Lawrence, Jerome and Robert E. Lee. Inherit the Wind. Ballantine Books, 2007.
Reason read: two reasons, actually. John Jay was born in December. Inherit the Wind is about a trial. Second reason – I needed a play for the Portland Public Library Reading Challenge.
The title of the play, Inherit the Wind, comes from Proverbs, “He that troubleth his own shall inherit the wind…” (p 126). Bert Cates, a young schoolteacher, is jailed for deliberately telling students about Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species. In this deeply religious town, Cates knew he would cause trouble. Brady comes to town to prosecute this willful lawbreaker. Even though this takes place in the 1920s, some things never change. The verdict of this trial could change the course of politics for it is an election year…
Stage direction: it is important for the concept of the play that the town always be visible. The town serves as a reminder for the audience that the entire community is vested in this trial.
Inherit the Wind was originally copyrighted as an unpublished work in 1950. In my 2007 copy the reader is cautioned that the story is not a history but rather inspired by true events of the Scopes/Monkey trial.
Lines I liked, “You never pushed a noun against a verb except to blow something up” (p 127).
Book trivia: the play was performed in New York City in 1955 starring Tony Randall and Ed Begley. It was performed again in New York City in 2007 starring Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy. As an aside, Brian Dennehy played the father in one of my favorite laugh-out-loud stupid movies, Tommy Boy.
Author(s) fact: Lawrence and Lee met in 1942 and wrote four screenplays together.
Songs: “Marching to Zion”, “Gimme That Old Time Religion”, and “Go Tell It On the Mountain”.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “What a Trial That Was!” (p 243).
~*LunaSea*~ 