Rating: 
Summary: Good journey, lousy maps
Review: I enjoyed reading in this book how scientists worked out the migration patterns of prehistoric humans through the dissection of Y-chromosome (and the ladies' mtDNA too) genetic markers. The author's analogies to explain the various genetic theories are fairly good at explaining the concepts.
My problem with the paperback edition (I have not seen the hardcover)is that the maps are horrendous. They look like they were photocopied from color originals with a really old machine. I cannot read the text on the arrows of the Big Summary Map at all, and have been writing in the genetic markers on the map in the book as I go along to see if I can figure it out for myself. And I never, never, never write in my books. This is very frustrating and the publisher should ensure that the maps are recreated with gray-scale halftones in the next edition.
I recommend looking into whether the hardcover edition maps are any better and get that if they are.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating History of Mankind Revealed by Genetics
Review: I first heard the author speak at the Smithsonian on the genetic odyssey of mankind, in the best talk I've ever heard, and I go to many talks every year. Then I read the book and watched the two-hour PBS presentation by the same title. The author does a great service by summarizing much scholarship in genetics, archaeology, and linguistics, to paint a family portrait of the human race based on analysis of the Y chromosomes of peoples all over the world--an intriguing story, well told and accessible to the non-specialist, if not the general reader with a minimal background in college biology and biochemistry. The author's sense of humor adds to the delightful tale of mankind's journey. This is the most interesting book I've read since Jared Diamond's best seller, "Guns, Germs, and Steel," and encourages me to read more books in this area. Dr. Wells, who refers to himself in the PBS show as a "lab rat," has done a great service both to his field and to the public by sharing the results of detailed and laborious scientific research with the larger human race whose ancestors are the subject of this fascinating history.
Rating:
Summary: A load of fun to read.
Review: I just had a blast reading this book. What a load of fun! The fact that we can divine the details of our origins and travels from the minute variations in our Y chromosomes and Mitochondrial DNA just floors me. The author takes us, step by step, through the data and reasoning behind our african roots a mere 50,000 years in the past, and our subsequent voyages through Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The author treats us kindly by regularly reminding us of previous conclusions and data, and by keeping the big picture always in front of us. His skill is such that we never lose our place, even though the journey is full of twists and turns.
Rating:
Summary: Two complementary books
Review: I read "The Journey of Man" by Spencer Wells because I saw his documentary on PBS a few weeks earlier. I immediately followed up by reading "The Seven Daughrters of Eve" by Bryan Sykes (2001) because the web site called my attention to it. I'm glad I read Wells first. He covers the direct-male-line of the human race as traced by the Y-chromosome, constructing a family tree of the whole world outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Sykes makes more sense with Wells's study in mind because he traces only a European family tree based on mytochondrial DNA, which shows the direct-female-line of descent. He devotes only a brief chapter at the end to fill out the family tree of the rest of the human race, including sub-Saharan Africa. It's clear from a page in Sykes's book that there has been some animosity between the two schools of thought (the authors have opposite links to Luca Cavalli-Sforza). Yet it's easy to fit Sykes's argument into Wells's thinking if you read Wells first; the opposite works less well. The two books are complementary; one does not refute the other. Both authors agree that more genetic sampling is needed to complete the picture; the work has just begun.
Rating: 
Summary: Good companion to the video but could be a little more clear
Review: I recently had the opportunity to read this companion to the excellent video which I saw on PBS when it premiered in early 2003. I gave the video/DVD 5 stars. The book I give 4 stars for reasons which I'll note. The book for the most part goes into more detail for the general/layman reader without getting overly technical.
However, the book could have been improved by including more detailed maps showing the places where the author traveled to or discussed - which are numerous. While I had no problem following due to my knowledge of geography and travels, I suspect others may not. From what I recall the maps shown in the book aren't labeled with country names, only arrows. The book also starts to get a little confusing when the author talks about linguistics which support his premise in the 2nd half of the book. It is also easy to lose track of the various genetic trees and the short names for them. It was only when I neared the end of the book that a complete tree was shown. If this had been put on the inside cover or earlier I think it would have facilitated easier reading. The tree could also be labeled with which country the split occurred in and when.
If I had not already seen the video it would have taken me longer to grasp and accept the details of the author's premise in the book. The book should be able to stand more on its own. With this said I still recommend this book, I would just suggest watching the video first, and perhaps having a globe/atlas nearby for those geographically challenged.
Rating:
Summary: A genetic mystery...
Review: I saw Spencer Wells on Book TV talking about his book and TV special, so when I found the book in paperback I snapped it up. And I am very happy I did. I knew a lot of the history he went over to explain why and how the Y-chromosome could be used to trace human evolution and how humans spread over the world. The reason I enjoyed it so much is that I have many of the books he used as sources and it allowed me to read without those full halts that sometimes happens when you hide an idea or fact you never heard of before.
But even people who have no knowledge how DNA works or have no idea how our prehistoric forefathers lived will find the book interesting and easy to absorb.
The Y-chromosome not only helps us trace the male DNA back to Africa, it is also shown to help answer once and all questions about language families and even how the knowledge of farming spread.
The language used in the book is easy to understand and Mr. Wells knows how to explain even complex issues with humor and clarity.
Some information about Homo erectus/ergaster in Asia MIGHT be out-dated with the discovery of Homo floresiensis (Hobbits), but the data about Homo sapiens is still sound.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I thought it was a good book- and being a molecular biologist who is familiar with the worlds advanced knowledge of genetics, I am quite comfortable with my African origins and the obvious fact that we (meaning all races) are all extremely similar.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book
Review: I would say that you could get the basic argument of the book in a 20-page summary or from reading the other reviews. Especially early in the book, the technical terms can be a little confusing. It was a fine and interesting book, I just wouldn't give it the highest rating.
Rating:
Summary: Not science?
Review: If you didn't think that there was much conclusive evidence in the study, maybe you should say so and you have every right to point it out. However, you seem to know everything already, don't you? There are intellectual and temperamental differences between races? And race cannot be defined - nobody is denying its existence. The fact that you are unwilling to debate on the issue and already have arrived at a conclusion shows you racist tendencies. Is your small mindedness just a product of your races temperament? Please be fair, because you seem to have the ability to think rationally but unfortunately you don't appear to be exercising this. Our diversity is in our experiences, of course. Saying that it is contradictory to celebrate our diversness while pointing out our similarities is misleading. There are differences in wool sweaters (the colors, the weave)but essentially it is made of the same raw material. Does that mean that every sweater is the same? Of course not. I'm sure there is a lot of evidence to destroy Wells' findings, but nontheless I find his study compelling. Sorry for any grammatical errors.
Rating:
Summary: Extra informative on Indians from India is this book.
Review: It's already been pointed out that Wells writes about the aryan dna in the inhabitants of India. He proves the aryan in them is no myth. He also, as stated here in the reviews, writes of neolithic middle eastern dna in the inhabitants of India. I further this one better by pointing out that he also writes of a 30,000 year old dna strain in the people of India which came from the middle east also. Surprisingly even these early people were not the first to reside in india.
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