are heavy with names and organizations that are not only unknown but also alien to us. However, it's worth persevering through any dull parts to get to the trial proper. In the end, the background proves to be relevant and vital to the story.

I think anyone reading the book who didn't grow up in the USA will constantly be baffled by the way so many religious people in the United States are obsessed with insisting that the Bible is literally true. There's no room for poetics or metaphor. If it says God created the world in 7 days of 24 hours, even if the sun wasn't created until day 4, and so on through many other absurdities. As someone raised Catholic and who attended schools run by Catholic religious orders, it's even more baffling. The Catholic church has many strange beliefs, but even the infallible pope has never asked us to believe in the word-for-word accuracy of the Bible. I remember many years ago, when I was a student, meeting two members of Opus Dei. They were both scientists dealing with research concerning evolution. They had no problem combining science and a theological outlook that was positively medieval. But they would never have thought it necessary to insist that the book of Genesis was an accurate description of how the world was created.

Of course, explaining why so many people in the USA are obsessed with denying that the earth is more than a few thousand years old is not the point of this book. It would require a different and much longer book to attempt that. For those of us not from the USA, it will always be difficult to fully understand why the issues behind the Scopes trial were, and remain, so important.

Larson accomplishes what is essential for all momentous court cases in regard to the Scopes Trial. He situates the Scopes Trial within its appropriate historical framework, meticulously detailing the background and the era preceding the trial, inclusive of the key individuals engaged.

His narrative guides us through the trial itself and all its intricacies. For those who have witnessed the movie "Inherit the Wind," this book will assist you in discerning how far removed that account is from the actual trial.

Larson concludes the book with several chapters that address the legacy of the Scopes Trial and its pertinence in the present day. The book is indeed a far more captivating account of the trial than the movie.

It is not surprising that this book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, and its significance endures even today in the 21st century.

This was a quite interesting book, especially Parts I and II: Before..., and...During... (the Scopes trial).

The book provided many corrections to my “received knowledge” of the trial. For example, I had thought the trial was solely about whether evolution should be taught in public schools. However, it was actually about whether any subject should be taught in public schools that the majority of taxpayers paying for those schools don't want taught. This presented a much more interesting debate. Why should taxpayers be forced to pay for something they don't want?

My impressions of the two major contenders, Clarence Darrow (defense attorney) and William Jennings Bryan (prosecutor), were also tempered somewhat. Bryan was a much more interesting and complex person than I'd realized, and Darrow was not quite the hero he was portrayed in my previous sources of information about this trial.

The flaws in these sources were explored in Part III (...After). The two major sources of information on the Scopes trial for the general public were my sources as well — Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s by Frederick Lewis Allen (which I loved), and the play/movie Inherit the Wind. The former, by necessity, cut out many details about the trial as it was only one chapter in that book and focused on the carnival atmosphere in Dayton during the trial. The main characters were drawn a bit cartoonishly, and the whole episode was portrayed in good humor. Inherit the Wind, on the other hand, was much more somber and menacing in tone, portraying the Scopes trial as an analogy to McCarthyism. Thus the main characters were drawn larger than life.

Two flaws brought this book down to 4 stars in my opinion. Firstly, it was difficult to keep track of all the minor people involved as there were major, minor, tertiary, and rings of characters swirling around the trial. Maybe a Cast of Characters at the beginning of the book would have been helpful. Secondly, the final portion of the book (...After) got a bit bogged down in all the events evolution- and school-related that have happened since Scopes.

Overall, though, this was a very informative and interesting book, and I enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to delve more deeply into this important event in American history.

The topic of the article is interesting and it is presented in a fairly good manner.

However, it gets bogged down in details that do not contribute much to the overall narrative.

As a result, readers can skip or skim through large portions of the book without missing much of the story.

This may be a drawback for some readers who prefer a more in-depth and detailed account.

On the other hand, it could also be an advantage for those who are looking for a quicker read or who are not particularly interested in the finer details.

Overall, while the article has its strengths, it could benefit from a more streamlined and focused approach to the narrative.

This would help to make the story more engaging and accessible to a wider audience.

Perhaps the author could consider removing some of the less relevant details and focusing on the key points of the story to create a more impactful and memorable read.

Edward J Larson’s Summer for the Gods offers a detailed account of the culture wars that raged in the 1920s.

It is a story that centers around a trial which served as the formal battleground for Protestant majoritarianism's efforts to shape the nation and the defense of individual liberties by minority groups and individualists.

A paradigm shift among intellectuals, exemplified by the Lost Generation writers, the breakdown of European liberalism and American progressivism, combined with the emerging American consumerism known as modernism, was seen by fundamentalists as a threat to their way of life and their sense of American identity.

Larson vividly illustrates this cultural evolution through the examination of a trial where Protestant antievolutionist majoritarianism, represented by its speaker William Jennings Bryan, was put on trial.

The book is not just about a single trial; it is about a significant turning point in American history.

In the early 1920s, consumerism, mass culture, the impact of technology on social organization, and increasing immigration from Eastern Europe were straining the Victorian sense of order.

This growing diversity threatened the Protestant majority's hold on America.

Modernity, with its disruptions of stability and certainty, challenged them as they held onto the belief that practical guidelines for living could be found.

Their reluctance to embrace diversity in the face of perceived threats to traditional values led them to adopt a radical right-wing stance, as seen in legislation like the Volstead Act of 1920, the National Origins Act of 1924, and the resurgence of the Second Protestant KKK.

Another example of this Protestant majoritarian attack on civil liberties was the Tennessee Butler Act's anti-evolutionist restriction on academic freedom.

Larson explains that the Butler Act prohibited the teaching of evolution in any school in the state receiving public funds.

This caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union, which recognized the threat to individual rights and American liberty.

They searched for a teacher willing to challenge the new legislation, and in Dayton, a group of intellectuals and lawyers convinced a high school instructor to serve as the test case.

William Jennings Bryan, a long-time crusader against the teaching of evolution, volunteered to prosecute.

Despite his populist and socialist beliefs, his strong religious views and majoritarian ideas set him apart from the ACLU.

Clarence Darrow, the defender of labor, took on the defense of Scopes.

In his fight for individual liberty, Darrow used scientific evidence and expert religious theories to try to discredit Bryan and fundamentalism.

However, in a court dominated by religious influence, he was ultimately unable to achieve his desired outcome.

The judge declared Bryan's testimony irrelevant, and Darrow instructed the jury to find Scopes guilty.

After the trial, Darrow proclaimed that the case would be remembered as the first of its kind since the days of witch trials in America.

Larson's book beautifully portrays the cultural lag in America, both then and now.

He provides a detailed description of the events leading up to the trial, capturing the mood and concerns of both majoritarian thought and the movement towards modernizing American thought.

By doing so, he makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the 1920s American culture wars and their lasting impact on American history.

Larson did an outstanding job in comprehensively summarizing the sequence of events from the commencement of the debate up to the present day.

I have a great appreciation for the background story regarding why the Scopes trial was so prominent in the 1920s and how the surrounding environment influenced society's perspectives. It is fascinating to note that the Scopes trial was such a remarkable event, largely aimed at generating profit in Dayton, TN.

This book further reveals the narrow-mindedness of Southerners (and this is coming from someone who was raised in the South) and how the community imposes their religious beliefs on others. I must also confess that I was unaware that Scopes had lost the trial, and it seems难以置信 that a book based solely on belief could prevent the teaching of pure logic supported by scientific facts.

Religion and evolution are not mutually exclusive beliefs and should not be regarded as such. I am aware that the discussion is still ongoing, and I believe that Larson has done an excellent job in recounting the rise and evolution (no pun intended) of this issue.

Overall, Larson's work provides valuable insights into this significant historical event and the complex relationship between religion and science.

This is a really good book. It offers a great deal of valuable information and insights.

I truly wish that there had been more quotes directly from the actual trial. It would have been so beneficial to have a more in-depth look at the words and statements made during that crucial time.

Perhaps a transcript of the trial would have been an excellent addition. It could have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the events and the legal proceedings.

Despite the lack of a full transcript, the book is still interesting none the less. It manages to capture the essence of the case and keep the reader engaged throughout.

Overall, it is a worthwhile read that offers a unique perspective on the subject matter.