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Title: Would have made a very good long article
Review: This book has a catchy title and a compelling premise, which, unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to. The organization of the book feels arbitrary and forced. The repetitive anecdotes make for a boring read from cover to cover. The chapter titled "Biology" is its weakest point -- a random litany of information that doesn't arrive at any particular or useful thesis. Unfortunately, this tendency to string together various historical anecdotes pervades the text. The final chapter is decent, but it's a long, irritating slog until then.
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