Synopses & Reviews
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.
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“His writing is vivid, memorable, and engaging, and a welcome breath of common sense.” Seattle Times
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“Humes especially shines in his careful explication of the history of this larger fight.” Los Angeles Times Book Review [cover review]
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“Monkey Girl is compelling and unsettling. Patt Morrison
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“A fascinatingly detailed record of the creationist war on science.” Skeptic Magazine
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“An absorbing, character-driven story of the Dover case.” Publishers Weekly
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“Making a complicated issue accessible . . . His fast-moving, richly detailed book reads like a suspense novel.” Chicago Tribune
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“Rich back stories of characters from both sides of the courtroom make self-evident the fundamental culture war brewing.” Seed Magazine
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“In painstaking detail, Humes breaks down the politics and the science . . . inexhaustible reporting married to talent.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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“A valuable primer . . . An illuminating blend of science, religion and politics.” Kirkus Reviews
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“[E]xcellent science writing, with crisp explanations of complicated evolutionary mechanisms, and fascinating material on Darwin.” San Diego Union-Tribune
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“Compelling page-turning narrative . . . A must read for anyone who cares about science, education, and liberty.” Michael Shermer
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“An unusually deft analysis . . . based upon extensive behind-the-scenes interviews . . . highly recommended.” Eugenie Scott
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“A real page-turner and an eye-opener for those who think they understand the American psyche.” Lee M. Silver
About the Author
Edward Humes is the author of ten critically acclaimed non-fiction books, including the bestseller Mississippi Mud and, most recently, Monkey Girl. He has received the Pulitzer Prize and a PEN Award, and is a contributing writer for Los Angeles magazine. He lives in California.