Summer for the Gods

The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion

By: Edward J Larson

Narrated by: Brian Troxell

The Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Scopes Trial and the battle over evolution and creation in America's schools

In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the twentieth century's most contentious courtroom dramas, pitting William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes, represented by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day-in cities and states throughout the country.

Edward Larson's classic Summer for the Gods -- winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History -- is the single most authoritative account of this pivotal event. An afterword assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.

Critic reviews

"Edward Larson . . . tells the Scopes story with clarity and energy. . . . His book may be among the best one-volume primers on an American intellectual twilight."—Boston Globe

"Larson's work is a thoroughly researched, thoroughly readable retelling of the tale. It leaves no subplot or character untouched. And when one considers how powerful the tensions underlying events 72 years ago remain today, Larson deserves hearty thanks. He's reintroducing us to vital history that too quickly transformed into fiction and myth. . . . The Scopes trial is still with us. Larson has elevated its presence from simplified myth to illuminating fact."—Christian Science Monitor

"Larson's account is an unusually balanced and readable treatment of the Scopes trial and its complexities. . . . Even better is Larson's ability to humanize the trial and make it a tale of human folly. . . . The book is a good read about an important and often misunderstood subject. For his achievement, Larson deserves high praise."—D. G. Hart, American Historical Review

"Forget the Lindberg kidnapping trial, the Manson trial, or even the O.J. trial. The real trial of the century was the Scopes Trial, and, although much has been written about it, nothing comes close to the definitive history written by Edward J. Larson."—Skeptic

"Edward Larson tells the true story of the Scopes trial brilliantly, and the truth is a lot more interesting than the myth that was presented to the public in Inherit the Wind."—Philip Johnson, University of California-Berkeleyand author of Darwin on Trial

"Experts will learn much about the background and details of the Scopes trial; the general reader will be drawn into the trial as never before. Inherit the Wind, step aside!"—Will Provine, Cornell University

"A marvelous remake of the drama in Dayton. Summer for the Gods accomplishes the extraordinary feat of teaching us a good deal that is new about the trial and its significance, including the behind-the-scenes strategizing of the lawyers, the civil liberties stakes in the outcome, and the realities of its impact on the teaching of evolution in the United States."—Daniel J. Kevles, author of The Physicists: The Historyof a Scientific Community in Modern America

Setting the record straight

I appreciated the balanced and fair treatment of the two main characters. Also, like most people my vague ideas of the trial were shaped by the movie Inherit the Wind. I now have a more accurate understanding of this famous event. Finally it was helpful to see that the parties to conflict are still with us today. This added perspective should make me more tolerant of both subcultures. It is part of who we are as Americans.

A hundred years hasn’t made much of a difference….sigh

This is very well researched and enlightening….like 1984, it reinforces that we must be careful to know what is happening in our society.

Still Timely

The legal fight over the teaching of evolution, beautifully described in “Summer for the Gods,” is as timely today as when the book was first published in 1997. For that matter, it could be as timely as when the Scopes trial took place in 1925. The debate over academic freedom and who has the right to determine a school’s curriculum continues, whether the issue is evolution or critical race theory, as author Larson makes clear in a 2016 afterword. Larson spends much of the book debunking myths—William Jennings Bryan was not a buffoon, as in “Inherit the Wind;” Scopes was not out to be a crusader, the ACLU played a huge and often ignored role. Larson's analysis is balanced, explaining clearly the arguments made by all sides. The narration by Brian Troxell was unobtrusive, well done.

Still timely is an appropriate title for this review

This book does a great job representing the debate and continued debate laid forth on the Scopes trial still an issue today.

Controversy Never Ending

The event explained from a historical perspective. No shortage of interesting tidbits and controversy. Good.