First published 2023
Clarence Darrow takes on the most watched legal case of his era when schoolteacher John Scopes faces prosecution in Dayton, Tennessee. The liberal attorney knows that defending Scopes means challenging deeply held beliefs about education, religion, and science in a conservative small town. As reporters flood into Dayton and the nation watches, Darrow must navigate hostile crowds and legal obstacles while fighting for his client's right to teach evolution. The courtroom becomes a battleground where fundamental questions about American freedom collide with traditional values. Darrow's strategy extends beyond winning the case to establishing lasting protections for free speech and academic liberty. The trial tests not only the teacher's fate but the future of civil liberties in America.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, academic, legal-thriller, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: based-on-true-events, fish-out-of-water, underdog
Setting: Dayton, Tennessee
Period: 1920s
301 pages · Kindle Edition · Threshold Editions