Publishers Weekly
05/27/2019
In this extensively researched and clearly articulated work of popular scholarship, journalist Evans (Mapreaders and Multitaskers: Men, Women, Nature, Nurture) provides antiracists with responses to outdated, disproven, but nevertheless still-often-aired racist ideas. Evans dismantles a wide variety of claims, including that adapting to cold climates made Europeans more advanced than their African relatives, that Ashkenazi Jews are smarter than other races, and even that white men can’t jump. The main focus of the book is on various weak claims about race and intelligence: Evans ably demonstrates that the research meant to support race-based claims often confuses correlation with causation and ignores that more genetic difference exists within a given race than between members of different races. He spends a full chapter recounting the history of and rebutting the arguments of Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray’s 1994 book The Bell Curve and pushes back on other popular thinkers who endorse the studies he rejects, including Sam Harris, Andrew Sullivan, and Steven Pinker. This isn’t a page-turner, and it requires the airing of offensive theories in order to contradict them, but, for readers “who instinctively reject racism but who have not known how to fight back when confronted with its claims to scientific authority,” this is an extremely useful resource. (Aug.)
Stephen Oppenheimer
‘Excellent! In Skin Deep, Gavin Evans lucidly and comprehensively demolishes the rationale and evidence of the so-called “race science” employed by some of our most privileged and respected scholars.’
Choice
‘a thorough overview and detailed critique of contemporary "race science," and a poignant description and assessment of scientific racism... an easy-to-read overview of the latest academic research in genetics, evolutionary anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology that explains disparities in human intelligence... but not in terms of the construct “race.” As a seasoned science journalist, Evans explains complex concepts and theories with clarity and precision, and he brings moments of levity to this challenging subject matter.’
Robert Newman
‘Well-researched and richly rewarding, Skin Deep methodically dismantles the quackery and junk science that seeks to justify economic inequality by appeals to racial difference. Given the insidious rise of pseudoscientific racism, Skin Deep is timely and urgent, its patient scholarship a fine antidote to the quackocracy’s shrill rhetoric. In this spirit it will appeal to readers who enjoyed Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science and I Think You’ll Find It’s A Bit More Complicated Than That.’
Nature
‘A world in thrall to far-right politics and ethnic nationalism demands vigilance. We must guard science against abuse and reinforce the essential unity of the human species. I am grateful that in Evans we have someone conscientious, brave and willing to do that.’
Jonathan Bard
‘This book contains a wealth of information, old and new, about race and its underlying genetics. Everyone interested in the distinction between knowledge and prejudice in this sensitive and challenging subject should read it.’
Foreword reviews
‘Give it up for Gavin Evans’s thorough and timely teardown of racial myths... This triumphant volume debunks such popular fallacies as race-based IQ differences, jumping genes, and predictable variations in brain size and development across different – and arbitrary – racial categories... The best defense against misinformation is knowledge, and Skin Deep is an invaluable tool to add to your arsenal.’
Literary Review
‘With the probability that existing political and social tensions will be exacerbated by climate change, rising migration and conflicts over resources, these kinds of books are sorely needed.’
Nature Lib
‘A world in thrall to far-right politics and ethnic nationalism demands vigilance. We must guard science against abuse and reinforce the essential unity of the human species. I am grateful that in Evans we have someone conscientious, brave and willing to do that.’
