Why do slowly rising sea levels or statistics about numbers of foreign children starving generate less of a response than a single emotionally moving picture? Croston, a biologist who now makes his living as a popular author, traces these human quirks to our long evolutionary history, and in particular to our development as social primates. Although the book relies upon some statistics and scientific references, it is primarily written for the general reader. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)