Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body

"Overall, I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. It was really fun to see the INCREDIBLE similarities between all living things that explain why we are built the way we are. Shubin did an OUTSTANDING job explaining things in way everybody can understand. The thing I think could have been better -- Shubin tells his own story quite a bit, especially in the first half ("I was a graduate student and I believed..." or "I used to go to attend such and such..."). I totally understand why he did this; sometimes telling the personal journey makes the information more interesting. But to be completely frank, it doesn't work for this book; his story is kinda long and boring, and I just wanted him to get to the real information. The book is short anyways, and I would have much preferred that he shave his personal story to 10% of its present size and instead put more on-topic information into the book. Nevertheless, definitely worth a read. "
~ Written on 2008-06-24

"This author has been involved for many years in key research to discover the genes and processes that shape our bodies and how these have evolved through the history of living things. I was thrilled to see a book written by him, and hoped I would not be disappointed. Instead, I am pleasantly surprised. Far from being the dry work of a research scientist, this is a bright, interesting, almost conversational work that still conveys all the science involved. "
~ Written on 2008-06-22

"My colleague Neil Shubin did a superb job at explaining sophisticated concepts in evolutionary biology while remaining accessible and even entertaining. I had the pleasure of seeing Neil give a talk where I work, at Stony Brook University, and he is as interesting in person as he comes across on the page. This book is a much better introduction to evolution (even though it is not written with that specific goal in mind) than most other stuff that is out there. Shubin weaves his own history as a biologist with the history of how we became we, and the result is a must read for anyone interested in how science works."
~ Written on 2008-06-21

"I can't add much that hasn't already been said. A 5-star book, easy to read and understand, and still interesting for a trained biologist. I only wish it had been longer! See other reviews for more in-depth coverage, I would only be repeating their statements."
~ Written on 2008-06-20

"This author is knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. He has effective ways of explaining things and great examples. The material is most interesting. I recommend it to everyone, especially people interested in biology."
~ Written on 2008-06-11