Though challenging for the layperson, his book will reward persistent readers with a better understanding of the most controversial scientific issues of our day. What is unusual about Lewontin and his eloquent critique is that, apart from being extremely subtle and intelligent, he is a working biologist and a wonderfully stylish writer. If you read only one book on genetics this year, make sure it is this one. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. So collects nine reviews written by Richard Lewontin for The New York Review of Books , centered on the subject of human biology.
Book reviews come in all shapes and sizes, with different fora serving different purposes.
Among the neat things at The New York Review of Books is that reviews there often serve for essayistic digressions by the likes of such lights as Lewontin. Reviewing several books at a go, the reviews often focus as much on the general issues under discussion as on the books themselves. The fun of the pieces is, in fact, that they are not simply tightly focussed book reviews, and that Lewontin uses the opportunity to consider the larger picture, providing an often much-needed context for the texts. His essay on the Human Genome Project, The Dream of the Human Genome , is a welcome critical look at the undertaking. Rather than updating the reviews, they are presented in their original state, with the epilogues suggesting what changes or additions Lewontin would now make.