I might be biased, but Prof. Shubin is a fascinating guy, and he has a penchant for telling stories in a way that reels you in—whether you think you will be interested or not. So it was for me with Tiktaalik, and this book, to my surprise, was not just about Tiktaalik, but about the evolutionary history of the human body. This is a tale told through specific discoveries and referencing specific parts of the human body. In a sense, I had familiarity with this due to being lucky enough to take a course on this very subject with him; however, this book delves a lot deeper into the particularities than I can remember from that course (discredit to my memory, not to Dr. Shubin).

This book hammers in the idea that the universe is a magnificent and wondrous place, one in which living beings are connected to each other even in the smallest details. Human evolution is not a mere ‘theory’, as some ideologues might claim. You can actually see it playing out in our very own body—through the development of limbs, fingers, and even the tiny bones in our ear that are derived from prehistoric jaws. It is so difficult for me to understand how there are human beings who can be skeptical about evolution and the majestically powerful forces of nature when facing facts such as these… but then, I suppose, many of them fail to do that.

His approach to these topics remains accessible and well-written, almost narrative in a way. If you aren’t familiar with biology at all, this would still be an engaging and informative choice. It does reference research and relevant studies, but it doesn’t belabor the science, since this is aimed at a general audience. Even though the book is a bit dated, the information presented is still quite relevant and a solid foundation for further study on the topic. You can even check out Prof. Shubin’s recent work, such as his “fish gym”.