My Genes Made Me Do It! [Paperback]

Neil E. Whitehead (Author), Briar Whitehead (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Huntington House Pub (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563841657
• ISBN-13: 978-1563841651
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book About Homosexuality, March 29, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Genes Made Me Do It! (Paperback)

This book should be read by everybody. The authors argue that homosexuality is a very complex issue, not to be reduced to the simplistic explanation that "my genes made me do it." They point out (as have other authors) that while there could be a small genetic contribution, it is indeed small, and it would not predetermine a person's behavior. In fact, it's questionable if any behavior is predetermined at birth. Behavior, at least, is always ultimately a matter of choice. The Whiteheads argue that sexuality is shaped by all kinds of factors, not just biological. Particularly interesting was their survey of different cultures. Homosexuality has not been, in fact, cross-cultural. There are some cultures in which it's been virtually non-existent, and the current "western" model seems to be unprecedented. Even in those earlier cultures in which homosexual behavior did exist, it seemed to exist in very specific circumstances -- certain ages, certain classes, or in a ritualized fashion -- and not across the board. Even the modes of homosexual behavior have varied. In other words, sexuality can be very fluid, and behavior is often shaped by culture.I think that much of what the Whiteheads say will eventually be accepted (and has certainly been put forth by other authors previously), but this issue at this point is too driven by ideology and politics. This is really the kind of book that should have been published by a major publisher so it could get a wide audience.My one minor concern is that the book does reference Christianity a little bit, and that may take away some of its credibility for some readers who are not Christian. It shouldn't. Some of the best books about homosexuality -- books which are, for the most part, fair and balanced -- have been written from a religious perspective.

53 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a scientific study disproving the rhetoric., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My Genes Made Me Do It! (Paperback)

The Whiteheads lay the burden of proof upon those who seem to have convinced the world that homosexuality is biologically driven. Clearly, such proof does not exist, according to this study. Science has yet to prove that homosexuality is anything more than one of the hundreds of choices each of us makes throughout life. Read this book if you are interested in the truth.

17 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real waste of time..., December 26, 2005

By 

rondrs - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Genes Made Me Do It! (Paperback)

was reading the review Andrew Woods wrote.

From the offset, Mr Woods "poisons the well" by attacking the author for his supposed "shallow religious views" and motivations, that is irelevant to whether the ideas presented in the book are valid or not. Next Mr woods uses the genetic fallacy by implying the studies that were used in the book are wrong because they are "old" (their beeing old doesn't neccassarily mean they are flawed). He then proceeds to make 2 contradictory statements. Mr Woods critisizes the book by saying ""proving" that Orthodox Jews are never gay, on the basis of their say-so" but then later wants us to accept his view on homosexuality because of the "masses of first-person testimony". I guess anecdotal evidence is fine with him, as long as it supports his position hehe.

Finally, Mr Woods said "The fact remains that if heterosexuality could be achieved by will-power alone, there would be no homosexuals at all in a society which persecutes them so intensely." The fact?? Using your fallacious reasoning, sain murderers would have no choice on whether or not they killed someone because of the way their behavior is persecuted by society and the stiff consequences they face. Your supposed "fact" is contradicted daily by people who choose to ignore the persectution (and even possible execution in some cases) and decided to murder anyways, despite the consequences.

With that beeing said, I reccomend this book for people who have an open mind, want a different perspective (different then what the MSM often perpetuates) on this issue and are tolerant (ya, I said tolerant) of the views of others. I find it ironic that the same people who constantly preach "tolerance" are often so intolerant of people who disagree with them when it comes to homosexuality. I felt the book was well written and I think it does a fairly decent job of refuting the myth that human beeings are "hard wired" to the degree they have no control over their behavior at all.