This book is subtitled "A Friendly Conversation About Evolution," and it is a very different kind of book. It is a story about a professor who is conducting a forum titled "Evolution is a Fact" when he is challenged by another professor. The entire book is the discussion back and forth about evolution and creation, their weaknesses and strengths.

 There are two things that we feel are unique about this book. The first is that it is written in a cartoon format. The authors have obviously been involved in the creation/evolution controversy because they are able to give the usual responses to various arguments from both sides. In spite of the fact that the format is comic strip, the dialogue is not trite or ignorant. Concepts like punctuated equilibrium are presented in a simple, easy-to-understand way that uses cartoon styles. The works of Behe and an explanation of irreducible complexity are also explained in a similar way.

 This is a great book for teaching high school or even college students. It is not abusive, does not ridicule, and yet does address the issues. It also does not present the extremists on either side. Questions like the age of the earth or misrepresentations of either evolutionists or creationists are not a part of the book.

 There is a brief discussion at the front and the back to help people use the book in a classroom setting, and several useful sources of additional material are given. We recommend the book highly. It has a number of uses and is done in such a way that young readers will be able to stay with it and are motivated to do so by the material and the way it is presented.

Back to Contents Does God Exist?, JanFeb01.