Richard Dawkins wrote “The Greatest Show On Earth” to add his weight to the argument of natural selection vs. Creationism. In this step by step guide, he provides fact after fact that can be used in the argument against the people that believe in Creationism as the reason why we are here.

The book itself is incredibly interesting, entertaining and easy to follow. Most books of this type are complex but anyone could read this and fully understand the topic of evolutionary biology from start to finish. Dawkins discusses what we know and how we know it and, whether or not you have a grasp of biology, you can put the book down knowing exactly what he was trying to tell you. One of the only problems I had with the book is that it comes across as a little preachy. However, you can understand why when you see how many natural selection sceptics there are around. It is true that facts will not sway faith, but they will sway those in two minds.
Dawkins’ “The Greatest Show On Earth” is beautifully written and contains many funny chapters. One of my favourites is that dealing with the argument that evolution cannot be true because we never see the evolution. Although that argument does not make sense to me because evolution takes millions of years, it is apparently one of the biggest arguments against evolution. However, Dawkins absolutely rips it to shreds BEFORE pointing out that it does happen around us all the time and gives several convincing examples.

Another minor fault that I find with this book is that it uses some strange and controversial examples to grab peoples’ attention, which I find detracts from the overall message. However, despite the image of the Classics professor defending the existence of the Romans, the facts given arguing against common misinformation are incredibly simple to grasp and fully back the powerful idea of natural selection that has now been with us for over a century and a half.
In conclusion, “The Greatest Show On Earth” does have its faults. The language used is too angry to be persuasive and often comes across as a little patronizing at times. There are also metaphors used that need a little information before it is possible to get them from time to time. Regardless of all that though, it is a very good book for those wanting to understand science but never having the chance to do so in plain English before. Dawkins is an amazing writer who can convey exactly what we need to know to argue against Creationism whilst leaving little doubt about the validity of natural selection.

Thomas Friedman’s “The World Is Flat” is a fantastic book that reflects upon his commitment to inform his readers about the world at large. Travelling around the world to grab key points, Friedman seemed to open doors to those that were the best informed about the world we live in and the result of all this work is a coherent book on how the real world works.

“The World Is Flat” was first published in April 2006 and has become a major hit ever since, and it is easy to see why when you read the book. However, it is important to note that it has been updated several times since its original form became outdated pretty quickly. After all, the world does not stop so the book needed to encompass recent events as well. That is only one reason why the book is completely unique. Having said that, the title of the book does not appeal to me and seems a little strange now that I have read the book. After all, it is a metaphor for getting closer, going global and being more effective, but the world being flat is reminiscent of the days when the whole human race had it wrong.

The world is not flat but is becoming more complex, more exciting, more challenging for everyone and yet also more fun! Aside from my disagreement with the title, this is an essential book that absolutely everyone has to read. This especially those that want to understand and survive the modern world we live in.

Friedman explains exactly how the world has become flat in “The World Is Flat”, identifying ten forces that had a major impact. Two of the most important are the demolition of the Berlin Wall and reunion of East and West on 11/9/89 and the release of the first Netscape Internet browser on 8/9/95.

The above evens are just two of those identified but you can see how important both are to life today. Moreover, Friedman also looks at every important step in business from supply chaining at Wal-Mart to LINUX software development to located call centres in India so that they can receive calls from the US to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. We underestimate the importance of these today but Friedman brings us right back to acknowledge just how much they have changed our lives. In just one book, Friedman is able to take every reader on an amazing trip around the world. Not only can you read all about why life as we know it has changed.

Friedman does offer answers to commonly asked questions in “The World Is Flat” but he emphasizes the fact that the world is a crucial turning point right now. The world is changing and the pace of life is accelerating thanks to the thousands of miles of fiber-glass data lines under the sea. They place the entire world in one small box these days and that is out reality. It is a certainty that we will hear more from Friedman in the coming years because new and unique occurrences come into being every single day.