Book Month continues...

Why Evolution Is True - Jerry Coyne

I already mentioned one of the three great books about evolution that came out recently: Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin*. I heartily recommend pairing Fish with WEIT, as they have some overlap in content and style. This is an easily-accessible review of the most important (and compelling) bits that pile up in support of the idea that evolution has occurred over time, and that natural selection is its principle driver. It's full of interesting facts that are clear refutations of the idea of divine creation of all species from separate starting points in the recent geological past. FYI, Coyne is also a blogger: he writes semi-daily at the blog Why Evolution Is True (shocking title, eh?).

The Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins gets plenty of press time for his athiest viewpoint, and he's written a book about that, too (which I haven't read). As a result, many theists probably won't want to touch any of his other tomes with a ten-foot pole. But I assure you, that would be a huge mistake when it comes to The Greatest Show on Earth: this is an amazing, rich, awesome book. It demolishes the notion of a young Earth and special creation with a treasure trove of information about biological systems. More importantly, it celebrates the beauty of evolution: Dawkin's delight in the various evolved solutions to the problems of living is evident. Like luciferin, it shines from the page. The way I see it, Why Evolution Is True and Your Inner Fish play the part of "executive summaries," while The Greatest Show on Earth is the juicy, complicated, tangled jungle of evolutionary explanation. It's great. While it lacks the quality of being concise, Dawkins' erudition and clear-mindedness more than make up for it. Consider Coyne's WEIT as your appetizer, but save Dawkins for the main course.
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Labels: books, evolution