One hundred years ago, a small-town science teacher ignited a nationwide debate over what students should learn in school-and who should decide. In 1925, when Tennessee lawmakers banned the teaching of evolution in public schools, teacher John Scopes challenged the law-and set off a gripping circus of a legal battle. Two masterminds faced off in court in a blistering debate over creationism and natural selection. Celebrity politician William Jennings Bryan relied on the Bible to make his case, while legal luminary Clarence Darrow defended Charles Darwin's groundbreaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man . Their clash would go down in history as the Scopes Monkey Trial. A century later, here is the riveting truth of what happened and why it matters. For a nation still at odds over the scope and role of public school education, award-winning author Debbie Levy delivers an important, insightful and expertly-researched account of our history that illuminates the challenges we face today. In this important narrative nonfiction book, Levy delivers an important, insightful, and expertly-researched account of our history to illuminate the challenges we face today.