The Triple Helix written by Richard Lewontin and the Finch's Beak written by Jonathan Weiner transport the reader into the world of evolutionary theories. Although both authors discuss the evolution of species, they take distinct and different approaches when describing to the reader the specific scope of their evolution itself. These differences are visible in both novels, and the conclusions drawn about evolution by both authors challenge each reader's individual belief about natural selection, genes, and the environment itself. Lewontin acknowledges that The Triple Helix has a “distinctly negative flavor” (p. 109). ) to explain how a reductionist approach can lead us to formulate an incomplete picture of the biological processes of living organisms. Although the author may have written the book with this mindset, The Triple Helix reiterates that genes are not the only factor in the development of living organisms, but that it is an extraordinary relationship between genes, the organism and the environment that influence the biological processes that allow an organism to develop. succeed. The first chapter of Lewontin's argument, “Gene and Organism,” focuses on the problem of reliance on genetics for all answers to organismal development. For example, the Drosophila (or fruit fly) has a mutation in the development of its head. A normal fly has antennae, while Drosophila replaces the antennae with “leg-like appendages” (Figure 1.2, p. 15). Lewontin explains that these dramatic genetic mutations convinced established biologists that variation within organisms must have arisen due to genetic differences (p. 15). However, the environment plays a huge role in the development of the organism, "a unique interaction between genes and [an organism], and random... middle of article... researcher indicates the value of Lewontin's theory of evolution. The dynamic processes of Grants' discoveries, however, would not ideally fit into Triple Helix. To conclude, Richard Lewontin's The Triple Helix and The Beak of the Finch, written by Jonathan Weiner, led the reader to consider the theory of evolution through juxtaposing lenses. While Lewontin has strong opinions toward modern evolutionary biologists, Weiner commends Peter and Rosemary Grant for their work on Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Finally, the conclusions constructed by the two authors transport the reader into the exciting world of evolutionary biology and all its differences. Work cited Lewontin, Richard C.. The Triple Helix: Gene, Organism, and Environment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2000. Print. Weiner, Jonathan. The finch's beak: a story of evolution in our time. New York: Knopf, 1994. Print.