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rickenbacker's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This was a fascinating read and I learned so much!
interrowhimper's review
4.0
A lucid popular science account of the evidence for evolution. I was initially off-put by the inclusion of Bible verses in the book's dedication and chapter openings, but I think Weiner was mostly trying to convey a sense of wonder and put his more religious readers at ease. The epilogue deals explicitly with people who deny evolution, and seems intent on reconciling religion with evolution rather than displacing it. This is probably a great introduction for someone interested in the ideas but struggling with the secular nature of evolutionary biology.
In general, this book is a really solid introduction to the study of evolution if you're unfamiliar. For more evolutionary-minded folk, this book is still a pretty good read, bouncing around in fluid prose from discussions of experiments and findings to descriptions of the lives of the researchers themselves.
In my opinion, the book's one major downfall is that it fails to give names to some of the scientific principles it discusses, leaving readers unarmed for subsequent discussions as a result of its striving to remain accessible to all audiences.
In general, this book is a really solid introduction to the study of evolution if you're unfamiliar. For more evolutionary-minded folk, this book is still a pretty good read, bouncing around in fluid prose from discussions of experiments and findings to descriptions of the lives of the researchers themselves.
In my opinion, the book's one major downfall is that it fails to give names to some of the scientific principles it discusses, leaving readers unarmed for subsequent discussions as a result of its striving to remain accessible to all audiences.
panohchoc's review
4.0
It's pretty cool when a book (or something else) doesn't just teach you some things, but actually shifts your whole view of the thing, and a new understanding sort of clicks into place. That's how I feel about this book and evolution/selection/all living things. Only critique is that it felt a little long and dragged at points.
wheresthebirds's review
I have read so many boring academic papers as part of my uni degree and this is drier than any badly-written paper I've read.
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
4.0
The Beak of the Finch is an excellent introduction to contemporary evolutionary theory. There was quite a lot of detail about studies into the Galapagos finches, which was great! The finches & how quickly they are evolving is super interesting. I also have a new found appreciation for the lengths that ecologists go to for their field work. I think that this book struck a nice balance between hard science, human interest, history and philosophy. It is nice to learn a bit about the scientists' lives, while still having the book firmly focused on their scientific achievements.