Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rubalcaba, J. & Robertshaw, P. (2010). Every bone tells a story: Hominin discoveries, deductions, and debates.  Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.  ISBN 9781580891646. 185p.

SUMMARY

Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw share four fascinating stories of the past in their book entitled Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates.  Readers will meet four hominin skeletons that have been named Turkana Boy, Lapedo Child, Kennewick Man, and Iceman.  Rubalcaba and Robertshaw describe how and where each skeleton was discovered, and they reveal techniques that scientists use to uncover precious information from the remains.  They also inform the readers about the various obstacles that scientists often encounter as they strive to study the past.  Sometimes big delays are forced upon their research attempts as debates take place.  From the information the archaeologists do uncover, Rubalcaba and Robertshaw demonstrate how they can create interesting stories of what life may have been like for these four individuals and others that lived during those time periods.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw craft a very informative book about the past in Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates.  Their work is presented in a nicely organized book with four distinct studies of the four hominin skeletal remains.  In chronological order, they describe the discovery of each hominin in an easy to read story form much like a fictional novel.  They even recreate what the last days of the deceased’s’ life might have been like.  The book itself is beautifully made with thick, glossy pages, colorful photos, and numerous images.  Following the conclusion, there is a time line, detailed glossary, and extensive list of references. Although the time line could have been placed in front of the book for the readers to follow as they read along, the overall book is a fascinating piece of work that’s hard to put down.