Monkey Girl

Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul

by Edward Humes

On Sale: 02/19/2008

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Monkey Girl

Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul

by Edward Humes

On Sale: 02/19/2008

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Amazon Indigo

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About the Book

What should we teach our children about where we come from?
Is evolution a lie or good science?
Is it incompatible with faith?
Have scientists really detected evidence of a creator in nature?

From bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes comes a dramatic story of faith, science, and courage unlike any since the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. Monkey Girl takes you behind the scenes of the recent war on evolution in Dover, Pennsylvania, when the town's school board decision to confront the controversy head-on thrust its students, then the entire community, onto the front lines of America's culture wars. Told from the perspectives of all sides of the battle, it is a riveting true story about an epic court case on the teaching of "intelligent design," and what happens when science and religion collide.

Critical Praise

“An absorbing, character-driven story of the Dover case.” — Publishers Weekly

“Humes especially shines in his careful explication of the history of this larger fight.” — Los Angeles Times Book Review [cover review]

“Making a complicated issue accessible . . . His fast-moving, richly detailed book reads like a suspense novel.” — Chicago Tribune

“A valuable primer . . . An illuminating blend of science, religion and politics.” — Kirkus Reviews

“[E]xcellent science writing, with crisp explanations of complicated evolutionary mechanisms, and fascinating material on Darwin.” — San Diego Union-Tribune

“His writing is vivid, memorable, and engaging, and a welcome breath of common sense.” — Seattle Times

“Rich back stories of characters from both sides of the courtroom make self-evident the fundamental culture war brewing.” — Seed Magazine

“A fascinatingly detailed record of the creationist war on science.” — Skeptic Magazine

“In painstaking detail, Humes breaks down the politics and the science . . . inexhaustible reporting married to talent.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“An unusually deft analysis . . . based upon extensive behind-the-scenes interviews . . . highly recommended.” — Eugenie Scott

“Compelling page-turning narrative . . . A must read for anyone who cares about science, education, and liberty.” — Michael Shermer

“Monkey Girl is compelling and unsettling. — Patt Morrison

“A real page-turner and an eye-opener for those who think they understand the American psyche.” — Lee M. Silver