![Once We All Had Gills](http://ncse.com/files/images2/books-journals-reports/Cover--gills_0.jpg)
NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview (PDF) of Rudolf A. Raff's Once We All Had Gills (Indiana University Press, 2012). The preview consists of chapter 19, "Creationist Makeovers," in which Raff reviews the last half century or so of the contentious history of teaching evolution, addressing "creation science," "intelligent design," and the fallback strategy of calling for "teaching the controversy" — of which Raff drily remarks, "No one asks ninth graders to decide on alternative views of [number] theory, chemistry, quantum mechanics, or black holes."
Rudolf A. Raff is James H. Rudy Professor of Biology at Indiana University, the editor-in-chief of Evolution & Development, and one of the founders of the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). Of Once We All Had Gills, Donald R. Prothero writes, "Raff's book is ... a fascinating story of how a young boy interested in natural history became a scientist ... and also a polemic arguing about the importance of science and its defense against the powers of ignorance," adding, "It is a lively read, no matter how much background you might have in biology."