Book Recommendations

Your Inner Fish

The best science books to me are like adventure stories. By that I mean they’re capable of enthralling and inspiring in the sort of way that you would normally associate with an adventure. Your Inner Fish is one such book.

In this book, Neil Shubin provides a remarkable look at the evolution of the human body, tracing our evolutionary history to fish, to worms and to pond scum. It is a tale that bounces from fossil-hunting to genetic experiments, guided by Shubin’s assured narrative. His is a voice that is simple and enthused (and sometimes wryly funny), and it turns out to be perfect to lead the reader (versed in natural history or not) through this magnificent story.

The biggest problem with trying to advertise science books is that some people tend to think that it’s not for them. I know plenty of people like this. They feel like they won’t get it, or they won’t be interested anyway. Which is probably true  significant fraction of the time. But then you think that a good one comes along and they’ll miss it because they’ve already decided that science books are all not for them, and it’s a little sad.

Is Your Inner Fish like that? I think it requires a little bit of interest in the body and in evolution. If you always wanted to know the use of fossils in modern science, this is a good place to look. If you wanted to understand the close relationship our biological lineage has with the animals around us, this is perfect for you. If you really have no interest in all of these things and asphyxiate at the sight of science, then, no, this isn’t for you.

Does it require a great amount of biological knowledge? I don’t think so, though I’m not the most objective judge of this since it is in some ways closely tied to my major. Clearly, you’ll have to know the basics, such as that DNA is our heriditary material, but I think it’ll be all right if that’s where the boundary of your biology knowledge ends. Shubin does a wonderful job of simplifying things to a level that I think most people will be able to appreciate easily. (It’s certainly helped by his use of metaphors and the lovely diagrams that punctuate the pages.)

What’s to be found is a rewarding and compelling story, the story of you and me and all the other little humans on this planet. It’s the story of how fish came to walk and how worms grew heads. It’s the story of why t hiccups and hernia. It’s the story of a naturalist and his marvellous exuberance.

So, at the risk of being laughed or groaned at by the people who insist it’s not going to be for them, I’m just going to say, give it a shot. Give it one chance. Keep an open mind. Let it just take you for a spin, a little adventure. Just this once. (Okay, until the next time.)

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© 2009 a modest odyssey.