Summer reading 1: Lauri Lebo’s "Devil in Dover" [Aetiology]

Many of you probably followed the 2005 "Kitzmiller vs. Dover" trial in Dover, Pennsylvania closely. From its early days, with daily updates at the Panda’s Thumb to the publication of the ruling-- "Kitzmas" -- in late December, the trial was filled with drama and moments right out of the movies. From the defendants’ remarkable lying on the stand to Behe’s admission that his definition of a scientific theory included astrology, it seemed that each day was better than the last for the pro-science side, culminating in the stinging tongue-lashing doled out by Judge Jones in his decision in favor of the plaintiffs. However, what was reported was only a small slice of the larger story, and Lauri Lebo’s new book, The Devil in Dover , brings us the rest. A journalist for the York Daily Record, Lebo grew up in the Dover area and has an intimate understanding of the local history and culture--and the personalities involved on both sides of the case, maki...