If Henry David Thoreau were alive today, he would be blowing out 195 candles on his birthday cake. Since the 1800s, Thoreau's essays have been the voice of non-conformists and freedom-lovers; his philosophy and political ideas are as relevant today as they were in the past.
Co-authors Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, the writing duo who created Inherit the Wind, crafted a popular 1970 play detailing the life of this obstinate genius. The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail begins with Henry behind bars for refusing to pay his taxes. As the evening wears on, he begins to remember the experiences of his life that gave rise to his ideology. It's a captivating glimpse into not only Thoreau's life but the lives of the friends and family who deeply influenced (and sometimes challenged) him, including none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Hill and Wang offer a highly informative teacher's guide allowing readers a deeper analysis of Lawrence and Lee's The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail.
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