Author(s): Lloyd Spencer Davis

Fiction (child/Teen)

'What the hell am I doing here?' It's not just a question about the wisdom of standing alone in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. 'What the hell am I doing here?' becomes the BIG QUESTION: and soon acts like the South Pole to Davis. It sets him on a quest for meaning, in a world that still pitches theories of evolution against belief in a Creator; the science of natural selection against a faith that asserts our world was crafted by Intelligent Design. Part memoir, part biography of Charles Darwin, the great originator of the idea of evolution by natural selection, the story follows Davis as he maps out the sea and land journeys taken by Darwin as he traveled with the crew on the Beagle. Through Davis's clear-sighted prose and hard-earned knowledge, we learn about Darwin the man and the scientist, see how his theory came into being, and follow Davis's development as a biologist and explores his delight in Darwin's brilliance. Like Darwin, Davis is a scientist who can write compellingly and cogently for the general reader. With wit, insight, and a gift for conveying vast knowledge in appetizing servings, Looking for Darwin, gives us anecdotes about penguins, leopard seals, gophers, bears, langur monkeys, lions, tortoises, elephants ? and more. It takes us from Charles Darwin's birthplace in England to South America, the Galapagos Islands, Australia and New Zealand. It also follows Davis's separate journey as he travels in Canada, India, the US and Africa: always asking himself how his research into the fauna and forms of his destinations influences his understanding of Darwin and religion. Compulsively readable, witty, informative: a must read for all lovers of the natural world. First published September 2007.