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Evolution: Making Sense of Life. C. Zimmer and D. J. Emlen. 2013. Roberts and Company Publishers. ISBN 9781936221172. 720 p. $125 (hardcover).-The overall aims of Zimmer and Emlen's text are to (1) convey information on evolution, the underlying principle of all of biology, and (2) do so in an entertaining, engaging way such that it resonates with students. Zimmer's easy-to-read writing style is apparent throughout the text, and it is filled will both classical and contemporary evolutionary concepts. Given the respective areas of expertise of each author, I feel that the authors have accomplished each of these tasks singularly. However, for this review, I will focus on the interaction between these two goals: did they write a textbook that thoroughly covers evolutionary theory while presenting the material in such a way that students learn the concepts rather than just memorizing facts and terms? This interaction is achieved in several parts of the book, but is lacking in others. Here, I provide general comments on the textbook, then provide a
brief chapter-by-chapter overview, and conclude with some final thoughts on the effectiveness of this textbook for undergraduate-level evolution courses.
Copeia readers are most likely interested in excerpts of evolutionary research about fishes, amphibians, and reptiles (and the scientists who study them), and there are many great ichthyological and herpetological examples in Evolution, some of which I highlight below. However, I found that non-vertebrates are well represented in Evolution as well. One thing that stands out as one reads the textbook from beginning to end is the storylines throughout the text. For example, the reader is introduced to a researcher (and his/ her line of research) in one chapter, and the research is covered to show the real-world application of the chapter concepts. In a subsequent chapter (or chapters), we may revisit the same researcher and now cover a different concept. In this sense, the book reads much more like a novel than a dry, stale textbook. The students also see researchers as real people doing real science, not just some name in a textbook. I enjoyed this, but I also came to the realization that this only works if a student reads the book in the order that the authors intended. There appears to be a...