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A review by sara_m_martins
Bitch: On the Female of the Species by Lucy Cooke
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
TL;DR: An excellent piece of science communication, presenting research from the last 5 or so decades that deconstruct the sex-differences ideas inputed into science in Darwin's Victorian days, and that have long been unchallenged. With humour and heart, Cooke introduces us to the new discoveries that give us a broader state of possible existences for females (and males) in the natural world, as well as showing us that the binary is not supported by science and that homosexuality is present in many organisms.
this book is INCREDIBLE!!!
I cannot underline, bold, italicize how much I think everyone should read this book! am i biased as a biologist? yes! do i still think this is an incredible book? yes!
I've finished Bitch: On the Female of the Species about a month ago or so, and I while I was reading it and since then, I have thought about it often and discussed the knowledge i got from it several times with other people!
this isn't simply a biology book, but it shows the flaws of science has a discipline created by humans, and the genesis of which is necessarily biased as society is. but the truly astounding, incredible, hopeful part of it, which makes me fall in love with science and nature time and time again, is the knowledge that is presented along the way. it's the fact that's these scientists (most of them female themselves) went "hold up, let me check something" and uncover another marvel of the natural world, broadening our minds to the beautiful complexity of the world, instead of murking away in the same unproven (or already proven wrong but dismissed) old theories.
this book is both extremely interesting about thinking where our ideas of "sex differences" and "gender characteristics" (including gender identity and sexuality) come from and if they are really supported by science or not, but also it just is an extremely well-done piece of science communication and the knowledge of the natural world stands by itself as truly fascinating. Cooke informs us of all of this with this same wonder and with plenty of humour and heart along the way, keeping you hooked the whole book.
”My first reaction wasn’t, ‘I’ve made this great discovery,’ it was, 'I’ve really screwed up my lab work.'"
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing with an eARC for an honest review.
this book is INCREDIBLE!!!
I cannot underline, bold, italicize how much I think everyone should read this book! am i biased as a biologist? yes! do i still think this is an incredible book? yes!
I've finished Bitch: On the Female of the Species about a month ago or so, and I while I was reading it and since then, I have thought about it often and discussed the knowledge i got from it several times with other people!
this isn't simply a biology book, but it shows the flaws of science has a discipline created by humans, and the genesis of which is necessarily biased as society is. but the truly astounding, incredible, hopeful part of it, which makes me fall in love with science and nature time and time again, is the knowledge that is presented along the way. it's the fact that's these scientists (most of them female themselves) went "hold up, let me check something" and uncover another marvel of the natural world, broadening our minds to the beautiful complexity of the world, instead of murking away in the same unproven (or already proven wrong but dismissed) old theories.
this book is both extremely interesting about thinking where our ideas of "sex differences" and "gender characteristics" (including gender identity and sexuality) come from and if they are really supported by science or not, but also it just is an extremely well-done piece of science communication and the knowledge of the natural world stands by itself as truly fascinating. Cooke informs us of all of this with this same wonder and with plenty of humour and heart along the way, keeping you hooked the whole book.
”My first reaction wasn’t, ‘I’ve made this great discovery,’ it was, 'I’ve really screwed up my lab work.'"
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing with an eARC for an honest review.