The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution

Author: Richard Dawkins

Rating: ⭐ 4/5

Date Read: 2007/06/01

Pages: 688

After finishing The Selfish Gene, I rushed out to the store to buy another of Dawkins’ books. While the size of this tome was quite intimidating, I found the premise utterly fascinating. The narrative traces humans’ evolutionary ancestry, from primates to “concestor zero,” or the beginning of life on Earth.

Dawkins’ knowledge of zoology shines as he gives examples of the fascinating animals that share some of our genes. Readers will undoubtedly learn about plants and animals they had never heard of before, from Australian marsupials to the strange creatures that inhabit Madagascar. The book reads like a novel, and after finishing it I feel more connected, not just to my own species, but to all the creatures around me that share in this crazy thing called life.