Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, Jennifer Raff (3.5)
There are many things I found interesting about this book and would have given it 4 stars except for a few issues with the writing. Given the advances in DNA mapping, new data has emerged in the last 10 years concerning how and when people first came to the Americas. I appreciated how the author discussed the science both recent and past and how newer evidence has changed the theories of how and when the first peoples came to the Americas. She thoughtfully outlined what scientists theorized over many years and what the likely scenario is based on current information. My main complaint had to do with two writing techniques: outlining all you are going to tell us (in detail) prior to telling, and including short narratives describing possible stories of how the archeological evidence had come to that location. Given the author is a geneticist, the stories seemed forced and unnecessary.
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