I've read two books in the last three weeks, both from the shelves of the library. Written In Stone is a wonderful look at the fossil record's support of evolution and makes the point that just because we find a set of bones that look like it might be related to a living creature, that does not mean that animal was the ancestor of that creature. At one time there were at least 4 different hominids (human-ish creatures) living in Africa, and while we have fossils of them, it's quite possible that we don't have a fossil of our exact ancestor. Perhaps more like a cousin or niece than a greatgreat....great-grandfather. Covers in depth the evolution of birds, mammals, whales, elephants, horses and of course, humans.
Another really interesting book I read on what appears to be an unrelated topic, The Big Lie. In this book Tanya Selvaratnam recites her heartbreaking story of how she tried desperately to become a mother in her late 30s and early 40s only to find that she had cancer and would lose her husband over the ordeal. This book is not all that unrelated to Written In Stone, it even has a chapter on Evolution, as in why does motherhood become so elusive after 30 (when 90% of your eggs are gone)? A touching story combined with a plethora of statistics and information on IVF and other fertility treatments as well as an in-depth look at women's issues in general. A very enjoyable, if heartrending book.
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