Tennessee Books

Dr. Fain has done an excellent job of compiling and editing the diary of Eliza who wrote of her experiences and feelings during the Civil War.

I bought this book because i live in the south, and all the schools i applied to are in the south as well.

This book goes into depth about each one; it doesn't go REALLY in-depth, but it gives more information than any other book . It has about 20 pages of information on every college, which is more than most books- that usually don't have more than 3/4 pages on a single college. It talks about all the colleges on about 15 different aspects, a few that some books dont even mention, which is quite helpful.

The book is also extremely well organized. It's easy to look up any of the colleges in different aspects easily.

I recommend this book as it gives you good information on all the colleges it includes, both negative and positive feedback. It judges colleges not only on an overall basis, but also on many different aspects, which helps one see the specific strengths and weaknesses of each college.

Whiting's latest book on the Scopes Trial is a 48 page library bound well illustrated work on the trial and the aftermath up to the Dover Trial. As Whiting concluded, the controversy goes on and on, and is more heated today than in 1925 (page 40). This book is a good introduction to the trial which covers the basic events. For example, Whiting notes that the lawyers had to coach the testimony out of the two student "witnesses" against Scopes, which they then memorized. They testified that Scopes taught them that the earth was first a hot molten mass, then it cooled and "a little germ of one cell organism formed, and this organism kept evolving until it got to be a pretty good-sized animal, and then came on to be a land animal and it kept on evolving, and from this was man." A miracle! (page 25 in Whiting text, quoted from the trial transcript). The only problem was Scopes never taught evolution, but skipped this unit and instead he, according to witnesses, diagrammed football plays on that day. But he could not tell his lawyers this fact or they would be very mad (see page 26). Scopes stressed that he involved himself in the trial to have the academic freedom to teach what was quoted above. Whiting does an excellent job covering the play Inherit the Wind, showing how inaccurate and misleading the play is (page 42). As a whole, an excellent book, better than many.

I did my dissertation on the rhetoric of the Scopes Trial, so I am in a position to point out errors in this Cornerstones of Freedom volume, such as the idea that Herbert and Sue Hicks were a local husband and wife team of lawyers. They were brothers whose mother died during the birth of the younger of the pair, who was then named by his grief stricken father after his wife. However, that is a minor point. In terms of major points I could cite the fact that John T. Scopes never taught evolution in the Rhea County High School; during the infamous discussion at Robinson's Drug Store when questioned Scopes had maintained that teachers were required to use Hunter's "Biology," the state mandated textbook with its section of evolution and therefore teachers had to violate the Butler Act. Believe it or not, nobody every asked if Scopes had done so, they just assumed he had as they rushed towards the publicity a trial would bring to Dayton, Tennessee. The schoolboys put on the stand to testify as to what Scopes had taught them had to be coached. Most of you will be stunned to learn the defendant, who wanted to be convicted, was really innocent of the charge (he later admitted that as the school's football coach he was going over plays).

However, one of the things I argued in my dissertation was that what happened at the Scopes Trial is not what people think happened in the summer of 1925. In this volume Renee Graves clearly looks at the trial from the perspective of hindsight, aware that for most Americans the fictional account in the play "Inherit the Wind" represents what really happened. Setting the trial against the Roaring Twenties, Graves sets up how both the Butler Act and the A.C.L.U. test case found Scopes to be a "willing client." At that point the story shifts to the "stars" of the show, former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and noted criminal trial lawyer Clarence Darrow for the defense.

From my perspective one of the strengths of this slender volume is that it sets up the three stages of the trial. "The Trial Begins" covers the effort by the defense to get the Butler Act declared unconstitutional, "Darrow's Science Lesson" is about the defense attempt to introduce scientific testimony regarding evolution, and "The Great Debate" is about Darrow's celebrated cross-examination of Bryan. Technically the defense lost all three parts of the trial and Darrow asked the jury to find Scopes guilty so the defense could make an appeal to the state Supreme Court, but the spectacle of Darrow questioning Bryan about his beliefs was what got the biggest headlines.

Graves does avoid suggesting that Darrow cornered Bryan into saying that the days of creation were not necessarily twenty-four days, which is a crucial point in "Inherit the Wind." The reality is that Bryan volunteered the information knowing where Darrow was going and getting ahead of him. So she does avoid the biggest error that is often entrenched in the history books; the Scopes Trial did not appear in American history textbooks until after "Inherit the Wind" came out and followed the play rather than the actual trial in describing the cross-examination. Because of this Graves provides a solid introduction for the case of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes for young readers (in other words, I am jealous I did not write this book).

In describing the aftermath of the trial Graves provides a concise summary of the legal history that is the legacy of the Scopes trial, emphasizing that the issue is still being fought out today in courtrooms across the country. The reason I ended up looking at the Scopes Trial for my dissertation was because of the speech that Dudley Field Malone gave during the trial on the admission of scientific testimony. Malone, who had served under Bryan when the Great Commoner was Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State, responded to Bryan's attack with the speech that was considered the oratorical highlight of the trial. In his speech Malone argued that a conflict did not exist between science and religion, and in a fiery conclusion declared there was never a duel with the truth. However, that rhetoric of reconciliation was lost when Darrow ridicule Bryan before the nation. I fully understand that both Malone's speech and his position are not but minor footnotes to history, but the idea that the defense wanted to argue for the compatibility of science and religion instead of making it seem like a choice between two alternatives always seemed to me a point worth making.

The other thing that is impressive about "The Scopes Trial" are the collection of photographs, several of which I have not seen before (and I have made a point of tracking them down). My favorites, of course, are the two showing Darrow questioning Bryan on the platform on the courthouse lawn (it was too hot in the courtroom to continue, so the duel actually took place in the shade outside). The back of the volume has a Glossary of terms from "agnostic" to "vein," a Timeline of the trial that starts with Darwin publishing "Origin of Species" in 1859 and ending with the attempt of a town in Colorado to add creationism to the public school curriculum in 2002, and a trio of recent books and online sites where young readers can find out more.

The subtitle of Arthur Blake's look at the Scopes Trial sets up a specific perspective for this volume in the Spotlight on American History series. The 1925 trial of The State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, on which I did my dissertation, is remembered for pitting Darwin's theory of evolution against the Bible's story of divine creation, but the book's subtitle focuses on the key issue as being "Defending the Right to Teach." Of course, since these books are going to end up in school and public libraries around the country, focusing on the general idea of academic freedom versus getting caught up in the continuing conflict between science and religion that is now manifesting itself in school board debates over the teaching of scientific creationism makes a lot of sense.

The idea of these books is to highlight a vital moment in U.S. history, placing events against a backdrop of the people, places, and times that made them possible. Blake begins with the verdict in the Scopes trial, makes it clear that everybody knew Scopes was going to be convicted, and then goes back to how the ACLU wanted to test the constitutionality of the Butler Act in court. Blake ends the first chapter with Scopes agreeing to stand trial, pointing out that while the young teacher agreed that you could not teach biology without teaching evolution, he was not certain that he had actually taught evolution when he was substituting for the Dayton High School biology teacher. The fact Scopes never committed the crime for which he was convicted is only one of the attendant ironies of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial.

Blake makes a point of balancing the two sides throughout this book. The background of Scopes is followed by the history of the Butler Act. The next chapter introduces both defense attorney Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan joining the prosecution in Dayton. In relating the events of the trial Blake accurately covers its three stages in separate chapters: the first dealt with the motion to quash the indictment and the second with the admission of expert witnesses, both of which the prosecution won. This sets up the final stage, where Darrow put Bryan on the witness stand and cross-examined him on evolution and the Bible in one of the most famous scenes in trial history. Although Blake does not set up the trial stages explicitly, he does present the way it was structured, and hopefully young students and their teachers will pick up that the trial evolved from legal issues to the public ridicule of Bryan.

The final two chapters look at both the aftermath of the trial, both in terms of what happened to the participants and the case, and the question of "Who Was Right?" Blake only touches on "Inherit the Wind," the fictionalized story of the trial that has served as the source for what most Americans know about the trial today, and in the final chapter provides a sidebar on the debate between those who believe in divine creation and those who accept the theory of evolution as "An Ongoing Argument." Consequently this look at the Scopes Trial does gravitate towards that clash and away from the question of the freedom to teach. For a juvenile history of the trial Blake provides a concise but comprehensive look at the Scopes Trial, and I appreciate that he gives Dudley Field Malone his due (Malone's speech on the admission of the defense team's experts is one of my all-time favorite speeches, and he is usually ignored in these books).

Accompanying this excellent introduction to the Scopes Trial are almost two dozen sepia tinted photographs, most of which are from the the trial, including one of Darrow going after Bryan on the platform on the lawn of the Rhea County Courthouse. The back of the book includes a brief Chronology of events from 1859 when Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species" was published and the death of Scopes in 1970. The Bibliography specifically highlights three books that are for children, as well as listing the main works available on the trial and Clarence Darrow. Other books in this series look at the events from "The Devil in Salem Village" and "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" to "The Pullman Strike of 1894" and "The Dust Bowl."

Written by Bob Cowser, Jr., whose previous book "Dream Season" was selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, Scorekeeping: Essays from Home is a simple memoir of small-town boyhood, as witnessed by the son of English professors among insular and close-knit townies. Leading the reader through Cowser's adolescence in rural Martin, West Tennessee followed by New Orleans and Lincoln, Nebraska, Scorekeeping covers both wonder and tragedy. From the savory taste of a barbeque sandwich, to learning that a friend from past years had been named in a lawsuit over the death of a young woman, to confronting the question of whether he should attend a reunion at his own school, Cowser's trip through memory lane comes alive with emotion, reflection, and plain and simple honesty.

Once again, Cameron Judd doesn't disappoint. I can't say enough about this trilogy. I couldn't put it down - even though I read this book on my honeymoon!! Through his writing, I was able to emerse myself in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina during the most fascinating time in American history. I would HIGHLY recommend this trilogy to anyone.

In the sea of books that detail the locations of the best restaurants, souvenir stores, waterslides, amusement parks, and putt-putt that humans have to offer - this book and the other seasonal guide books float on their own - and tell readers where they can find the best that Mother Nature has to offer.

Jim Squires spins a wonderful memoir of his family and old time southern politics. From stolen ballot boxes to court room shenanigans in Nashville before it was the country music capitol. This book has a lot to offer; from the "Bubbas" and "Bubettes" of local politics to the war between Bobby Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa as it was fought out in a Nashville courtroom. Squires proves that truth can be more exciting than fiction

Ms. Capps' book includes paintings of the remaining Rock City Barns that dot the Tennessee landscape as well as interviews with owners, local stories, and maps to these landmarks that seem to disappear with saddening regularity. If dilapidated barns are your idea of art, you'll spend a lot of time pulling this book down and paging through it.
(See www.ohiobarns.com for a section with photos of and directions to the Rock City Barns that remain around the US.)