Although the chapters sometimes felt disconnected initially, once I understood how each example fit into the narrative, I really started to appreciate this book.

There are several aspects that I enjoyed especially as one with a biology background.

Having a preexisting understanding of Tinbergen’s questions allowed me to view each example provided as either proximate (how, what) or ultimate (why) to put it simply. This was like reading an animal behavior textbook in a conversational tone.

Using vernacular to break down complex concepts like the role of gene duplication as one contribution to speciation- I thought that I would hate it, but I didn’t. Instead I got really excited that when this book publishes, I am buying a copy and sharing with my biology students who might not understand the textbook explanations.

So without getting into the weeds of all the parts of this book that I really quite liked, let’s just say that this book probably isn’t for everyone. I liked this better than Sapiens. I will be buying a copy of this book when it publishes, and I think that biology teachers of undergraduate level courses may find value in this.

For that alone, I am giving this book a 4.5⭐️ rating.

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for this ARC and opportunity to review it.

I struggled with this book.The repetition, the careful phrasing of ideas and thoughts and beliefs rather than scientific facts; the fact that at 37% into the book we had skipped from DNA and how humans are related to bananas to talks about how pelvises work, then on to fetuses, which are shaped like a comma. This reads like simplified trivia in parts, and the presentation wasn’t working for me.

The tone wasn’t quite conversational, not quite educational, but felt .. like a teacher explaining things to a much younger student. Not in an offensive way, just a very simplified way that skipped over details in order to give a gist of the bigger picture. And it was boring.

I could follow along the path of evolution, DNA, traits and behaviors, the cost of childbirth and mutations — but by now I was 30% in, when penis bones, spines, and knots are mentioned — and I’m still bored. I can follow the author’s path, from genes to childbirth, reproduction to the loss of a chromosomal pair and how that affects human fertility (which then leads into a talk about Tinder and cane toad sex and on into incest) but … the writing isn’t strong enough to hold my interest, and nothing is well explained. It’s too simplified, too speculative, too focused on forced analogies and segues.

I don’t know who the audience for this book is, but it isn’t me. I’m sorry, this book is a solid pass. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book could have easily been a five-star effort, but Ms. Beekman dropped the ball. Her theory departs from the standard genetic orthodoxy (Dawkins, Pinker, et al.) that the need for cooperative childcare created human language. Still, her arguments in favor are, at best, relatively weak and incomplete. Ms. Beekman added a lot of filler to "The Origin of Language." I didn't need to go on two imaginary train rides with other extinct Hominines. Her book was often interesting, but it required much better editing to encourage the author to focus her arguments in favor of her theory.