courthompson's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly? The subject matter is fascinating. The approach is brilliant. But man, listening to the audio book was the wrong choice. The dry and monotonous voices make it so hard to focus, so I'm sure I missed a lot of this book's magic.
marlowek's review against another edition
4.0
I spent three years reading this book (had grad school stuff to do), but you can read this book in short sections.
marct22's review against another edition
5.0
A long but very comprehensive and interesting book! He pretty much starts with humans, and works backward in time, describing each branchpoint where humans and other living organisms branched from each other, yet pointing out that we could have picked any current living organism and follow it back, nothing special about us humans! Dawkins does point out where there's still questions, especially as he approaches the point where all animals, plants, and fungi joined as the common ancestor. I did learn some new things, and even though the hardcover is 614 pages, and there are parts where it helps to know some mathematics (but he points them out), but those parts are rare. Highly recommended!
jkpettit11's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. I will not look at life on Earth the same way again. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in evolutionary biology...or just biology, really.
Not only was the depth and breadth of the subject impressive, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how conversational Dawkins was. He explained trickier aspects of science well, without talking down to the reader. He also threw in the occasional quip which made me laugh.
Not only was the depth and breadth of the subject impressive, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how conversational Dawkins was. He explained trickier aspects of science well, without talking down to the reader. He also threw in the occasional quip which made me laugh.
raven_acres's review against another edition
5.0
Finally worked my way through this book. A wonderful discussion and breakdown of evolution of all species done in a chapter by chapter line. Tons of information to go through, took me several months of popping in and out, but well worth it!
shawnwhy's review against another edition
5.0
THia is such a amazing read! a journey to the beginning of organisms. we get to witness the interesting patterns that created the variations in living things. I especially enjoyed the anomalies and curios such as the creations of convergent evolution that created similar looking organisms from different origins. and the crustaceans that varied greatly in shape. interesting fact 1: the Hippos is the closest relative to the whale. interesting fact two: not only mitochondria, but also chloroplasts are ancient bacterias that divided with the first animal cells, and they have completely different DNA. fun fun fun
spidergirl502's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read! I won't lie - some parts went a bit over my head, but Dawkins' style is so refreshing and most of the book wasn't tough to read or understand. This was a daunting task and he did really, really well with it. I really enjoyed reading this book! My favorite Dawkins book so far!
carolyn227's review against another edition
4.0
I read the 2nd edition of the book, read aloud to my 9th grader. We learned a lot about evolution. My kiddo enjoys biology so while the subject matter was difficult and probably written to a more mature audience, it overall was enjoyed (though got a bit dry at parts as Dawkins can be a bit longwinded). I think they have a pretty good grasp on the subject.