Customer Reviews

Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book analyzes scientific, historical, and political issues associated with homosexuality in a very careful and thoughtful style which does an unusually good job of keeping the author's opinions separate from his factual claims and avoiding any claims that he can't justify.
The main drawbacks of the book are that it isn't very exciting and didn't tell me much that seemed new.

I have read all of the books on the topic, and although there are some fine ones ("Science of Desire" comes to mind), this is the most comprehensive. LeVay is a terrific writer too, clear, balanced, but appropriately opinionated.

Simon LeVay
Queer Science:
The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality

(Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996) 364 pages
(ISBN: 0-262-12199-9; hardback)
(Library of Congress call number: HQ76.25L497 1996)

Queer Science is a good summary of research
into the 'causes' of homosexuality:
historic speculations beginning in the middle 1800s;
Freud and his followers; learning theory; brain structure;
hormones, pre-natal stress; genes.
LeVay is a careful scientist rather than an ideologue
determined to defend a preconceived belief.
He concludes that the research has still not found
the 'causes' or 'sources' of homosexuality.
Highly recommended for anyone interested
in the question of why some people are gay.
We hope for newer editions of this book as the research continues.

Find other books on the Internet: "Best Books on Sexual Orientation".

James Leonard Park, author of
Imprinted Sexual Fantasies: A New Key for Sexology.

Simon LeVay's thoroughly goes through what it IS that `causes' homosexuality. Overall this novel is comprehensiveand and widely inclusive. He takes all different standpoints, including his own on the various standpoints of scientific 'theory' regarding homosexuality. The book itself is a good read, easy to understand and very straight forward. If you want a book that is mostly un-biased but discsses many facets of homosexualitythen look no further!