"An engrossing chronicle for readers ages 12 and older" The Wall Street Journal

How did our scientific quest to understand life begin? From the earliest questioning about the origins of life to the first use of the word virus, this compelling and informative non-fiction book for readers 12 plus unfolds the history of biology itself.

For most of human history, we haven’t known the secrets of life itself. In this fascinating book, the renowned author of A History of US, Joy Hakim, takes us back through time to biology’s beginnings…

Observe the inquisitive scholars of Ancient Greece and the Islamic Golden Age as they began to ask questions about how the human body works; journey to the Renaissance where Leonardo da Vinci was dissecting cadavers to uncover human anatomy; and stop in the late 1800s, where a baffled Dutch biologist found a tiny infectious particle destroying tobacco crops, which he named virus.

Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings is the first in an all-new multivolume work that follows the course of human discovery as we have worked to unlock the biological secrets of our own existence.

“Eye-catching photographs and illustrations supplement Hakim’s simple but engagingly fact-rich prose, making this an ideal introductory text for any budding naturalist, scientist or doctor.” Washington Post

“A work of nonfiction for adolescent readers that has the brio of an adventure story ... Abundant illustrations—maps, portraits, engravings—help keep the pace excitingly brisk.” The Wall Street Journal, Best Books for Children of 2023