This book was BORING ASF (and I typically love history books).

However, that being said, I'm actually quite glad that I read it.

The issue of science vs religion is still very much alive today.

It is of great significance to see where we came from and how we can continue to move forward.

By reading this book, we can gain a better understanding of the historical background and development of this issue.

Although the book may not be the most exciting one, it provides valuable insights and perspectives.

It helps us to reflect on our own beliefs and values, and to consider how we can reconcile the seemingly opposing forces of science and religion in our modern society.

In conclusion, despite its initial dullness, this book has proven to be a worthwhile read for those interested in the ongoing debate between science and religion.

If "Inherit the Wind," a long-running Broadway play and a 1960's movie based on the Scopes trial, is your only familiarity with the 1925 so-called "Monkey Trial/Trial of the Century," you are missing out on a wealth of information. You need to read Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion by
  
Edward J. Larson.

For an unbiased historian's account of the actual trial and a lawyer's mindset, Mr. Larson provides a thoroughly researched telling of the era's culture, religious and political views. He delves into the background for the trial, the personalities involved, and the issues at the heart of the debate between science and religion in education. The author details the background of Darwinism & evolution and the tensions that had built up with the Christian fundamentalist view of creation. He also reveals the planning of the trial's contrived beginnings between the lawyers and the defendant, which was a surprising aspect. The trial scenes vividly describe the carnival-like atmosphere in Dayton, TN and the bombast of the trial attorneys, Clarence Darrow and Wm. Jennings Bryan.

Mr. Larson's writing is fluid, peppered with bits of humor. It is well-documented with references and even-handed in its treatment of the issues. The "Afterword" serves as a very helpful summary of the impact of the trial and the ongoing controversy of teaching religion & evolutionary science in schools. In fact, Mr. Larson won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998 for this remarkable work.

Always fascinated by the interplay of science and culture - throw in a good legal battle and I am hooked.

This very well researched and written discussion of the Scopes "monkey" trial of 1925 and the continuing debate over what should be taught in our schools and how is extremely interesting reading and highly relevant.

I live in Kansas where, as recently as 2005, creationists reigned on our state school board and "intelligent Design" was added to our state educational standards.

I think what was most interesting to me was Larson's tracing of the rise of Fundamentalism in the US as a response to evolution and the growth of science. The strategies of placing fundamentalists in school boards and in local politics when courts ruled against them is a strategy that has immense implications today.

Besides the fascinating review of the original trial, Larson shares great insight into the movie version of the trial that was released at the height of McCarthyism in the 1950s - Inherit the Wind. The way the trial was misrepresented in the movie to meet the purposes of looking for historical parallels for communist hunting was something I was completely unaware of.

It's not light reading, but it is well worth the effort.

Fabulous book!

I have just finished reading Summer for the Gods, and it has filled me with a wonderful plan. I aim to travel to Dayton, Tennessee for the 100th Anniversary of the Scopes Trial.

Surely, the city will commemorate this significant event with a reenactment. Oh, that's something I truly want to witness.

July 2025 is five years away, but as long as the Lord is willing and the creek doesn't rise, I'm determined to be there.

When I shared my goal of reading every book of the 3B Book Club with Melissa, she turned to me and said, "There are some that I thought I should warn you about."

I replied that I was slowly but surely making my way through Personal History, a 600-plus-page autobiography written in the tiniest font and rather tediously. Melissa said, "That was one of them."

Summer of the Gods was likely another one that she would have flagged. It was written by a Scholar for dedicated readers of History and Law.

Just like with Personal History, I'm extremely glad I read it. Gaining knowledge about this piece of U.S. History, especially the origins of the ACLU, is truly uplifting.

It is so quintessentially American that two men with opposing ideologies, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, could cordially greet each other in a court of law to challenge the other's worldview.

Yes, one might have been an arrogant jerk, and the other an insufferable Bible Thumper, but both were well-meaning men who had the courage to stand up for their principles.

Each, in his own unique way, steered the course of U.S. History.

The Scopes Trial holds a great and significant history, and it effectively debunks the numerous myths that once prevailed.

It was a landmark event that brought to light the clash between scientific evolution and religious creationism.

However, the only complaint one might have is that the author seemed to show an unwarranted pity for the creationists.

This stance could be seen as somewhat odd considering the clear evidence and reasoning presented during the trial in favor of evolution.

The Scopes Trial was a crucial moment in the history of science and education, and it is important to view it objectively without any unjust biases towards either side.

By doing so, we can better understand the significance of this trial and its impact on our understanding of the world.

I anticipated that this book would convince me that William Jennings Bryan was an oaf. I have a hazy recollection from high school history class of hearing that Bryan had been humiliated during cross examination. That is essentially correct: Charles Darrow bombarded Bryan with numerous questions about details in the Old Testament, revealing the impracticality, if not impossibility, of a literal interpretation of the Bible and Bryan's inability to answer.

However, Darrow was not a celebrated figure either. He was condescending, expressing his aim as "preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States." Darrow's talent and aggression contributed to the trial's publicity, but his atheist and anti-Bible talking points were political insanity in the South in the 1920s. Immediately after the Scopes Trial, several other states followed Tennessee in prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools. The journalist Walter Lippman concluded that Darrow had done more to stimulate "anti-evolution" legislation in the US than Bryan and his fellow literalists could have hoped for.

Bryan labeled natural selection as "a cruel doctrine that robs civilization of pity and mercy." In the 1920s, evolution and Darwin were closely linked to Social Darwinism, including eugenics and Nietzsche's philosophy. Any kind person would generally concur with the Christian ethic described in 2 Corinthians 1:4, but Nietzsche would not. He wrote that "suffering is made contagious by pity. Pity thwarts the whole law of evolution, which is the law of natural selection."

Introducing Nietzsche's philosophy in a discussion about evolution, as Bryan did repeatedly, may have been unfair, but Darrow's anti-religious aggression did nothing to reduce the association. It seems that the defense of teaching evolution in schools would have been more successful if it had been argued on the basis of free speech.

Darrow wasn't the only extremist in the case. Some ministers advocated a middle position, but Bryan refused to include such views in his defense of the anti-evolution law. The polarized views of Darrow and Bryan helped the trial gain national attention but left many Americans feeling disengaged. Perhaps these two extremists have forever shaped the views on what it means to be an evolutionist or a creationist.

Incredible book - one of the most compelling non-fiction accounts I've read.

It is truly a remarkable piece of work that very deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize. It is evident that Larson dedicated an incalculable number of hours to penning this book, as every page is filled with astounding levels of detail.

Moreover, it is not just the detail that makes this book great; it also abounds in emotion. You can really feel a personal connection to Bryan, Darrow, and their teams as you read through the pages.

The final section of the book, however, takes on a different tone. While earlier we were treated to a blow-by-blow account of every speech of the trial, in the end, Larsen attempts to contextualize and explain the impact of the trial.

Although it is still very well done, I couldn't help but feel a bit less engaged. This is simply because the scope is so much broader, which at times results in a less clear narrative.

All in all, this is a terrific book that I highly recommend. It offers a fascinating look into a significant event in history and is a must-read for anyone interested in non-fiction or legal history.

What should be a truly sad document of how things were (very close) to 100 years ago. It is truly disheartening to see how little, if at all, 'we' have come in that span of time.

One would expect that over the course of a century, significant progress and change would have occurred. However, this document serves as a stark reminder that perhaps not as much has changed as we might have hoped.

It forces us to confront the reality that some of the same issues and problems that existed 100 years ago still persist today. It makes us question our efforts and our ability to effect real and lasting change.

This is why it should be a must-read for everyone. It challenges us to look back, reflect on our past, and consider what more we can do to move forward and create a better future.

We cannot afford to ignore the lessons of history. By reading this document, we can gain a deeper understanding of where we have come from and where we need to go.

It is only through this self-reflection and a commitment to change that we can hope to break free from the cycle of stagnation and make meaningful progress in the years to come.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

Edward Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning study of the Scopes trial offers an excellent and comprehensive overview of the events and personalities that encompassed this seminal event. It truly deserved its reputation as "the trial of the century".

As time has passed, the trial has often been distilled into a single epic clash of the titans. Clarence Darrow grilled William Jennings Bryan over his literal interpretations of the Bible, revealing the absurd and contradictory nature of those beliefs. However, Larson makes it clear that this was a somewhat pyrrhic victory. The defense ultimately lost the case, and fundamentalism continued to thrive in the aftermath.

A modern reader can't help but wonder what these people were thinking when they insisted that their belief in God meant that certain aspects of science should be prohibited from the classrooms. In today's context, these views seem almost laughable. Nevertheless, it is sobering to recall that creationism remains a highly contentious issue nearly a century later, and the ideological descendants of those individuals now hold significant influence in the country.

Fascinating recounting of the events leading up to the Scopes Trial!

The events that preceded this trial were truly captivating. It was a time of great debate and conflict over the teaching of evolution in schools.

The trial itself was a spectacle, with all eyes on the nation. The arguments presented by both sides were intense and thought-provoking.

And its aftermath was equally significant, as it had a lasting impact on the way we view science and religion in education.

I was totally amazed at how different the actual events were from how they are portrayed in popular culture.

But still, the ups and downs of the trial make it a page turner and offer some real thrills!

And I really appreciated the last third of the book, which dealt with how the trial has been viewed over the years.

Particularly during the McCarthy Era and during the present day fundamentalist surge, the significance of the Scopes Trial has continued to evolve and be reinterpreted.

It is a story that continues to fascinate and engage readers, and one that we can learn a great deal from.

So much of what was truly on trial during the Scopes trial has unfortunately been lost in the chaos and confusion of the fray. This is mainly because people nowadays seem to prefer having their history presented to them in a "pre-digested" form, such as through a Broadway play or a movie.

"Inherit The Wind" really did a great disservice to the many nuanced motives that lay behind bringing Darwinism to be heard in the court. Bryan, for instance, was not just a one-sided figure. He was actually a social justice warrior who had fought side by side with Darrow for worker's rights and other forms of Progressive legislation. He was a man who was deeply concerned about the materialistic and "survival of the fittest" mindset of economic Darwinism that was being pushed during his era. He worried that this kind of thinking would lead society to become more unjust and unequal.

The Scopes trial was brought forward to illustrate how the views of the majority could potentially stifle and erode individual civil liberties. There were so many complex factors at play that reducing the Scopes Trial to simply a matter of Science vs. Religion is an enormous oversimplification. It fails to capture the true essence and significance of what was really happening during that important legal event.

The 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial was a highly significant event in American history. Larson's account of this trial is truly definitive, and it is no wonder that it earned the Pulitzer Prize in History.

This trial pitted the forces of science and evolution against those of religious fundamentalism. It captured the nation's attention and became a symbol of the ongoing struggle between modernity and tradition.

Larson's work delves deep into the details of the trial, presenting a comprehensive and engaging narrative. He explores the personalities of the key figures involved, such as Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, and examines the social and cultural context in which the trial took place.

Recommended for anyone interested in American history, the history of science, or the intersection of religion and society, Larson's account of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial is a must-read. It provides valuable insights into a pivotal moment in our nation's past and continues to be relevant today.