Dr. Coyne has a very fluid and meticulous writing style and presents the intricate body of evidence for evolution in a very engaging way. This book is written primarily for the wavering, uninformed person that has neither a strong scientific knowledge base, nor a strong affiliation with the religious right. Like with the issue of climate change, there has been much in the way of smoke screens and red herrings that calls into question the validity of a scientific theory that has amassed such a bedrock of evidence. Indeed, unlike climate change, evolution has evolved into the realm of beyond all reasonable doubt. Despite the insistence of some to push the meaning of the word theory into the realm of maybe; this theory finds its contemporaries in such theories as the germ theory, the atomic theory, and the theory of relativity. There is no doubt behind these theories, and there is no doubt behind the theory of evolution, save in certain religious circles.

My only lament derives from the very religion versus science debate I describe above. I would love to read a book on evolution that does feel pressured to spend over 20% of the book trying to debunk outrageous "competing" theories. While Coyne is firm and straightforward in his dealing with the Creationist and Intelligent Design camps in this book, he thankfully does not take it the leaps and bounds forward that his gifted colleague, Richard Dawkins, has chosen to do. He simply presents his evidence, exposes the yawning chasm that is the lack of evidence and logic for the other side, and lets his argument lie. He does not go on to spitefully attack personally his opponents. He does not go on to demean persons with religious beliefs. Indeed, it is this restraint that elevates Coyne above Dawkins, the defacto leader of Evolutionary Biology in the International scene. It is my hope that in all future publications on teh subject, authors can take a page from Dr. Coyne's and keep to the scientific beauty and grandeur of evolution and leave the squabling to Dawkins and his shrill opponents on the far right.