Each chapter of this beautifully written book begins with a story, taken from today,s headlines, that sets the stage for a thoughtful, student-centered tour of essential biological concepts. For courses in Introductory Biology, for non-majors biology students. This book provides students with all the tools they need to become scientifically literate citizens. And it does students the favor of providing no more than what is necessary to achieve this, since the "Brief Guide" really is brief - in terms of its page-count, the number of topics it covers, and the depth of its coverage. The book,s name actually is doubly apt, in that it is a kind of guide. It attempts to engage students in the subject of biology through an informal, metaphorical, and narrative style. Just as an instructor pauses periodically during a lecture to make sure students understand a tricky point, so the Brief Guide takes the time to bring students along in a step-by-step fashion with a friendly style to make sure no one gets lost along the way.