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Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation
“Brenda Wineapple’s wonderful account of the Scopes trial sheds light not only on the battles of the past but on the struggles of the present.”—Jon Meacham
In this magnificent book, award-winning author of The Impeachers brings to life the dramatic story of the 1925 Scopes trial, which captivated the nation and exposed profound divisions in America that still resonate today—divisions over the meaning of freedom, religion, education, censorship, and civil liberties in a democracy.
“Propulsive . . . a terrific story about a pivotal moment in our history.”—Ken Burns
“No subject possesses the minds of men like religious bigotry and hate, and these fires are being lighted today in America.” So said legendary attorney Clarence Darrow as hundreds of people descended on the sleepy town of Dayton, Tennessee, for the trial of a schoolteacher named John T. Scopes, who was charged with breaking the law by teaching evolution to his biology class in a public school.
Brenda Wineapple explores how and why the Scopes trial quickly seemed a circus-like media sensation, drawing massive crowds and worldwide attention. Darrow, a brilliant and controversial lawyer, said in his electrifying defense of Scopes that people should be free to think, worship, and learn. William Jennings Bryan, three-time Democratic nominee for president, argued for the prosecution that evolution undermined the fundamental, literal truth of the Bible and created a society without morals, meaning, and hope.
In Keeping the Faith, Wineapple takes us into the early years of the twentieth century—years of racism, intolerance, and world war—to illuminate, through this pivotal legal showdown, a seismic period in American history. At its heart, the Scopes trial dramatized conflicts over many of the fundamental values that define America, and that continue to divide Americans today.
In this magnificent book, award-winning author of The Impeachers brings to life the dramatic story of the 1925 Scopes trial, which captivated the nation and exposed profound divisions in America that still resonate today—divisions over the meaning of freedom, religion, education, censorship, and civil liberties in a democracy.
“Propulsive . . . a terrific story about a pivotal moment in our history.”—Ken Burns
“No subject possesses the minds of men like religious bigotry and hate, and these fires are being lighted today in America.” So said legendary attorney Clarence Darrow as hundreds of people descended on the sleepy town of Dayton, Tennessee, for the trial of a schoolteacher named John T. Scopes, who was charged with breaking the law by teaching evolution to his biology class in a public school.
Brenda Wineapple explores how and why the Scopes trial quickly seemed a circus-like media sensation, drawing massive crowds and worldwide attention. Darrow, a brilliant and controversial lawyer, said in his electrifying defense of Scopes that people should be free to think, worship, and learn. William Jennings Bryan, three-time Democratic nominee for president, argued for the prosecution that evolution undermined the fundamental, literal truth of the Bible and created a society without morals, meaning, and hope.
In Keeping the Faith, Wineapple takes us into the early years of the twentieth century—years of racism, intolerance, and world war—to illuminate, through this pivotal legal showdown, a seismic period in American history. At its heart, the Scopes trial dramatized conflicts over many of the fundamental values that define America, and that continue to divide Americans today.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2024
269 people are currently reading
5444 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Wineapple
21 books133 followersBrenda Wineapple is the author of the award-winning Hawthorne: A Life, Genêt: A Biography of Janet Flanner, and Sister Brother: Gertrude and Leo Stein. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in many publications, among them The American Scholar, The New York Times Book Review, Parnassus, Poetry, and The Nation. A Guggenheim fellow, a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, and twice of the National Endowment for the Humanities, she teaches in the MFA programs at Columbia University and The New School and lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
October 9, 2024
Keeping The Faith is a great nonfiction book about the Scopes Trial. I’m sure everyone knows the basics. In 1925, Tennessee passed The Butler Bill, which forbade teaching evolution in schools. In Dayton,Tennessee, a group of locals in conjunction with the ACLU decided to test that resolution, which they deemed unconstitutional. On one side, William Jennings Bryan was the defender of the Christian faith or in other words, leading the prosecution. On the other, Clarence Darrow, an avowed agnostic, defended Scopes.
Graham wisely goes back and gives us Darrow’s and Bryan’s histories leading up to the trial. Darrow wasn’t always the hero and there were questions about some of his actions. He was against the death penalty and was a firm believer in free speech. But he consistently took cases that others backed away from. Bryan was a firm believer in the invincibility of the Bible as the true word of God, the superiority of Anglo-Saxons and that liquor was the devil’s brew. He ran for President 3 times on the Democratic ticket. He called himself the Prince of Peace, the Commoner and the Great Orator.
A third individual, H.L.Mencken, the journalist, also figures prominently in the book as he reported on the trial. He was a huge fan of Nietzsche, whose works figure prominently in this book. As an atheist, he was totally against the fundamental religion that Bryan espoused.
Reading history is a reminder about how often people fall into the same old cycles. The early 20th century was a time of profound bigotry, book banning, and political and religious efforts to constrict school curriculums. One political party seemed determined to forget about the required separation of church and state. And there were constant calls to deport anyone different from the capitalist, WASP norm. It had me asking a lot of questions about how everyone tries to impose their will on others, thinking they know better. In short, the case comes down to tolerance or the willingness to allow the teaching of ideas you don’t agree with.
The book is well researched. It’s written in a comprehensive style that still remains straightforward. The book stayed engrossing throughout.
I listened to this and while I’m not always sold on listening to nonfiction, it worked well here. A lot of that is because of Gabra Zackman’s fabulous narrating skills.
Graham wisely goes back and gives us Darrow’s and Bryan’s histories leading up to the trial. Darrow wasn’t always the hero and there were questions about some of his actions. He was against the death penalty and was a firm believer in free speech. But he consistently took cases that others backed away from. Bryan was a firm believer in the invincibility of the Bible as the true word of God, the superiority of Anglo-Saxons and that liquor was the devil’s brew. He ran for President 3 times on the Democratic ticket. He called himself the Prince of Peace, the Commoner and the Great Orator.
A third individual, H.L.Mencken, the journalist, also figures prominently in the book as he reported on the trial. He was a huge fan of Nietzsche, whose works figure prominently in this book. As an atheist, he was totally against the fundamental religion that Bryan espoused.
Reading history is a reminder about how often people fall into the same old cycles. The early 20th century was a time of profound bigotry, book banning, and political and religious efforts to constrict school curriculums. One political party seemed determined to forget about the required separation of church and state. And there were constant calls to deport anyone different from the capitalist, WASP norm. It had me asking a lot of questions about how everyone tries to impose their will on others, thinking they know better. In short, the case comes down to tolerance or the willingness to allow the teaching of ideas you don’t agree with.
The book is well researched. It’s written in a comprehensive style that still remains straightforward. The book stayed engrossing throughout.
I listened to this and while I’m not always sold on listening to nonfiction, it worked well here. A lot of that is because of Gabra Zackman’s fabulous narrating skills.
June 9, 2024
When you have an excellent author like Brenda Wineapple tackling one of the most famous trials in American history, then it is as close to a slam dunk as possible. However, even the best miss every now and again. Unfortunately, Keeping the Faith is one of those misses.
The book is ostensibly about the Scopes Monkey Trial where a Tennessee law criminalizing the teaching of evolution was challenged. However, the trial doesn't even begin to take shape until about halfway through the book. The first half is devoted a little bit to defense counsel Clarence Darrow and a lot to the prosecution's William Jennings Bryan. On the face of it, this makes perfect sense. What better way to set up the head to head battle of two cultural heavyweights than by giving a full explanation of who they are and what makes them tick.
The problem becomes how Wineapple chooses to apportion coverage. Bryan gets a lot more attention and it is mostly to denigrate him as a racist Christian fundamentalist. To be clear, he basically was. The problem is not the characterization but the extensive amount of time Wineapple spends on this point. Darrow disappears almost entirely from the narrative for a large portion of it and the trial didn't even start yet.
Wineapple also adds in extraneous subjects. She spends way too much time on the Ku Klux Klan when they do not figure at all in the Scopes Trial. They seem to be in the book because they align significantly with Bryan's views but Bryan was not in the KKK (even Wineapple states this). Aimee Semple McPherson shows up briefly and then disappears.
By the time the trial comes along, I was frustrated. First, because it took so long to get there. Second, because Wineapple spent so much time making Bryan look like a small, diminished, and weak person, that the showdown with Darrow loses all narrative tension. I didn't expect this because the author is an amazing writer. Wineapple's The Impeachers is one of my favorite books and is exceptional from beginning to end. And her writing here is never bad. You couldn't drop in on a single page and say there is anything wrong with it. But once you zoom out and look at what the book is supposed to be, you can't help but feel like the scope (pun intended!) got too big for this story to feel cohesive.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Random House.)
The book is ostensibly about the Scopes Monkey Trial where a Tennessee law criminalizing the teaching of evolution was challenged. However, the trial doesn't even begin to take shape until about halfway through the book. The first half is devoted a little bit to defense counsel Clarence Darrow and a lot to the prosecution's William Jennings Bryan. On the face of it, this makes perfect sense. What better way to set up the head to head battle of two cultural heavyweights than by giving a full explanation of who they are and what makes them tick.
The problem becomes how Wineapple chooses to apportion coverage. Bryan gets a lot more attention and it is mostly to denigrate him as a racist Christian fundamentalist. To be clear, he basically was. The problem is not the characterization but the extensive amount of time Wineapple spends on this point. Darrow disappears almost entirely from the narrative for a large portion of it and the trial didn't even start yet.
Wineapple also adds in extraneous subjects. She spends way too much time on the Ku Klux Klan when they do not figure at all in the Scopes Trial. They seem to be in the book because they align significantly with Bryan's views but Bryan was not in the KKK (even Wineapple states this). Aimee Semple McPherson shows up briefly and then disappears.
By the time the trial comes along, I was frustrated. First, because it took so long to get there. Second, because Wineapple spent so much time making Bryan look like a small, diminished, and weak person, that the showdown with Darrow loses all narrative tension. I didn't expect this because the author is an amazing writer. Wineapple's The Impeachers is one of my favorite books and is exceptional from beginning to end. And her writing here is never bad. You couldn't drop in on a single page and say there is anything wrong with it. But once you zoom out and look at what the book is supposed to be, you can't help but feel like the scope (pun intended!) got too big for this story to feel cohesive.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Random House.)
September 1, 2025
Brenda Wineapple has provided an excellent read on the trial of John Scopes in 1925 - the high school teacher who dared to present evolution to his students for studying in comparison to the straight biblical origin story they'd learned since their nursery days. The Scopes trial was the first deep dive in the court system of Science v Religion and it was taking place in Tennessee.
Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation shows how this wide-ranging story starts with William Jennings Bryan as prosecutor, Clarence Darrow defense for the teacher caught in the middle, and from there many other famous people from days generations removed from current readers. Turning into a veritable circus in real life 1925, the author's conundrum is in setting up this significant historical event contextually for current readers as the event unfolds. That's where Brenda Wineapple's expertise shines. She deftly with specific detail sets up players, locations, audience, the times and how all this fits within the USofA's constellation of competing politics and religions. She shows the bias, bigotries and prejudices all the parties bring to this particular trial - from the judge to the man selling lemonade and hot dogs on the courthouse lawn. It's a tall order and she does it well. Also appreciated are the photographs included - so if one is listening to the book, it is worth it to track down a physical copy or an e-book.
And always a Bonus for this reader, 40+% of the book is appendices, references and other endpapers for further research if one wants to dive deeper. Highly recommended, and all the stars.
*A sincere thank you to Brenda Wineapple, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #KeepingtheFaith #NetGalley 25|52:36g
Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation shows how this wide-ranging story starts with William Jennings Bryan as prosecutor, Clarence Darrow defense for the teacher caught in the middle, and from there many other famous people from days generations removed from current readers. Turning into a veritable circus in real life 1925, the author's conundrum is in setting up this significant historical event contextually for current readers as the event unfolds. That's where Brenda Wineapple's expertise shines. She deftly with specific detail sets up players, locations, audience, the times and how all this fits within the USofA's constellation of competing politics and religions. She shows the bias, bigotries and prejudices all the parties bring to this particular trial - from the judge to the man selling lemonade and hot dogs on the courthouse lawn. It's a tall order and she does it well. Also appreciated are the photographs included - so if one is listening to the book, it is worth it to track down a physical copy or an e-book.
And always a Bonus for this reader, 40+% of the book is appendices, references and other endpapers for further research if one wants to dive deeper. Highly recommended, and all the stars.
*A sincere thank you to Brenda Wineapple, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #KeepingtheFaith #NetGalley 25|52:36g
October 29, 2024
While the major focus of this book is the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee, Brenda Wineapple does a wonderful job in the beginning recounting the lives and careers of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow (along with valuable and colorful sketches of other important characters connected to the story, such as H. L. Mencken) and the times they lived in. She then gives a dramatic blow-by-blow account of the famous trial itself and its aftermath. With only brief allusions to our present political environment, Wineapple is aware that the law and issues that led to the Scopes trial remain relevant a century later. It is moving to hear (via the audiobook version) the words and ideas of Clarence Darrow (along with his less well-known associates in the case) which are as necessary today as they were then. Indeed, the threats of intolerance, bigotry, religious or ideological dogmatism and injustice will likely always require others to take courageous stands to defend free speech, academic freedom, and the toleration of ideas and of people different from ourselves.
December 12, 2025
Absolutely phenomenal book! I knew about this case from high school, however, it touched on way more than I was taught! This author breaks it down to straight simplicity, so everyone is able to understand the ridiculousness of the times, while also covering all the gritty details of the people involved. 10 out of 10 would recommend.
March 14, 2025
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the famous Scopes “monkey” trial that took place in Dayton, Tennessee, and which became a clash of legal titans and their respective worldviews. It is a story that is not just interesting in its own regard, but that is still, unfortunately, very much relevant today. A quarter into the 21st century we see the very same destructive effects on society of bigotry, narrow-minded religion, and ignorance, not to mention a frontal assault on science and education. Nor do I think this sort of cultural war has much hope of ever completely going away. That’s why Brenda Wineapple’s book is so important and ought to be a must-read for anyone interested not just in history, religion, and science, but in building a better, more rational and compassionate world. Wineapple does her best to present the major characters in the Dayton drama in a fair and objective fashion. William Jennings Bryan, three time (failed) presidential candidate, champion of the poor and the working people, but also supporter of the KKK and racist to the core; Clarence Darrow, the lawyer who defended every unpopular cause in America because of his deep belief in justice for all; and Henri Louis Mencken, the caustic journalist with a streak of anti-Semitism but who truly did not suffer fools gladly and made sure everyone knew it. And of course, John Scopes himself, the substitute biology teacher who volunteered for the ACLU to challenge the Butler statute, a law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in public schools and universities. There is also a colorful and fascinating cast of supporting characters, all against the backdrop of an America in the thrall of the roaring ‘20s and of prohibitionism. You can hardly ask for a better story, and Wineapple tells it superbly.
July 3, 2025
Tension over the authority of science, religion and education in Tennessee? It may have been 100 years ago, but it feels like it was just yesterday!
February 2, 2025
“The world is dark; but it is not hopeless.”-Clarence Darrow
Brenda Wineapple’s book about the Scopes Trial is a welcome addition to the other fine titles on the subject. While I don’t think there is anything particularly new here, it is still always engaging and endlessly fascinating, particularly for those of us with a deep interest in this period of history. Scopes really was a turning point for the nation where there was perhaps for the first time a real concerted pushback against willful ignorance of science in the name of religion.
I will grant that I am biased here.
Not only because much like Clarence Darrow, a real hero of mine, I also am disturbed by how easily people can allow themselves to surrender their ability to think for themselves in the name of religion, be it in the name of God or in our current moment, a man.
Men like Darrow argued that to surrender or willingness to question dogmas in the face of evidence that contradicts them can only lead us into a dark place that is exceedingly difficult to extricate ourselves from.
Darrow died in 1938, before the start of the war but he foresaw what was on the horizon and was not afraid to speak out.
The question for our time is, who will be our Clarence Darrow?
Who today will speak out against intolerance? Hate? Divisiveness?
Who will risk their standing, their wealth, or even their lives for it?
Clarence Darrow made many moving and powerful speeches during the Scopes trial but the most memorable came not from him, but from one of the assistant attorneys on the case, Dudley Field Malone. I think Malone’s words are the ones that need to be on our lips. Now, and anytime time freedom is in the crosshairs of the forces that seek to stifle it.
“The truth always wins, and we are not afraid of it. The truth is no coward. The truth does not need the law….The truth is imperishable, eternal, and immortal and needs no human agency to support it. We are ready. We are ready. We feel we stand with progress. We feel we stand with science. We feel we stand with intelligence. We feel we stand with fundamental freedom in America. We are not afraid. Where is the fear? We meet it. Where is the fear? We defy it.”
May 22, 2024
This book is well researched and written and presents a detailed look at the “Monkey Trial” in Tennessee that brought the issue of whether religion should be separate from the state. The author first establishes the backgrounds of the key players in the trial focusing mainly on Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Then she moves into the preparation and the trial itself. Her writing style makes for a vivid and interesting read. This book is well worth the time for anyone interested in this trial and piece of American history.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
September 21, 2024
What I knew about the Scopes trial going into this book was what I was taught in church [they were 100% incorrect in what they were teaching; shocking I know ], and from the movie "Inherit the Wind" [that an EX made me watch, that I hated {and was so mad at Spencer Tracy for taking a role in it} and as it turns out, everyone who was involved with the trial hated as well because of the way Hollywood portrayed them ]. essentially, I went into this blind...after reading this book, I am blind no more. WHOOSH!
A deep-dive [that is meticulously researched and excellently written ] into the major players in the Scopes trial, as well as the trial [and the circus that it truly was ], this was an excellent read , truly taught me something, and more than once made me realize how much 2024 isn't that different from the nonsense that happened in 1924, and I will admit just how discouraging that was to me. I can only hope that we continue to strive for better.
If you, like me, know "of" the Scopes trial, but don't really know "about it" [and want to learn what it and the fuss around evolution was ], I highly recommend this book. It really opened my eyes to many things and I will be thinking about this book for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley, Brenda Wiineapple, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A deep-dive [that is meticulously researched and excellently written ] into the major players in the Scopes trial, as well as the trial [and the circus that it truly was ], this was an excellent read , truly taught me something, and more than once made me realize how much 2024 isn't that different from the nonsense that happened in 1924, and I will admit just how discouraging that was to me. I can only hope that we continue to strive for better.
If you, like me, know "of" the Scopes trial, but don't really know "about it" [and want to learn what it and the fuss around evolution was ], I highly recommend this book. It really opened my eyes to many things and I will be thinking about this book for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley, Brenda Wiineapple, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 13, 2024
A sturdy look at one of the most famous trials in American history. I’m not qualified to say whether there’s anything new here, but I was happy to read more about the key figures — those who are famous (Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan) and those who are no longer well known — and the social and cultural context in which the trial took place. I was struck by what was permitted in that case, particularly how much testimony was given with the jury removed from the courtroom.
Unsurprisingly, the book draws to our attention the debates and fissures that were at work then and are still very much with us today. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was this is what led the author to write the book in the first place. To her credit (she is a serious historian and treats her topic seriously) the author is generally restrained and respectful in her depiction of the key players.
My thanks to the publisher and Edelweis + for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.
Unsurprisingly, the book draws to our attention the debates and fissures that were at work then and are still very much with us today. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was this is what led the author to write the book in the first place. To her credit (she is a serious historian and treats her topic seriously) the author is generally restrained and respectful in her depiction of the key players.
My thanks to the publisher and Edelweis + for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.
May 27, 2025
Just finished:
New York: Random House, 2024.
It's been 100 years since the Scopes Trial took place. I honestly expected to see more works on "the trial of the century," at least among Evangelicals.
PROS
1. One book with multiple threads. I felt like I was reading several different books since Wineapple talked about Eugenics, the Klan, Women's suffrage, civil rights, and background on the two main figures in the trial.
2. The most detailed account of testimony and the trial I've come across.
CONS
1. I still think Michael Kazin and Edward Larson wrote better accounts of William Jennings Bryan and the Scopes Trial specifically.
2. It took too long to get to the trial.
New York: Random House, 2024.
It's been 100 years since the Scopes Trial took place. I honestly expected to see more works on "the trial of the century," at least among Evangelicals.
PROS
1. One book with multiple threads. I felt like I was reading several different books since Wineapple talked about Eugenics, the Klan, Women's suffrage, civil rights, and background on the two main figures in the trial.
2. The most detailed account of testimony and the trial I've come across.
CONS
1. I still think Michael Kazin and Edward Larson wrote better accounts of William Jennings Bryan and the Scopes Trial specifically.
2. It took too long to get to the trial.
August 28, 2024
3.5 stars … the trial’s moment-by-moment account is riveting
December 25, 2025
Really interesting! Especially thinking about how issues in that trial (eg religious fundamentalism) exist today
December 12, 2024
Interesting to learn about the Scopes trial and those involved. I must say this book got carried away with details and after awhile lost me. I couldn’t wait for it to end
December 24, 2024
The 1925 Scopes Trial over the teaching of evolution brought together in a country courtroom lions of the left and right. Fighting for science, legendary lawyer for the oppressed, Clarence Darrow; for religion, leading politician of the progressive movement, William Jennings Bryan.
“Keeping the Faith” is history at its best. Capturing the dynamism of the 1920s and also the dying gasps of the Civil War era, Brenda Wineapple relies on the insights of contemporaries like Henry L. Mencken, who covered the trial and the surrounding circus of hucksters and zealots for the Baltimore Sun. Her writing brings us into the stifling, small-town summer courtroom, where big ideas and personalities clash while onlookers fan themselves in the breathless air.
Resurrecting the century-old Scopes case and telling the story so compellingly, Brenda Wineapple reminds us that the contest between reason and faith is ever present. Its unseen hands continue to influence public choices. The war against ignorance continues as society remains on trial.
Read more at bookmanreader.blogspot.com
“Keeping the Faith” is history at its best. Capturing the dynamism of the 1920s and also the dying gasps of the Civil War era, Brenda Wineapple relies on the insights of contemporaries like Henry L. Mencken, who covered the trial and the surrounding circus of hucksters and zealots for the Baltimore Sun. Her writing brings us into the stifling, small-town summer courtroom, where big ideas and personalities clash while onlookers fan themselves in the breathless air.
Resurrecting the century-old Scopes case and telling the story so compellingly, Brenda Wineapple reminds us that the contest between reason and faith is ever present. Its unseen hands continue to influence public choices. The war against ignorance continues as society remains on trial.
Read more at bookmanreader.blogspot.com
November 12, 2025
The war against science is nothing new. Despite the common refrain that we live in unprecedented times, America has a storied history of passing legislature that outlaws teaching anything but the Bible. This book centers around a particularly controversial case that pitted two opposing camps against the still-contentious issue of freedom of speech under the pretense of evolution's place in public school curriculum. Wineapple expertly gives us the context for the trial and the backgrounds of the various figures in each camp before launching into the trial itself. 100 years later, the boundaries of free speech remain murky, and though evolution is (mostly) taught in public schools, naked anti-intellectualism and slightly-less-naked bigotry are as dominant as ever within our politics. This book gave me hope that while the war against science and intellectual freedom is eternal, the major battles of today can still be won with the right messenger at the right time.
September 21, 2024
Brenda Wineapple’s Keeping the Faith is an interesting take on the 1925 Scopes trial. She focuses more on the political sides of the trial rather than just the fight between science and religion. While her biographies of key figures like Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan are detailed, it takes a while to get to the trial itself.
She also does a great job covering the trial's appeal, which is often missed in other books. However, while her writing is solid, the book sometimes focuses more on telling a story than on making clear points. So, readers looking for deeper insights into the religious and political background might find better options elsewhere. Still, in a time when challenges to teaching evolution are back, her lively retelling of this important event is both timely and valuable.
She also does a great job covering the trial's appeal, which is often missed in other books. However, while her writing is solid, the book sometimes focuses more on telling a story than on making clear points. So, readers looking for deeper insights into the religious and political background might find better options elsewhere. Still, in a time when challenges to teaching evolution are back, her lively retelling of this important event is both timely and valuable.
September 12, 2024
I have a T-shirt with the saying on it “Study history, realize that people of been this stupid for thousands of years.”
Concerning the 1925 trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution in a Tennessee school, the author lays out the societal history leading up to the trial and an in-depth recounting of the 1925 trial especially the epic showdown between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.
It’s slightly amazing that nearly 100 years after the trial the attitudes of many Americans has not changed one iota. Bigotry, racism, white nationalism, ignorance and the desire to force one’s beliefs upon others still animates too many of us in the United States. Highly recommended book.
Concerning the 1925 trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution in a Tennessee school, the author lays out the societal history leading up to the trial and an in-depth recounting of the 1925 trial especially the epic showdown between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.
It’s slightly amazing that nearly 100 years after the trial the attitudes of many Americans has not changed one iota. Bigotry, racism, white nationalism, ignorance and the desire to force one’s beliefs upon others still animates too many of us in the United States. Highly recommended book.
December 20, 2025
This was absolutely brutal. 100 pages in and I could not keep track of all the names and stories and it didn't seem like we were anywhere near the actual trial.
Sure, it's good to know some pre-history but the key word "some".
I keep thinking that I am writing the same review over and over for various books - too many words! Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson who said "never use two words when one will do"?? why so many authors have the need to just fill the pages! It's really not a crime or a sin to write shorter books!
Sure, it's good to know some pre-history but the key word "some".
I keep thinking that I am writing the same review over and over for various books - too many words! Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson who said "never use two words when one will do"?? why so many authors have the need to just fill the pages! It's really not a crime or a sin to write shorter books!
October 10, 2024
"The Scopes Monkey Trial" is one of those events from history that I had only a vague memory of learning about in school. This book was well written and gave a great deal of backstory as the trial itself approached. After the courtroom drama was over, I would have appreciated a greater analysis of how this case impacted laws at the time and how these issues are resurging today.
December 6, 2024
Well researched and well written in a sequential and organized manner. There is a lot of background so that the trial does not begin until midway through the book and is maybe the shortest section in it.
Each of the historical people is well fleshed out.
It is testimony to how far we have grown since 1924 and to how little we have grown since 1924.
Each of the historical people is well fleshed out.
It is testimony to how far we have grown since 1924 and to how little we have grown since 1924.
November 25, 2024
An overall engaging read that is as relevant today as it is was a century ago. I would have given the book 5 stars rather than 4 stars as I found the writing at times to be lacking in cohesion and narrative engagement.
Read
October 27, 2024DNF. Cannot understand high ratings for this. Too much about every findable factoid tangentially related to the trial.
January 15, 2025
Well written. Wineapple told this important story with great character descriptions, socio-economic-cultural context providing an excellent through-line to today.
June 1, 2025
The book concentrates more on the setting of the of the trial and the characters involved in it more than the trial itself.
October 6, 2024
A well-researched history of the Scopes trial in 1925 that pitted biblical teaching on the origins of life and of man versus the science of evolution that, by 1925, was nearly universally considered by scientists as the explanation for the origin of and changes in life on earth. The Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act which made it a crime to teach evolution at any publicly-funded school or college. In the small town of Dayton in eastern Tennessee, John Scopes had been teaching evolution in the high school. The town fathers thought it would boost the town's visibilty to bring a suit against Scopes. The Americans for Civil Liberties Union jumped into the fray, and the matter soon captivated the nation's attention. The famed lawyer, Clarence Darrow, volunteered his services to the defense. William Jennings Bryan, the well-known populist, three-time presidential candidate, and biblical literalist came forward to assist the prosecution. Bryan was nationally known for his oratory and his high moral views. Bryan, the "Commoner", had also achieved a reputation for advocating for the working class against monopolies and corporations. One of Bryan's aims was to make the United States a Christian nation. Bryan was a vocal advocate of white anglo saxon supremecy; he was openly racist.
The trial featured the cross-examination of Bryan by Darrow, who trapped Bryan into nonsensical testimony about passages in the bible whose literal assertions were foolish. More than just trying to prove the Tennessee law unconstitutional the trial focused on liberty and freedom of speech and the dangers of majoritarian rule to indivudual and academic freedom and free expression.
What's interesting to consider is how the themes surrounding this issue in 1925 still reverberate 100-years later in 2024 with major evangelical entities advocating for a kind of Christian nationalism, some actually pursuing in the political arena the establishment of a theocracy in America.
The trial featured the cross-examination of Bryan by Darrow, who trapped Bryan into nonsensical testimony about passages in the bible whose literal assertions were foolish. More than just trying to prove the Tennessee law unconstitutional the trial focused on liberty and freedom of speech and the dangers of majoritarian rule to indivudual and academic freedom and free expression.
What's interesting to consider is how the themes surrounding this issue in 1925 still reverberate 100-years later in 2024 with major evangelical entities advocating for a kind of Christian nationalism, some actually pursuing in the political arena the establishment of a theocracy in America.
June 9, 2024
I was very close to giving this book five stars, but I think it might leave some readers wondering why it took so long to get to the trial (the trial begins more than halfway through the book). I appreciated that Wineapple wanted us to understand Darrow and Bryan, so that their faceoff would have more meaning than it might otherwise. Some figures are introduced, only to not play much of a role in the trial or anything that happened after, but they do help the reader understand what America was like at the time. Still, I think I would have preferred more details about the trial itself and how it influenced future legislation about the teaching of evolution.
Detailing people's character and their arguments respectfully while still acknowledging the prejudices that undergird them poses challenges that will not satisfy everyone. It isn't enough to acknowledge that a white man in the 1920s was a bigot; the author shows the bigotry without (I think) going overboard. She doesn't dismiss Bryan as some other writers on the same subject have. But she doesn't downplay his bigotry or pretend it didn't have anything to do with the trial or the country at the time. His humanity is on full display, as is Darrow's.
I recommend this book for anyone who doesn't know much about the Scopes trial and wants to, and for anyone who is familiar with the trial, but is looking for a newer take on it.
I received this book (uncorrected proofs) as part of a giveaway.
Detailing people's character and their arguments respectfully while still acknowledging the prejudices that undergird them poses challenges that will not satisfy everyone. It isn't enough to acknowledge that a white man in the 1920s was a bigot; the author shows the bigotry without (I think) going overboard. She doesn't dismiss Bryan as some other writers on the same subject have. But she doesn't downplay his bigotry or pretend it didn't have anything to do with the trial or the country at the time. His humanity is on full display, as is Darrow's.
I recommend this book for anyone who doesn't know much about the Scopes trial and wants to, and for anyone who is familiar with the trial, but is looking for a newer take on it.
I received this book (uncorrected proofs) as part of a giveaway.
September 21, 2025
The Scopes Monkey Trial
In 1925 Dayton, Tennessee, two complicated, determined personalities, and their colleagues, are pitted against each other in the question of science versus faith. The Tennessee legislature had passed the Butler Act, which banned the teaching of the theory of evolution in the public schools and universities because it was believed to conflict with religious teachings of the Bible. The teacher recruited by the ACLU to challenge this law’s constitutionality was John Scopes, who indeed, had been teaching evolution—which was, by the way, included in the science text that had been approved for use in the Tennessee schools. The trial potentially put to the test the separation of church and state.
The Scopes trial amplified the controversy between modernist Christians, who believed evolution could be consistent with religion, and fundamentalists, who believed the word of God as revealed in the took priority over all human knowledge. It caught the attention of the entire nation. “They knew something big was at stake: as way of life, a set of beliefs that made life tolerable and livable, a set of beliefs that gave their lives purpose.” So many spectators came to view the trial that the floorboards of the courthouse swayed and threatened to break. The proceedings had to be moved outside into the humid, searing summer heat.
Wineapple gives detailed background information on the men involved, especially the most prominent lawyer for the prosecution, William Jennings Bryan, an interesting character full of contradictions. Although not a member of the KKK, which was very active at that time, he was definitely a white supremacist and a believer in the fundamental, literal truth of the Bible. He supported laws of sedition and called criticism of our laws “anarchy,” and an abuse of free speech. He called himself The Commoner and The Great Orator. He was “The Man Everybody Knew.” Bryan unsuccessfully ran for President three times on the Democratic ticket. He insisted on misinterpreting the theory of evolution as saying that humans evolved from monkeys, but he successfully objected to any scientific information being presented to the jury.
Clarence Darrow, the most prominent lawyer for the defense, was an agnostic, a showman, and a public figure associated with defending radical causes. His sharp interrogative skills set him up as a charismatic antagonist to Bryan.
Wineapple describes Darrow’s argument: “The theory of evolution was not a religious, but a scientific, theory. No chemist or civil engineer or doctor could ever build a bridge or treat the sick by reading the Bible alone. The Bible is not a scientific book. Similarly, the Bible never pretended to be a work of science. ‘The realm of religion,’ said Darrow, ‘as I understand it, is where knowledge leaves off and where faith begins, and it never has needed the arm of the state for support, and wherever it has received it, it has harmed both the public and the republic that it would pretend to serve.’ As for the schools of Tennessee, they were established to teach science and knowledge, not religion.”
Darrow did something dramatic and daring. He put William Jennings Bryan on the witness stand. Through his relentless questioning about Bryan’s knowledge and beliefs about the Bible, Darrow was able to get Bryan, a staunch fundamentalist, to admit that he didn’t believe that the earth was created in six literal days. Bryan often answered that he “didn’t think about things he didn’t think about.” To which Darrow responded, “Do you think about things you do think about?” They had several heated exchanges, but neither man wanted to end the questioning. The local spectators—deeply entrenched in their religion--were mostly cheering for Bryan, but at times, even for Darrow and his team when they made some eloquent speeches. At the end, Bryan felt humiliated and insulted that Darrow had exposed his ignorance about the Bible, the world, and other religions.
Darrow’s argument was strong and convincing, and he publicly destroyed his adversary. Still, Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution and fined $100. However, the verdict was overturned on a technicality and it did not settle the debate over religion versus the theory of evolution. The Butler Act remained the law in Tennessee until 1967. In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional.
Shortly after the trial ended, Williams Jennings Bryan died in his sleep, probably of a stroke, at age 65. He was still revered and loved by many. Some people blamed Darrow for his demise. News sources that had planned to lampoon Bryan killed their stories. "God aimed at Darrow, missed him, and hit Bryan instead," mused the controversial reporter, Henry L. Mencken of Baltimore.
This was an interesting, detailed account of the Scopes trial, revealing the many nuances of our laws and the interplay of politics and religion during a very fraught period (post WWI) in our history.
We are again at a polarizing, troubling time. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against rejecting the science of evolution over “biblical truths” in 1968 (Epperson vs Arkansas) we continue to deal with the debate around separation of church and state today. The journalist Walter Lippmann’s words of 1925 still ring true: “The issue in the Tennessee case is not merely the issue of academic freedom. In this Tennessee case there is much revealed at last the full significance of the movement which in these last years has as its spearpoint the Ku Klux Klan. That lawless and un-American and un-Christian brotherhood has loudly insisted it was fighting for the preservation of American institutions from religious control. It was doing no such thing,” Lippmann declared. It was instead campaigning against American liberty. One hundred years later, we don’t have the KKK in 2025, but we do have the Trump administration and the Christian Nationalist movement. A lawless, un-American, and un-Christian brotherhood. The parallels can be clearly drawn.
In 1925 Dayton, Tennessee, two complicated, determined personalities, and their colleagues, are pitted against each other in the question of science versus faith. The Tennessee legislature had passed the Butler Act, which banned the teaching of the theory of evolution in the public schools and universities because it was believed to conflict with religious teachings of the Bible. The teacher recruited by the ACLU to challenge this law’s constitutionality was John Scopes, who indeed, had been teaching evolution—which was, by the way, included in the science text that had been approved for use in the Tennessee schools. The trial potentially put to the test the separation of church and state.
The Scopes trial amplified the controversy between modernist Christians, who believed evolution could be consistent with religion, and fundamentalists, who believed the word of God as revealed in the took priority over all human knowledge. It caught the attention of the entire nation. “They knew something big was at stake: as way of life, a set of beliefs that made life tolerable and livable, a set of beliefs that gave their lives purpose.” So many spectators came to view the trial that the floorboards of the courthouse swayed and threatened to break. The proceedings had to be moved outside into the humid, searing summer heat.
Wineapple gives detailed background information on the men involved, especially the most prominent lawyer for the prosecution, William Jennings Bryan, an interesting character full of contradictions. Although not a member of the KKK, which was very active at that time, he was definitely a white supremacist and a believer in the fundamental, literal truth of the Bible. He supported laws of sedition and called criticism of our laws “anarchy,” and an abuse of free speech. He called himself The Commoner and The Great Orator. He was “The Man Everybody Knew.” Bryan unsuccessfully ran for President three times on the Democratic ticket. He insisted on misinterpreting the theory of evolution as saying that humans evolved from monkeys, but he successfully objected to any scientific information being presented to the jury.
Clarence Darrow, the most prominent lawyer for the defense, was an agnostic, a showman, and a public figure associated with defending radical causes. His sharp interrogative skills set him up as a charismatic antagonist to Bryan.
Wineapple describes Darrow’s argument: “The theory of evolution was not a religious, but a scientific, theory. No chemist or civil engineer or doctor could ever build a bridge or treat the sick by reading the Bible alone. The Bible is not a scientific book. Similarly, the Bible never pretended to be a work of science. ‘The realm of religion,’ said Darrow, ‘as I understand it, is where knowledge leaves off and where faith begins, and it never has needed the arm of the state for support, and wherever it has received it, it has harmed both the public and the republic that it would pretend to serve.’ As for the schools of Tennessee, they were established to teach science and knowledge, not religion.”
Darrow did something dramatic and daring. He put William Jennings Bryan on the witness stand. Through his relentless questioning about Bryan’s knowledge and beliefs about the Bible, Darrow was able to get Bryan, a staunch fundamentalist, to admit that he didn’t believe that the earth was created in six literal days. Bryan often answered that he “didn’t think about things he didn’t think about.” To which Darrow responded, “Do you think about things you do think about?” They had several heated exchanges, but neither man wanted to end the questioning. The local spectators—deeply entrenched in their religion--were mostly cheering for Bryan, but at times, even for Darrow and his team when they made some eloquent speeches. At the end, Bryan felt humiliated and insulted that Darrow had exposed his ignorance about the Bible, the world, and other religions.
Darrow’s argument was strong and convincing, and he publicly destroyed his adversary. Still, Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution and fined $100. However, the verdict was overturned on a technicality and it did not settle the debate over religion versus the theory of evolution. The Butler Act remained the law in Tennessee until 1967. In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional.
Shortly after the trial ended, Williams Jennings Bryan died in his sleep, probably of a stroke, at age 65. He was still revered and loved by many. Some people blamed Darrow for his demise. News sources that had planned to lampoon Bryan killed their stories. "God aimed at Darrow, missed him, and hit Bryan instead," mused the controversial reporter, Henry L. Mencken of Baltimore.
This was an interesting, detailed account of the Scopes trial, revealing the many nuances of our laws and the interplay of politics and religion during a very fraught period (post WWI) in our history.
We are again at a polarizing, troubling time. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against rejecting the science of evolution over “biblical truths” in 1968 (Epperson vs Arkansas) we continue to deal with the debate around separation of church and state today. The journalist Walter Lippmann’s words of 1925 still ring true: “The issue in the Tennessee case is not merely the issue of academic freedom. In this Tennessee case there is much revealed at last the full significance of the movement which in these last years has as its spearpoint the Ku Klux Klan. That lawless and un-American and un-Christian brotherhood has loudly insisted it was fighting for the preservation of American institutions from religious control. It was doing no such thing,” Lippmann declared. It was instead campaigning against American liberty. One hundred years later, we don’t have the KKK in 2025, but we do have the Trump administration and the Christian Nationalist movement. A lawless, un-American, and un-Christian brotherhood. The parallels can be clearly drawn.
August 29, 2024
In 1925 John Scopes, a high school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was charged with violating a state statue which made it illegal to teach evolution in any Tennesse public school.
William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic candidate for the presidency, Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and the most famous anti-evolutionist in America, joined the prosecution team.
Clarence Darrow, the most famous trial lawyer in America and a renowned free thinker and enemy of religious intolerance, joined the Defense team.
H. L. Mencken, the most famous free-thinking writer in the country, along with hundreds of other reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the trial.
It was a spectacle, and it was the first great celebrity trial in America.
Wineapple has written a brilliant book about the trial, its background and its significance.
Bryan is a fascinating character. He was a hard-core fundamentalist who believed that his brand of Christianity should be in the core of his political party. He was also what we would consider a liberal on many issues. He was an early supporter of woman's suffrage and the income tax. He believed that big business and trusts were oppressing working Americans. He supported aggressive anti-trust enforcement. He was an anti-imperialist.
He was also a politician who frequently contradicted or undercut his public position for political reasons. He was notorious as an unreliable ally who would betray a political ally for his own gain.
Bryan's supporters were passionate believers. They saw him as a true Christian crusading for all that was right. His opponents, including Darrow and Mencken saw him as a narrow-minded huckster and opportunist. Wineapple explores these questions as she follows him through his career and arrives at a mixed opinion about a very complicated man who always insisted that he was a simple country Christian. One British journalist said that he was the type of man who could ruin countries from the best of motives.
Darrow was not quite as complicated as Bryan. He was a celebrity. He tried a whole series of high-profile cases. He was very good at attracting publicity. He also was a free thinker who published extensively on criminal law reform. He was a famous agnostic when that was a radical position.
His most famous trial was the Leopold and Loeb trial where he saved two young wealthy thrill killers from the death penalty.
Wineapple also traces the rise of aggressive fundamentalist in the 1920s. She profiles Billy Sunday, a retired major league baseball player and Aimie McPherson, a famous LA preacher.
I had not realized how much racism connected to the anti-evolution movement. At the crudest level, racist had always said that blacks were basically monkeys. A theory that held that we were all descended from monkeys was an attack on their core prejudices. Wineapple shows how the KKK was a vehement opponent to the teaching of evolution.
During the trial, the prosecution repeatedly argued that these arrogant northern lawyers and experts were trying to come down to Tennessee and tell us how to live. They argued that this was an attack on their way of life. Wineapple makes the case that this was code for the South's position on how it handled its black citizens.
The trial doesn't start until halfway into the book, but the pretrial maneuvering and strategy, along with the broad background of the issues and personalities is very well done.
Wineapple also does a good job on the trial. It was an odd trial. Everyone agreed that Scopes had taught from a schoolbook that explained the theory of evolution. Most of the arguments where about whether the particular wording of the statue applied to what Scopes did and whether the statute was an unconstitutional limit on free speech or was unconstitutionally broad.
Darrow came up with the trick that made the trial famous. The Defense tried repeatedly to get expert testimony on evolution admitted at the trial. The Judge refused repeatedly. Darrow came up with the idea that at least there had to be expert testimony on what the Bible taught since the statue only applied to teaching which contradicted the Bible.
Bryan had bragged, preached and lectured for years on his knowledge of the Bible. Darrow called Bryan as an expert on the Bible. Darrow knew that Bryan's ego was relish the chance to show off his biblical prowess. Mencken got the Judge to declare Bryan a hostile witness and he was allowed to cross examine Bryan on the contradictions and silliness in the Bible.
Darrow had great fun and Bryan sunk himself. When Darrow asked if the six days in which the world was created where 24-hour days, Bryan said that they could be days of any length, even thousands of years. This was the problem with fundamentalism. Admitting even the slightest doubt about the literalness of the Bible undercut everything.
Bryan was embarrassed tremendously by Darrow's cross examination. He died five days later from a heart attack. Scope was found guilty and fine $100. the conviction was overturned on a technicality and Scopes was never retried.
This is narrative history at its best.
Two bonuses. One of the prosecutors was named Sue Hicks. He was named after his mother who died in childbirth. It is claimed that he inspired Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue".
The defense team rented a big old rambling house on the outskirts of Dayton where all of the lawyers and experts stayed during the trial. The locals referred to as "The Monkey House".
William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic candidate for the presidency, Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and the most famous anti-evolutionist in America, joined the prosecution team.
Clarence Darrow, the most famous trial lawyer in America and a renowned free thinker and enemy of religious intolerance, joined the Defense team.
H. L. Mencken, the most famous free-thinking writer in the country, along with hundreds of other reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the trial.
It was a spectacle, and it was the first great celebrity trial in America.
Wineapple has written a brilliant book about the trial, its background and its significance.
Bryan is a fascinating character. He was a hard-core fundamentalist who believed that his brand of Christianity should be in the core of his political party. He was also what we would consider a liberal on many issues. He was an early supporter of woman's suffrage and the income tax. He believed that big business and trusts were oppressing working Americans. He supported aggressive anti-trust enforcement. He was an anti-imperialist.
He was also a politician who frequently contradicted or undercut his public position for political reasons. He was notorious as an unreliable ally who would betray a political ally for his own gain.
Bryan's supporters were passionate believers. They saw him as a true Christian crusading for all that was right. His opponents, including Darrow and Mencken saw him as a narrow-minded huckster and opportunist. Wineapple explores these questions as she follows him through his career and arrives at a mixed opinion about a very complicated man who always insisted that he was a simple country Christian. One British journalist said that he was the type of man who could ruin countries from the best of motives.
Darrow was not quite as complicated as Bryan. He was a celebrity. He tried a whole series of high-profile cases. He was very good at attracting publicity. He also was a free thinker who published extensively on criminal law reform. He was a famous agnostic when that was a radical position.
His most famous trial was the Leopold and Loeb trial where he saved two young wealthy thrill killers from the death penalty.
Wineapple also traces the rise of aggressive fundamentalist in the 1920s. She profiles Billy Sunday, a retired major league baseball player and Aimie McPherson, a famous LA preacher.
I had not realized how much racism connected to the anti-evolution movement. At the crudest level, racist had always said that blacks were basically monkeys. A theory that held that we were all descended from monkeys was an attack on their core prejudices. Wineapple shows how the KKK was a vehement opponent to the teaching of evolution.
During the trial, the prosecution repeatedly argued that these arrogant northern lawyers and experts were trying to come down to Tennessee and tell us how to live. They argued that this was an attack on their way of life. Wineapple makes the case that this was code for the South's position on how it handled its black citizens.
The trial doesn't start until halfway into the book, but the pretrial maneuvering and strategy, along with the broad background of the issues and personalities is very well done.
Wineapple also does a good job on the trial. It was an odd trial. Everyone agreed that Scopes had taught from a schoolbook that explained the theory of evolution. Most of the arguments where about whether the particular wording of the statue applied to what Scopes did and whether the statute was an unconstitutional limit on free speech or was unconstitutionally broad.
Darrow came up with the trick that made the trial famous. The Defense tried repeatedly to get expert testimony on evolution admitted at the trial. The Judge refused repeatedly. Darrow came up with the idea that at least there had to be expert testimony on what the Bible taught since the statue only applied to teaching which contradicted the Bible.
Bryan had bragged, preached and lectured for years on his knowledge of the Bible. Darrow called Bryan as an expert on the Bible. Darrow knew that Bryan's ego was relish the chance to show off his biblical prowess. Mencken got the Judge to declare Bryan a hostile witness and he was allowed to cross examine Bryan on the contradictions and silliness in the Bible.
Darrow had great fun and Bryan sunk himself. When Darrow asked if the six days in which the world was created where 24-hour days, Bryan said that they could be days of any length, even thousands of years. This was the problem with fundamentalism. Admitting even the slightest doubt about the literalness of the Bible undercut everything.
Bryan was embarrassed tremendously by Darrow's cross examination. He died five days later from a heart attack. Scope was found guilty and fine $100. the conviction was overturned on a technicality and Scopes was never retried.
This is narrative history at its best.
Two bonuses. One of the prosecutors was named Sue Hicks. He was named after his mother who died in childbirth. It is claimed that he inspired Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue".
The defense team rented a big old rambling house on the outskirts of Dayton where all of the lawyers and experts stayed during the trial. The locals referred to as "The Monkey House".
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