This is the first 'For Dummies' book I ever read. I picked it up because I had the feeling I was a bit in the dark as far as biology was concerned. I read a lot of popular scientific magazines and there's a lot of stuff going on in biology at the moment, so I felt I needed more of a background. This book, even though I finished reading it, was not for me. Its style rattled with me. Highly complicated matter is not made more accessible by interspersing the text with feeble jokes. Still, credit where credit's due, it did help me get more or less acquainted with important concepts such as ATP, the Krebs cycle, Medelean inheritance and the like. When it comes to genetics, it feels dated, which the author can hardly help, given the breakneck speed of development in the field.

At the back there's a classification of life which could really have done with some illustrations. This is a problem with much of scientific literature in my view: I often feel the need for illustrations, even videos. While reading this book, I was sometimes browsing for videos on the web, to get certain concepts more clear, such as how RNA works.

I don't think I'll try another of the 'For Dummies' series, based solely on this experience. They've got a good brand: I do feel like a dummy in many fields, so I do get attracted to the title. I'll just have to do a little more investigation next time I pick up a book to brush up on basics. ( )