books 2010: The Neandertal Enigma, by James Shreeve
Full title: The Neandertal Enigma: Solving the Mystery of Modern Human Origins. Nonfiction. I thought this book was really interesting! Shreeve, a science writer, interviews dozens of paleoanthopologists and archaeologists about the origin of humanity. I thought Shreeve did an excellent job of melding together all the differing viewpoints--he presents the various theories in an understandable way, and also made the overall tale fascinating as he built the case for his own personal theory. I thought the book was incredibly well written--just imagining the volume of material Shreeve had to work with, I'm impressed by the book's structure, elegance, and coherence.
I was also reminded of Unholy Business by Nina Burleigh: Burleigh also did exhaustive research on her topic, but her book was simply not synthesized as well as Shreeve's. Shreeve traveled and interviewed people the way Burleigh did, but Burleigh's personal travel narrative got in the way of her story, while Shreeve's was just an undercurrent--you just think "now he's in South Africa" and keep going, while with Burleigh I kept trying to detangle her travel and figure out what she was doing. Shreeve's writing was much more seamless, much more entertaining. Both topics were intriguing to me, but Shreeve's is by far a better book.
I was fascinated by the subject of the Neandertal and early modern humans, which is why I picked this book up; as I read, I became fascinated also with Shreeve's fascination. He does an excellent job of drawing the reader in to what he can't stop thinking about. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
I was also reminded of Unholy Business by Nina Burleigh: Burleigh also did exhaustive research on her topic, but her book was simply not synthesized as well as Shreeve's. Shreeve traveled and interviewed people the way Burleigh did, but Burleigh's personal travel narrative got in the way of her story, while Shreeve's was just an undercurrent--you just think "now he's in South Africa" and keep going, while with Burleigh I kept trying to detangle her travel and figure out what she was doing. Shreeve's writing was much more seamless, much more entertaining. Both topics were intriguing to me, but Shreeve's is by far a better book.
I was fascinated by the subject of the Neandertal and early modern humans, which is why I picked this book up; as I read, I became fascinated also with Shreeve's fascination. He does an excellent job of drawing the reader in to what he can't stop thinking about. Overall, a really enjoyable read.