Teens of Bay Area

Christophe Galfard’s nonfiction This Is Life is the type of book that’s not only educational… it’s entertaining. Based on his background (student of Stephen Hawking, previously published books on physics) I went in expecting something science-y but at least physics-adjacent. 

Instead, this book is (as advertised, really, from the title, despite Galfard’s background) all biology, all the time. It goes through the basics like the theory of evolution (including excerpts from various papers so we really get to see how theories we now study as fact were developed and honed), as well as more recent developments in genetics. Parts of this will start to feel like a textbook (especially when you’re going through not just the chemistry of DNA, which is interesting, but also more basic information like the organelles within a cell). For people who are familiar with Galfard’s other work, there are references to a yellow robot… which felt almost like a guest-starring character here, giving us more detail.

That said, there’s sections you wouldn’t expect from a normal classroom tome, for example the geographical history of earth (a brief astronomical aside about the formation of the earth, the cooling of earth, etc.) to finally, the origins of life. There are times when he’s writing not only as a scientist, but clearly, an educator–parts of this feel like he’s not just explaining the history, but why… there are fewer fossil records in certain areas (for naysayers). 

So many of the facts are told in a story-like setting, with a kind of informal first person voice that makes you feel as though Galfard is speaking directly to you, describing scientific events in minute details that make them more vivid. 

The mix of serious information, historical names (and not just their discoveries but their processes), as well as the tone of the book makes it feel a little like Magic School Bus… but for teens and adults. It was an interesting, refreshing, read that helps you easily digest otherwise complicated facts and theories.

Rating: 4 / 5 stars