Review
This highly readable book is valuable as it stands. It is also timely.
(Nick Hopwood
Nature 2009)
Engagingly written, well illustrated, and refreshingly free of the theory-driven jargon that often diverts attention from the task at hand, God—or Gorilla is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Scopes trial, the continuing controversy over the teaching of evolution, and the role of expertise in American society.
(George E. Webb
Journal of American History 2009)
A shining example of interdisciplinary American Studies at its very best.
(
Choice 2009)
Clark's investigation of the images of evolution in the 1920s is a wonderful window into the place of science in the United States and how the cultural concerns of an era can shape scientific activity.
(Charles A. Israel
American Historical Review 2009)
Perceptive and enjoyable book.
(Warren D. Allmon
American Paleontologist 2009)
Significant contribution[s] to this broad interdisciplinary area, illuminating the ways in which ideas about organic evolution were contested, and charting the processes by which eugenics acquired an established place in American political and social life.
(Robin Vandome
Journal of American Studies 2011)
God—or Gorilla is a splendid study and an important contribution to our understanding of the role of science in democratic society. It shows not only how early advocates understood evolutionary theory, but also how they illustrated and explained it, packaging it for a popular audience. This is interdisciplinary scholarship at its best.
(Michael Lienesch, author of
In the Beginning: Fundamentalism, the Scopes Trial, and the Antievolution Movement )
Clark's choice of the 1920s is perfectly suited for her brilliant study of evolutionary imagery.
(Dawn M. Digrius )
About the Author
Constance Areson Clark is an assistant professor of history at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
