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Summary: Darwin's fascinating finches.
Review: Although Creationists have long argued that evolution is "only a theory" which cannot be scientifically proven (see, for instance, THE HANDY-DANDY EVOLUTION REFUTER, Wheaton, Illinois), and that whatever processes the Creator used to create, those processes "are not now operating anywhere in the natural universe" (Duane Gish, EVOLUTION? THE FOSSILS SAY NO!), current evolutionary studies are now demonstrating what even Charles Darwin thought was impossible.Darwin first introduced us to the finches that inhabit the Galapagos Islands in his ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES. Through their research since 1973, evolutionary scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have discovered that Darwin's finches are even more interesting than Darwin ever dreamed, and reveal that Darwin may not have known the strengths of his own theory. Jonathan Weiner's Pulitzer-Prize winning book provides a fine introduction to evolutionary science, while also delivering conclusive proof that evolution is happening "in jittery motion," daily and hourly all around us (pp. 8-9). "The beak of the finch," Weiner writes, "is an icon of evolution the way the Bohr atom is an icon of modern physics, and the study of either one shows us more primal energy and eternal change than our minds are built to take in. Yet like the vista of the atoms, the vista of evolution in action, of evolution in the flesh, has enormous implications for our sense of reality, of what life is, and for our sense of power, of what we can do with life" (p. 112). For this reason, Weiner's brilliant book should be considered required reading. G. Merritt
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Summary: Very informative, not the "great" story I thought it to be..
Review: As I started this book I was very excited. A friend recommended this to me and I could not wait to read it. It is chock full of scientific testing, experimentation, and results of years spent on the Galapagos Islands studying. The book was wonderfully written and on the verge of a great read, but never quite "got over the hump" to become what I had hoped - something to recommend for everyone.
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Summary: Proof for Darwin
Review: As someone who is fairly familiar with the intricacies of Darwin and the journey of the H.M.S. Beagle into the mysterious Galapagos Islands, I thought that this book brought up some very interesting things. It was an amazing recount of the Grant's parallel journey into the islands and it was told in a very entertaining, friendly style. The real genius of this book lies in Weiner's handling of Darwin's theories accompanied with the Grants tedious proof. Contained within Darwin's own major work, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," lies no actual documentation of the origin of any species, natural selection, or any favourtism, but, what it does stipulate, is that "evolution is the fundamental problem of Biology." Why this is important lies in the fact that with all the regarded tools of science and its method, there are miniscule amounts of research in the field of Evolution. However, the tedious research done by the Grants on Geospizinae (Galapagos Ground Finch) fills in many of the blanks that exist because of this lack of information. Although this book leaves many unanswered questions because it only skims the top of a very large scientific iceberg, but it is an amazing read because it details how evolution occurs daily and not just over millions of years.
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Summary: evolution in action
Review: Creationists who claim that evolution is "just a theory" now must deal with the actual evidence of evolution of finches in the Galapagos over a period of several years. A fascinating read
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Summary: Natural Selection 101
Review: Ever wondered what Charles Darwin really said about how evolution works? This book not only explains it to you but shows how evolution is in action and how we can see it happening almost right before our eyes in the Galapagos Islands. Yes, it's a science book (that should be required reading), but it's written so well, it could find a home in English classes as well.
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Summary: Great speaker, great writer
Review: First heard about the book when Weiner came to speak at my college several years ago, and was fascinated by his talk. The book didn't disappoint - it's a great discussion of evolution and the forces that drive it. I think it was written just at the forefront of the wave of "popular science for the masses" type books, so it represents the best of the genre. Difficult concepts are presented in an easy-to-follow format, without any of the dumbing down so often seen in books like this. In addition to being smart & well written I also found it a great read. Enjoy!
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Summary: Good but repetitive
Review: Frankly, I was a little disappointed with this book. I felt like I knew the basics of evolution from high school science and wanted a more in-depth explanation of the theory. Weiner gives just that for the first 150 pages or so, describing the Grant family and their long-term study of finches on Daphne Major, an small island in the Galapagos where the Grants measure the beak and body of every single finch. The book was excellent through that section - Weiner is a great writer and uses endless metaphors to illuminate the process whereby slight variations give certain birds an advantage.
Then the book seems to lose its way. We move away from the Grants and their field study in the Galapagos to a laboratory where one of the Grants' colleagues is trying to bring about evolutionary changes in guppy populations. Compared to the vivid descriptions of natural selection in the wild, this part is relatively uninteresting and fairly repetitive. Weiner also begins to use more images and metaphors to illustrate his points. The artsy language breaks the flow of the scienfic descriptions, and makes it seem that Weiner is searching for ways to fill the space.
It's easy to see why this book won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 1995. The research is first-rate, and the first half of the book is great. The most interesting part describes a severe drought that hits the island in the late 70s, that reduces the finch population by 90% and demonstrates the importance of slight variations (e.g. beak size) for survival. The Grants actually witness the characteristics of the finch population change, as the finches with smaller beaks are unable to crack the large seeds and the finches with larger beaks gain a survival advantage. Weiner also does a good job reporting on Darwin and his development of the theory of evolution, often by using quotes from the Origin and excerpts from Darwin's journals and letters. The best part about this book is that it provides a detailed account of evolution in action; you witness finch populations changing to adapt to their environment. The next time a creationist hands you a pamphlet on the street, you can use this book to defend evolution.
If you think you understand the theory of evolution fairly well, you probably do; this book won't tell you much you don't know. Rather, it is an account of how modern scientists are going about recording evolution in action, and it provides a good historical account of the development of Darwin's theory along the way.
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Summary: This book REALLY drills home the importance of a millimeter!
Review: Great insight into the work and workings of researchers. Mr. Weiner's
presentation enlivens and enriches what could be described as 'dry' research.
He even makes Daphne Major sound inviting.
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Summary: The best business book I've ever read!!!
Review: I attended a business seminar a while back and the speaker (Paul Saffo) recommended "The Beak of the Finch" as a business book. As I've read the book I've substituted the word "company" for "species" . There are some amazing similarities to Clayton Christensen's book "The Innovator's Delemma". Have fun.
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Summary: Good book
Review: I had to read this book the first semester of college. At first I was dreading the assignment, now I have come to love the work. I am no fan of ecology and evolution, (just give me molecules to work with,) but Jonathan Weiner is a great author and this is an amazing description of serious and important scientific study. Not only that but it is a fascinating and compelling book that is hard to put down.
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