In The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation, Randall Fuller examines the explosive impact that Charles Darwin's 1859 On the Origin of Species had on the political and ideological landscape of the United States. The work of scientific theory triggered controversy in an evolving country already rife with divisions.
Fuller sketches scenes with buoyant prose. He breathes life into familiar names, humanizing historical figures with delightful descriptions of their personalities and quirks. Boston, Concord and Manhattan also come alive, abuzz with shockwaves from Darwin's ideas. Fuller cites leading scientists of the day and cultural icons such as Bronson Alcott and his daughter Louisa May, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederick Douglass. Not all accepted Darwin to the same extent--some esteemed thinkers found his ideas preposterous--but their engagement with the theory and whether it could be reconciled with Creationism helped shape the era's literature, attitudes and politics. Especially compelling is how Fuller explores the influence that Darwin's ideas had on arguments about race and slavery.
Darwin's ideas feel fresh in Fuller's recounting as the author quotes liberally from diaries and articles of the day, as well as from On the Origin of Species itself. Considering the scientist's findings on understanding interactions between organisms and their environments, Fuller delivers one of his best lines: "Such tiny relationships, such insignificant causes and effects, could be decoded; they were in fact the very warp and woof of nature, diverse threads woven together to create a beautifully complex tapestry of life." --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer