Tom Wolfe’s “The Kingdom of Speech” is an irreverent romp through evolutionary theory.  Wolfe argues that speech –the first artifact–is what sets humans apart from animals.  Along the way, he skewers everyone from Darwin (a copycat) to Noam Chomsky (for saying language is hardwired in the brain).  If this sounds like a dissertation, don’t worry: Wolfe, a “master provocateur”,  skewers with wit. Wolfe is back to what he does best-skewering the conventional wisdom.