With the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial coming up in July 2025, we spoke with Debbie Levy, the author of several works focusing on history for young readers, about her new book, A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Monkey Trial, the Original Fight over Science in Schools. She shared some thoughts about the timeliness of the book as the battle over what is taught in schools continues to rage today, and the role the media played then and now in the discussion surrounding these decisions.
When did you first become interested in the Scopes trial?
Early on in my career I practiced law. Following that, I was a newspaper editor with American Lawyer Media and Legal Times. I had already written two books about Ruth Bader Ginsberg and was looking for a story that would combine law and journalism.
Are there elements of the trial that you think many don’t know about?
Most people are familiar with the Scopes Monkey Trial from having read or watched Inherit the Wind [the 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, adapted into a film in 1960]. What that version does not cover is that the trial was a set-up. The Scopes Monkey Trial, as it has been labeled, was not about a monkey, nor was it a trial. It was a high-profile engagement between two schools of thought, represented by two famous orators, William Jennings Bryant and Clarence Darrow. When the issue arose with a biology teacher in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, the town leaders saw a chance to attract attention and money to their city. It very quickly became a media event that enthralled the entire nation and drew the press and public to the town.
The book primarily focuses on the two lawyers. Why did you choose that focus?
This was really a battle of two world views represented by two titans of the times. These two had massive star power. People would flock to their speaking events. William Jennings Bryan in particular had been speaking on the topic of evolution for several years, warning listeners of the menace to their children, an attempt to separate their children from God and religion. Clarence Darrow became deeply aggravated with Bryant’s campaign and saw Bryant as a menace to the intelligence of America’s youth. They had been circling each other for some time. I knew the book’s focus would be centered here; however, I didn’t want to just drop the two men into the book. So I spent some time on their childhood and upbringing because it was important to understand how they came to their divergent schools of thought.
The media played a massive role in this trial. Can you talk more about how you incorporated that into the book?
The entire nation’s focus was on this trial, as for the first time ever, the entirety of the trial was broadcast live on the radio. You could say it went “viral,” but in a different way than today. There were so many newspapers at the time—many more than there are today. I see newspapers as the first draft of history, and like any first draft, they are messy, and full of errors. I included several excerpts from newspapers across the country as it was important for readers to see how newspapers reflected the biases of the time. For example, H.L. Menken was determined to portray the bulk of southerners as uneducated, while many southern papers painted Clarence Darrow as the devil himself. I also wanted to incorporate these news accounts because it is an important tie to the media’s influence today.
Why do you think this book is important for young readers?
It’s always valuable for young readers to hear true stories that are also fun to read. It’s not a bad thing for them to understand the historic and current battle around what they should be taught in school. This story can also show readers the danger of misinformation. You see it over and over in the book. Falsehoods—sometimes from a malignant place, sometimes not—happened over a hundred years ago during this trial, just as they do today.
Besides it being the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial, this book could be considered quite timely for other reasons. Would you agree?
The parallels here are very clear. It’s important for young readers to learn to read broadly and to recognize the allure of falsehoods, especially if presented in an entertaining way, as William Jennings Bryan did at his speaking events. If it sounds too outrageous to be true, investigate further. Use a variety of sources, as you won’t get the whole story if you read only one source. The Scopes Monkey Trial illustrates the ability of a charismatic leader to make viewers believe whatever he would like them to believe.
What's next for you?
I have several projects I’m currently working on. I will be writing poetry for a National Geographic picture book titled Photo Op 1, 2, 3, which combines nature photography with original poetry. In June, I have the release of a children’s book, The Friendship Train [Bloomsbury, illus. by Boris Kulikov], a book detailing the true story of a train that ran from Los Angeles to New York collecting unperishable food for those suffering across the U.S. after World War II. The book focuses mostly on the role children played in collecting food for the train. And lastly, sometime next year I have a book coming out called Once We Were Strangers. It is about the Jewish value of protecting/loving the stranger, as a young girl seeks to live out this commandment from the Torah.
A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight over Science in Schools by Debbie Levy. Bloomsbury, $19.99 Jan. ISBN 978-1-5476-1221-5
