Probably the most important point to note about this book is its intended audience and purpose. Lamoureux writes for young adults – particularly those just starting college – with the intention of helping them escape standard dichotomies set up between the traditional church and contemporary science. These splits, he's discovered, often serve as stumbling blocks to young Christians. I'd think the book would read fine for high schoolers, too. While the book could be read by non-Christians (and would be useful in closing some conversational gaps), it reads best as an aid for Christians.

We also need to take the book for what it is: a relatively quick introduction to these topics. The book doesn't lack depth, but it's an overview, and functions best as such. For readers who have never encountered ideas like concordism and accomodation, there will be plenty to chew over, and hopefully to pursue further (Lamoureux argues against a strict concordism, but doesn't address more moderate positions).

He nicely balances ways of thinking about science with hermeneutic principles. He leaves plenty of questions unaddressed (most notably the existence or not of a historical Adam), but that's probably appropriate for a book of this type. It would have been nice to have fewer pages given to Darwin's biography and more to furthering his discussion, but I understand his choice of coverage.

The prose is a little wonky at times, as if presenting these ideas in basic terms was a struggle every now and then, but for the most part it isn't an issue.

The book's successful in helping to start fruitful conversation and in freeing (a key word in his students' responses to this material) readers from either/or thinking (and the pressures that can fall on Christians from certain backgrounds when stuck in that either/or trap). As a starting point, it's a readable, useful text.