Discovering Life's Story: The Evolution of an Idea. Volume Two

In "The Evolution of an Idea," the second installment of Joy Hakim's acclaimed "Discovering Life's Story" series, young adult readers embark on a fascinating historical journey through the development of evolutionary theory. Beginning with Carl Linnaeus's efforts to classify life, the book progresses to the pivotal contributions of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the late 1800s. Hakim masterfully explains how these groundbreaking thinkers challenged long-held beliefs about species immutability and extinction, ultimately altering humanity's understanding of its place in the natural world. This volume is ideal for intellectually curious teens aged 12-18, offering a compelling narrative that makes complex scientific history accessible and engaging. It encourages critical thinking and appreciation for the scientific process.

In the second volume of the Discovering Life's Story series by best-selling author Joy Hakim, the theory of evolution takes hold--transforming ideas about survival, extinction, and life itself. Can species change? Or go extinct? In the eighteenth century, most people answer no to both questions. But in the century that follows, that certainty gets challenged as some people in Europe question the common belief that all creatures are the same as they've been since life's creation. The Evolution of an Idea, the second volume of Discovering Life's Story, opens with the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who attempts to create an organizing system for the myriad forms of life on earth. It continues into the late 1800s, when two Englishmen--Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace--each develop their own version of a startling new theory of how life-forms change over time. This evolutionary idea will alter the understanding of our place in the great web of life on earth. In this remarkable volume, author Joy Hakim continues charting the path of human discovery and shows how groundbreaking thinkers began to unlock the biological secrets of our own existence.