Yup; hard to understand that a book like this is necessary. I don't really care what others believe, but it becomes a problem when they push their tin foil hat agenda into politics. I wish I could remember every word of the arguments in this book to call upon as needed. ( )

Good review of the theories behind evolution with lots of interesting examples. A bit repetitive a times, but overall quite enjoyable. ( )

This is essentially a layman's introduction to evolution: what it is (and isn't!) and evidence for its existence. Well written, lots of neat facts and theories, and some pretty interesting commentary. While I don't agree with him on the aquatic ape (he says improbable, I say probable), a very good evolution primer. ( )

An excellent explanation of the evidence for evolution. Coyne is good at explaining things is a way that is clear. Although I had a basic understanding of the evidence for evolution from various biology courses and articles over the year, this presented the evidence in more depth and variety than I had encountered before.

The main thing that kept this book from being four stars is that occasionally (fortunately, not too often) Coyne would spend time discussing why Creationism is false rather than focusing on why evolution is true. In general, it's much easier to persuade someone that X is true (and by the way, X excludes your belief Y) than it is to persuade someone that their belief Y is false.

If you already believe evolution is true, then these excursions into Creationism come across as distracting. If you don't believe evolution is true, then you're going to focus on countering those arguments rather than paying attention to the actual evidence for evolution. Without those sections, the book would be one that I would feel comfortable sending to Creationist friends.

(It's interesting to note that a lot of the reviews from creationists here essentially say: this book was interesting, but he was so hostile to creationists.) ( )

Why Evolution is True is well written. The book is easy to read, and the details of evolution are laid out logically. Although this book was required reading for a university class on evolution and genetics, it was an easy read. For someone with undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, it is a casual read, in contrast to an intellectually challenging scientific publication. This means that the book should be suitable for individuals without a strong background in science or biology.

Before reading the book, I already knew that evolution is true. This is obvious from the fact that we have a theory of evolution: in science, a "theory" is something that is empiricaly true, such as the theory of gravity, which no layperson disputes. Nevertheless, Coyne presents his information as if this theory were in need of further proof (which matches the title of his book), for example by introducing facts with the phrase "which we should expect if [the point of evolution being discussed were true]."

The final chapter of the book addresses those laypeople who respond, "your evidence is convincing, but I'm not convinced" - Coyne argues that their problem is the emotional consequences of acknowledging evolution. He addresses some of their concerns, such as the fear that acknowledging our origins entitles us to act like mere animals.