Andrea Barrett, writing in Evolution: Education and Outreach, praised Gordy Slack's The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything for introducing the debate "in such an approachable, conversational fashion that even the reader with no background in the area will be drawn into the drama," adding, "Slack has a good reporter's instinct for the telling detail and the vivid image, and he is able to synthesize and bring fresh perspective to a great deal of material, opening up the field for the less experienced reader. ... This book made me curious; it made me want to dig more deeply."