Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book. The first is the review I sent in to the editor of Teach Secondary magazine. The second is what was actually published after sme relatively minor edits.

There’s not much to choose between them, but you may wish to think about which one you prefer, and why.

Adaptable: The Surprising Science of Human Diversity

(Herman Pontzer, Allen Lane, £25)

My submitted review

You would be forgiven for thinking that a book written by an evolutionary anthropologist would have little relevance for the majority of people. After all, as the book's title suggests, the subject under discussion is how human physiology has developed in different ways in response to different conditions around the world. And yet it is highly informative about how our bodies work, and what can cause, or help to prevent, modern maladies such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to report that this is the most readable and understandable book about human biology I have ever read. For example, in one chapter the author describes in step-by-step detail that happens to a cheeseburger from the moment it enters your mouth to the waste disposal later on. With examples like that, clear explanations and a soupcon of light humour, this book is highly recommended.

The published review

You could be forgiven for thinking a book by an evolutionary anthropologist would hold little relevance for most people. As the title suggests, the subject under discussion here is how human physiology has developed in different ways, in response to different conditions around the world – and yet it’s a highly informative read, centring on how our bodies work, and causes of, and solutions to modern maladies such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Indeed, it’s the most readable (and comprehensible) book about human biology I’ve ever read. In one chapter, for example, Pontzer describes in step-by-step detail what happens to a cheeseburger from the moment it enters your mouth to the subsequent waste disposal.

Packed as it is with similar such explanations and revelations, with a soupçon of light humour thrown in, it comes highly recommended.

This book was first reviewed in Teach Secondary magazine.