It’s been 17 years since I took a biology class; I’m more of a physics/chemistry kind of guy. Over the past few years, though, I’ve been reading books about biology, mostly Richard Dawkins, and I felt I needed to go back and get a base in the subject. So, I picked up The Idiot’s Guide to Biology.
Does anyone like the title The Idiot’s Guide to…? I can’t imagine anyone says “Yeah, the idiot’s guide. Just what I need!” They should go with something more subtle, but I can’t think of an alternative right now. At least it’s better than …for Dummies. Anyway, I read it on the train here in Japan, so it didn’t really matter, but I doubt I would read it in public in the U.S. There would just be too many people yelling, “Hey, idiot!”
In very clear, easy-to-understand language the book starts with some chemistry and then moves on to cell structures and functions, inheritance, evolution, and then to plants and animals before ending on biospheres. I’m embarrassed to say I really learned a lot. There was so much new information for me, I’ll probably read it again. There were parts that I thought might have been over the heads of those new to biology, but overall it builds well upon itself and assumes little previous knowledge on the reader’s part.
If you want to catch up on some biology, I recommend this book.