The Great Monkey Trial

School Library Journal

Gr 7-12-- Using both primary and secondary sources as well as a deft pen, McGowen recreates the courtroom drama of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. The debate between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan generated much excitement, but the author delves deeper, tracing the history of the science vs. fundamentalism debate from Copernicus to modern day creationism and describing the scenario leading up to the trial. Students and social studies teachers will find this account cohesive, informative, and entertaining. Like The Scopes Trial (Watts, 1972; o.p.) by Mary Seattle, it provides information in a ``you are there'' style; it also updates the impact and repercussions of the anti-evolution debate in modern America. --Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, NC