Donald Johanson is the paleoanthropologist who discovered Lucy, the skeleton of one of our earliest walking ancestors. In fact, the oldest such skeleton found. He is also co-author of such books as Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. I, however, have just begun to have an interest in the origins of our species and I definitely feel this was a good book to start with. A little background probably would have helped but the authors do their best to aid the unknowledgable reader in understanding the subject. There are chapters on why our earliest ancestors decided to get up on two feet and how they may have survived. Topics like how the neanderthals (related to our ancestors) survived while other hominids did not are addressed here.

The book goes step by step, culminating in the appearance of homo sapiens and the characteristics that make us human. The authors give us what actual evidence has been found as well as the various interpretations as to what the evidence might mean. The book is very reader-friendly and helpful for those of us who don't know very much about the subject. I really enjoyed it and it has only further kindled my desire to learn more about evolution and human origins. .