Chapter 1: Your Inner Fish

Chapter 1: Your Inner Fish

When I first discovered that I had to read this book for our summer reading assignment, I was not excited at all. I definitely underestimated this book because it was school-related. However, the more I began to read, the more it became harder for me to put this book down. It actually began to appeal to me in many different ways. I can now fathom why this book is our summer reading project.

I was very intrigued when Neil Shubin discovered the new-found fish named "Tiktaalik". I was fascinated by the detailed description of the newly discovered specimen; especially how this wonderful creature conveyed how fish were gradually evolving to amphibians. The discovery of the "Tiktaalik" was the most interesting part in my opinion because I find the evolving process to be beautiful.

Throughout the book, I was aware that Neil Shubin was a very dedicated and diligent paleontologist. As I was reading, I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, this guy loves his job a lot!" His passion for his career is evident throughout chapter 1.
The most time-consuming process of Shubin's profession is that of finding a location to dig for fossils. This is a tedious and difficult process because the desired fossil may not be lying in that exact location. However, Shubin taught his readers that this was actually possible, and it can be done if one is willing to make the effort. I absolutely enjoyed the part where Shubin traveled to the Arctic to find evidence of how the fish species became land animals. However, I felt nervous and scared for Neil just thinking about him going to the Artic! This required a lot of patience and dedication because traveling over the world to discover something about approximately four feet long is not something anyone can do. Even through the hardest situations and times, Neil did not give up and continued to pursue his dream. This was a big eye-opener for me.

I am definitely looking forward to reading more!

-Stacey Kim