This is an important and timely book for at least two reasons. In the first place, it has both the fact of evolution and the most powerful theory ever devised for explaining it readily comprehensible to the general public. The author joins the company of writers and demonstrates an admirable capacity for expressing complex ideas simply and clearly. Secondly, Weiner's masterpiece provides a scientifically compelling refutation not only of the claims of Creationists, but also of the criticisms of many dissenting evolutionary theorists concerning the adequacy. Both objectives are achieved through the immersion of us in an exciting and carefully documented account of the ongoing operation of what Darwin had presciently surmised to be the major force driving evolution: the engine of natural selection.
Weiner manages this largely by centering his book on the heroic and groundbreaking work of Peter and Rosemary Grant in the Galapagos Islands, and by moving back and forth between their research project and the almost accidental discoveries of Darwin that began in the same area approximately a century before. This approach introduces in us a sensation of mystery unraveling that equals in fascination the best of modern detective thrillers.
Citation:
Weiner, Jonathan. The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time. New York: Knopf, 1994. Print.
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