Customer Reviews

Almost Like a Whale

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I have not read the original work by Charles Darwin, the famous "The Origin of Species" - but this book "Almost Like a Whale" (it's title in its native English and the Australian market) not only introduces Darwin's main lines of argument and examples, it also brings many of them up to date. It uses Darwin's original chapter structure and organization to do so, bringing into modern illustrations of examples, better cases, and modernized arguments - and current scientific questions. It is very well written, good for reading a chapter at a time to allow for reflection between groups of ideas.

A wonderfully well written book that is accessible for everyone- I'm no biologist but I could understand everything about. The book deals with evolutionary biology and Darwin's theory of evolution. A must for anyone interested in where they and the world around them are from or linked to one another.

Actually, this "review" is meant merely to link "Darwin's Ghost", the American title of this work and its many fine reviews to "Almost Like A Whale" the British title. It's interesting how marketers treat the clash of cultures isn't it?

A little less than one hundred fifty years after Darwin first released On the Origin of Species, author and evolutionary biologist Steve Jones took it upon himself to use Darwin's most famous framework and apply 20th century knowledge to it. Using the same chapters and headings Darwin used in On the Origin of Species, Jones successfully manages to create an enjoyable, intellectually stimulating book. With topics ranging from the evolution of HIV and dogs to the evolutionary paths humans have taken themselves, this book covers a wide variety of topics while still holding true to its roots. This book has several significant strengths and a few weaknesses that deserve mention

Strengths:

-Readability: In each section Jones manages to provide stimulating knowledge furthering the average reader's understanding of evolution, and the depth of understanding today's evolutionary biologists have without a lot of the scientific jargon you find in similar books.
-Framework: since Jones utilizes Darwin's framework the reader feels like he's following what conclusions Darwin's On the Origin of Species would come to had it been written today.
-Scientific Data: On every page there is either a different study or experiment being mentioned that brings evolution in practice to life. Or a furthering of Darwin's own sentiments.
-Writing Style: Jones is a fantastic writer, and this book truly showcases his talent. While some may argue that a book supposed to be based around furthering the general knowledge of evolution is supposed to be unlined with metaphor it was exactly these lines that helped draw me in and read this more like a novel than a scientific text which I believe was Jones' goal with writing the book.

Weaknesses:

-Scientific Data: In the text itself Jones does not provide a single in text citation. While he has his references located in the back, I found it distressing while I was reading. As a reader who likes to occasionally look up studies when they are referenced in a text I read, I was at first horrified that he wouldn't include citations at all. When I finally found the citations in the back of the book I couldn't remember which I wanted to look up.
-Tone: While I appreciate the relative ease I was about to read this book, it might just be a bit too conversational. A topic this important possibly could use some added formality, however since this is an attempt at Darwin for the masses it is an understandable weakness.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed this book a great deal and while I believed in evolution both before and after reading it, I certainly learned of many more real world examples than I knew of before reading it. In addition, I think that someone who does not view evolution as at least a viable theory would gain serious second-thoughts upon finishing this book. All in all an enjoyable read that I'd suggest to anyone interested in reading a book on evolution.

This is a clear and concise rewrite of Origin of Species. It is easy to understand with many up-to-date examples, and adds to Darwin's original ideas with hindsight of modern scientific discovery. It is up to Steve Jones usual high standard and is fascinating to read. A great place to start if you're interested in our behaviour and evolution, and a fascinating read even if you're not!

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