Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings

Gr 8 Up–Hakim loves history and storytelling. Her new book does not disappoint for sharing facts but falls short of being intentional with including social justice issues. She weaves together how artists and scientists worked to create a body of work that was shared over countries and time. She highlights how the Black Plague and the invention of the printing press advanced science. Hakim also includes the contributions of women, Aztecs, and one African enslaved person, which is commendable, but limited at best. Hakim states her research practices and provides a bibliography but limits mention of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas to those of dying due to European contact without evidence that she researched their medical or biological practices and contributions. She does not present any objections to how economic class, gender, or race has advanced biological science without the consent of those exploited, nor their families being compensated for the use of their loved ones. Hakim missed an opportunity to highlight how individuals who were dissected played an essential role in the context of work, or the impact of their loss to their families.