Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species

Lee, a paleoanthropologist, tells us much about our evolutionary origins by sorting through our ancestors' mortal remains. I have struggled for years to find reading materials that cover the basics of human evolution without overwhelming students with dry, technical minutiae. At last, a book that does this! This book will appeal not only to students, but to anyone who is curious about the world.--Dean Falk, coauthor of Geeks, Genes, and the Evolution of Asperger Syndrome An exceptionally reader-friendly introduction to human evolution.... Highly accessible, consistently interesting popular science writing. Sang-Hee Lee has posed some of the big questions in human evolution and has written brief, clear, and jargon-free essays about them. Her informal, clear style and commonsense explanations are delightful and engaging. Brava!--Pat Shipman, professor of anthropology and author of The Invaders In this insightful collection, Sang-Hee Lee shows herself to be a gifted storyteller, breathing new life into the old bones, with both the intimate knowledge of a practitioner and a dose of cross-cultural scientific sensitivity. A pleasure to read!--Jonathan Marks, professor of anthropology and author of Tales of the Ex-Apes A terrific introduction to the story of human evolution for someone who is just beginning to explore the field, but even those familiar with the material will find a lot of new information here. An appealing, factual, and entertaining book on the ever-fascinating topic of human evolutionary history.--Wenda Trevathan, author of Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives Lee uses quick-take chapters and a congenial tone to give us an overview of what paleoanthropology has discovered and how it works.... Think of it as visiting some really old friends. Succinctly and engagingly, Lee revisits... key questions about the story of our evolving species--and gives some unconventional answers.