Jean-Pierre Rogel

Media reviews:

[Of the many] that claim to present a coherent view of the natural world…
he does it with wit and style.
This is a book to savor.
--B. E. Fleury (Tulane University) Choice, July 2011 Vol. 48 No. 11
(The Association of College and Research Libraries).

Second only to string theory, evolutionary genetics is quite possibly the most difficult science to communicate to us plebeians. Science writer Jean-Pierre Rogel is therefore to be applauded for attempting the task in his first book, Evolution: The View from the Cottage. His incentive for promoting greater understanding of evolution comes partly from the rise in popularity of creationism and intelligent design theory. And although Canadians are almost twice as likely to believe in evolution than Americans, Rogel fears that we are “educating a generation diverted from science.”
. . .
Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” There comes a point in the branches of evolutionary science where it’s impossible to make things simple. To his credit, Rogel doesn’t try to simplify that which cannot be reduced to lame analogies—a temptation to which some science writers succumb, and consequently they do a great disservice to the scientists who are thereby misrepresented.
--Joni Dufour, Rover Arts, 17/1/2011

As the host of the Radio-Canada science program Découverte, Rogel has been a public figure in Quebec for years. He has also written about genetics and evolution, although he is not yet well known among Anglophones. This, his fourth book, has been translated effectively to give English-speaking readers a taste of his engaging style. Reading this book immerses the reader in his cottage experiences, fleshed out by strong factual analysis. The book is both deeply personal and highly informative as Rogel entwines personal anecdotes with scientific facts. Each chapter feels like a highly entertaining lecture from a cool university professor.
. . .
Rogel does not put forth new ideas about nature or our place in it; he simply condenses and reiterates important evolutionary lessons. In any case, it was nice to see this model of nature writing used towards a new biological topic. Many books that deal with evolutionary theory are rather cold and impersonal. Rogel shows that this does not have to be the case.
--Emily Rondel, Green Books (reviews), 25/4/2011… (mehr)