Do genes explain life? Can advances in evolutionary and molecular biology account for what we look like, how we behave, and why we die? In this powerful intervention into current biological thinking, Brian Goodwin argues that such genetic reductionism has important limits. Drawing on the sciences of complexity, the author shows how an understanding of the self-organizing patterns of networks is necessary for making sense of nature. Genes are important, but only as part of a process constrained by environment, physical laws, and the universal tendencies of complex adaptive systems. In a new preface for this edition, Goodwin reflects on the advances in both genetics and the sciences of complexity since the book's original publication.

"Spots of a leopard" is a quest into manhood. When journalist Aernout Zevenbergen moved to Kenya, he had no idea that his encounters with life would inspire him unto a journey of self-discovery. What is love? When is a man a good father? Can friendship conquer loneliness?Zevenbergen asks questions few have dared to ask men. Faced with their honesty, the author gets to confront his own demons too.

Relates how the leopard got his spotted coat in order to hunt the animals in the dappled shadows of the forest.

WHY THE LEOPARD HAS SPOTS SB

The Leopard's Spots: A Romance of the White Man's Burden, Volume I of the "Reconstruction Trilogy," is the first part of a three part historical novel meant to portray life in the immediate period following the end of the US Civil War in the South. Written by a Southern sympathizer, political activist and Baptist preacher, the Reconstruction trilogy tells the story of Charles Gaston, the son of a famous Confederate colonel, who leads his men from the state of North Carolina in a rebellion against the Reconstruction policy which was implemented in the South after the war. Other characters featured include Simon Legree, an ex-slave driver turned Reconstruction leader, emancipated slaves, former soldiers from both sides, and unscrupulous politicians, all set against a love story based around the main character. The personalities in the book are fictional, but are all based on real people, giving the work a uniquely realistic air, which made it a best seller in its time. The entire first edition was sold before it was printed, and the book sold over 100,000 copies in its first 6 months. The other two volumes in this trilogy, "The Clansman" and "The Traitor," were as successful as "The Leopard's Spots," with "The Clansman" becoming the basis for the famous 1915 epic silent movie "Birth of a Nation."

Winner of the Sherwood Anderson Foundation Fiction Award Honorable Mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award "F. Scott Fitzgerald meets Wes Anderson" (The Village Voice) in this inventive and witty debut about a young man’s quest to become a writer and the misadventures in life and love that take him around the globe—from the author of Why We Came to the City As early as he can remember, the narrator of this remarkable novel has wanted to become a writer. From the jazz clubs of Manhattan to the villages of Sri Lanka, Kristopher Jansma’s hopelessly unreliable—yet hopelessly earnest—narrator will be haunted by the success of his greatest friend and literary rival, the brilliant Julian McGann, and endlessly enamored with Evelyn, the green-eyed girl who got away. A profound exploration of the nature of truth and storytelling, this delightful picaresque tale heralds Jansma as a bold, new American voice.

Follow 14 African animals as they attempt to find out how many spots their leopard friend has. This funny, and frustrating, tale is highly interactive, engaging children to count along with the characters.