A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight over Science in Schools

In dusty Dayton, Tennessee, on a sweltering summer day in 1925, high-school science teacher John Scopes dared to spark a national conflagration by teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution—defying lawmakers who outlawed any mention of “man’s descent from a lower order of animals.” In a courthouse turned circus ring, William Jennings Bryan wielded the Bible like a gavel while Clarence Darrow brandished On the Origin of Species, each man battling for the books they believed should shape young minds. Award-winning author Debbie Levy plunges readers into the heart of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial with vivid courtroom drama, revealing how a single classroom choice ignited forever-relevant clashes over Education Equity, Academic Freedom, and the power to decide what ideas belong in our schools. Her insightful, expertly researched narrative crackles with celebrity cameos and legal fireworks, yet never loses sight of the stakes: when dogma trumps evidence, every student’s future hangs in the balance. Will you stand with Darrow and demand that students explore every theory, or let Bryan’s Bible-fueled decree silence inquiry? Turn history’s pages, feel the judge’s gavel echo, and join this original fight over science in schools.