The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution, by Richard Dawkins

Filled with random and fascinating anecdotes about how and why things have evolved, it almost works better if you open up and flip to a random page, rather than reading it from beginning to end. The conceit -- rejoining other genetic "pilgrims" we've diverged from as we head backward toward the very first whateverthere was -- wears a little heavy by the end, and the last chapter drags. It overlaps with Dawkins' other books a bit, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however; any book that tells stories about whales being related to hippos, and fish who can walk and jump on their prey, will keep me nearly endlessly entertained.

Grade: B

originally posted 2006