Trials of the Monkey : A Darwin Goes in Search of America and Happens Upon Himself

A piece of confessional non-fiction, this 'accidental memoir' aims to shed new light on the Darwinian point of view.

A descendent of Charles Darwin, Mathew Chapman grew up feeling intensely and hopelessly competitive with his ancestor.

Tormented by a skin disease which disfigured him thoughout his youth, Chapman grew into a shy teenager, until cured, when he reunited himself with society in a most rampant and promiscuous way - ending up in Hollywood.

Chapman now lives reclusively in Manhattan, where he is learning to accept that he will never outshine Charles Darwin.

As part of this process he recently took a trip to Dayton, Tennessee, where the famous 'Scopes Monkey Trial' took place.

This book is about this journey and about the memories it evoked of an overshadowed childhood, of trying to survive both family and Hollywood - the survival of the fittest.