Rob Desalle

This sounded like a great idea for a book, but I was disappointed. The writing is not great, in fact it’s downright awkward in many spots. And it was aggravating that they spent so much time in a cosmological history of the entire universe: yeah, sure, if there had been no Big Bang there would be no photons and hence no light and hence no color, but it was absurd to spend so much time on it. Every single book about any subject could justify this as well, a book about Norwegian shoes could also start with the Big Bang. Similarly, way too much ink was used explaining evolution via natural selection.

Despite my gripes, there -was- a lot of interesting stuff about color in the book. Shame to have to wade through so much other stuff to see it, and a shame the writing wasn’t better. (I admit I can’t write, myself, but I think I know good science writing when I see it, and this is substandard. )

Sadly, this book was scheduled to be released with an American Museum of Natural History (NYC) exhibit about color that opened in March - talk about bad timing.… (mere)

This book draws upon modern genetic evidence to debunk the idea that "race" has a biological basis. The authors are well-qualified to write such a book. Both are curators at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, with DeSalle being at the Sackler Institute of Comparative Genomics. The authors previously combined efforts in writing the fine book Race?: Debunking a Scientific Myth.

The authors' main conclusion is that modern genomics (based on DNA analysis of people worldwide) refutes the idea that humans can be divided into the traditional categories of race. Among other aspects that challenge the racial categories is (a) that there are no objective criteria by which such categories can be identified genetically; and (b) that any categories one might seek to define intergrade imperceptibly with others. As noted back in the early 1960s by Frank Livingstone, "there are no human races, there are only clines". The authors devote one chapter specifically to refuting Nicolas Wade's A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, a work widely disparaged by scholars for its flawed science and racialist perspective. In fact, their title is a riff on (and implicit rebuttal to) Wade's book.

I have mixed views on this book. On the one hand, the arguments are well-founded and convincing. On the other hand, the book is quite technical, and written well above the level of readers that lack training in genetics. Indeed, though a biologist (not a geneticist), I found much of it heavy going; and the color graphics (which I am glad were included) were of only marginal assistance. A much more effective work would have presented the genetic science in ways accessible to the educated reader. Such would not only have been possible, but should be viewed as essential. If another writer with expertise in human genomics were to undertake such a book, it could be a welcome addition to public discourse on one of the more important scientific issues of our time.… (mere)