Human Diversity (Scientific American Library Series)

Rating:
Summary: We're all different
Review: Easy-to-read book intended for the general reader demonstrating the large amount genetic variation present in the human population. However, the specific migration of early humans throughout the world and the establishment of diverse populations worldwide is not covered in this reference.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Writing and Illustration
Review: Human Diversity is an illuminating discussion of heritability in general as well as a polemical book arguing that racial differences in IQ have no significance. This is the book that I'll return to when I want a reasonably brief explanation of how genotype, environment, chance, and social processes interact to produce human differences.

In the polemical portions of his book, Lewontin scores some pretty important points against those who believe that racial differences in IQ are meaningful. In particular, he shows that the evidence for heritability of IQ is weak, and that, even if IQ is heritable to some extent, it is strongly influenced by social arrangements.

I was disappointed in some of the other arguments Lewontin makes in this part of the book, which fall below the high standards of proof and logic that he maintains in the rest of the book. For example, he asserts that "many" IQ tests are socially, economically, or racially biased, citing as one example a test which asked which is prettier, a face with Negroid features or a face with European features. Many examples of bias can be found by examining IQ tests from the distant past, but it is inaccurate to suggest that current measured racial differences in IQ are due to test bias.

But these isolated weaknesses hardly detract from the value of this book, which I would hold up as an example of elegant science writing and beautiful, useful illustration.

Rating:
Summary: Indepth and interesting
Review: This book is labeled as "for the lay reader" but it ranges from lay language to very technical language regarding chemistry and DNA. The author integrates genetics, evolution, migration, and psychology into a very useful book which supports acceptance of diversity and offers the evidence required to debunk stereotypes and prejudices.