Customer Reviews

Sex on the Brain: The Biological Differences Between Men and Women

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If the material in this book had been approached with a dogmatic view of gender politics this could have been a miserable read. The author's sense of humor about gender issues was refreshing and seemed to allow her to approach the sometimes controversial issues with an unbiased attitude. The chapters on hormones were very interesting, and the stories of children chasing the family cat with a toothbrush turned into a toy gun were quite funny. A lot of thought provoking material is compiled from scientific studies done around the world.

How refreshing to read a thoughtful, well-researched and documented book on gender differences -- and not fall asleep in the process!Deborah Blum's many gifts include her ability to report on complex and controversial subjects and make them understandable to the rest of us. This book explores many fascinating theories with a rare perspective. It is intelligently written with an added dose of humor and humanity. This is a sensible book on behavior and biology that forces the reader to think. I recommend it highly.

Deborah Blum was "raised in one of those university-based, liberal-elite families" and as such, was raised to believe that there were no differences between men and women. It wasn't until she had her own career, a husband, and two boys that she actually realized there were basic biological differences between male and female behaviour. Her son was playing dinosaur and "I looked down at him one day as he was snarling around my feet and doing his toddler best to gnaw off my right leg, and I thought, This is not a girl thing-- this goes deeper than culture."

So begins her book. Much of the evidence that is presented is done as studies of sex in other animals (the birds and the monkeys- yes, literally) and her lines of reasoning as to "how this happened" are based along lines of possible biological evolutional forces- things that she admits are really little more than educated guesses dressed up as theories.

The chapter on the differences between male and female brains was interesting in that she spent about 90% of the time either denying the validity of the studies or minimizing the verified physical results. (Sure, that spot is bigger, but we don't know that it does anything.)

Occasionally, you come across a gem of the absurd. This one is a good example:

"One leading French scientist of the nineteenth century sought to prove the existence and potency of this magical male stuff [testosterone] by injecting himself with pureed dog testes. He insisted that the extract boosted his energy and sex drive and enabled him to pee in a higher arc, a major issue for men, obviously, in contrast to women." (pg. 158, beginning of chapter six)

She is quite open and forthright about her own left of center feminist viewpoint on the whole subject, and freely gives her opinion on what she WANTS to be true (and making it clear that it IS her opinion).

One basic concept to follow underneath it all is that if evolution has made us "this way" (biologically), there is no reason to conclude that it has stopped now... and since we have the ability to change our culture, we may tap into evolutionary pressures to change the biology of our race in regards to the basic makeup of our sexes. At the end of the book, she admits she has no idea if this is really possible, but it's obvious that she feels it certainly ought to be. Given her basic premises, it is a logical conclusion. If you look at the past as having created this current biology from something else, why should the process stop now?

But to sum it up, I have to agree with the comments about tediousness, in particular towards the end. The last third or so of the book was read simply so I could be satisfied that I had read it, not because it still had my riveted and interested attention. It would have benefited either from a better organization of the material into a coherent overall development (aka a plot, if this were fiction) or of simply dropping the last third of the book.

I would agree with some of the points made in previous reviews, the chatty style can be irritating when you just want the information. That, however, is probably a lot to do with my gender bias, I am a male scientist and I like cold facts so bear that in mind. Having said that the book does deride male qualities which, as a male (Maxim reader) I found annoying.

But don't let any of those comments put you off of reading the book, it has some very well researched points and from a research point of view it will be a valuable asset for me. I actually got the book from a library and read it and I am now going to buy it so I can refer to it when I need it. That must be a good recommendation I suppose!

At last! A book which evaluates some of the bases for the pronounced differences in behavioral physiology, and biochemistry of females and males. Blum touches on a minefield of emotional subjects and what emerges is a sensitive treatment of the sexes in terms of the underlying biochemical forces that ultimately shape men and women as the human beings that we recognize.

Males are targeted by the hormone testosterone which, from early uterine development, drives them relentlessly towards a variety of behaviors some of which are categorized "as boys will be boys".

As Blum emphasizes, testosterone levels (of testicular origin) fluctuate daily, and generalizations about its role vs concentration are difficult to support. Furthermore, females also make testosterone (adrenals and ovaries) and of great significance, the female brain converts testosterone to estradiol, the female hormone. Thus, the author reminds us that sex hormones, which we casually identify with one sex or another, are capable of rapid transformations with considerable implications.

The book is a remarkable journey along a road that has a plethora of gender intersects. As human beings, curious about who we are and what forces put us there, this book is a fascinating guide.

I found this book both easily readable and filled with valuable information. Ms. Blum's ability to weave stories into the scientific data allows the reader to relate the information presented to real life. I have found I remember parts of this book very clearly and have enjoyed sharing with others what is a very universal topic- male and female gender differences with a bite of science. The studies she references are fascinating...I appreciate the backbone of science as opposed to speculation or opinion, which describes much of the literature on this topic. A book well worth seeking out and reading.

A lot of fascinating theories are explored in this book, and there is a great deal about biological gender differences that can be learned from it. Yet however interesting it may be, the fact remains that it is written by a journalist rather than a scientist, one who is well-versed in the scientific data and who can easily convey it, but not someone who has carried out any of the research.

I somehow got the sense that, throughout the book, I was reading some personal opinions of the author's and not simply an objective discussion of gender differences. I do not think that this prevents the book from being worthwhile or educational, but it did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied and skeptical about some of the conclusions that were drawn.

Blum's style is horrendous. She traipses from one anecdote about her son to the findings of scientists she has interviewed without the blink of an eye. She does not so much advance arguments or conclusions as much as merely advance dumbed-down versions of scientific studies. Matters such as which questions underlie the research and what the research reveals are interspersed with bad puns and Blum's own opinion as to whether something is insulting or disgusting. Her attempts to lighten the fare are patronizing and distracting.

She wrote way too much about non-humans. This or that primate species is simply not the human species. The differences between them are so great that their relevance for the human species does not seem to be established.

Most of the research she chose was physiological, behavioral, and anthropological. Evolutionary biology (a.k.a. sociobiology) gets only occasional treatment, despite its recent progress in explaining male and female differences.

Note also that the book was published in 1997. I write in 2005, so the book is eight years old. Try to find something more up to date on the subject.

Overall, the book's faults can most easily be attributed to the fact that the author is a journalist and not a scientist. She sarificed too much to appealing to the general readership and is not well-schooled in the science of human sex differences herself.

For the most part I think this books is interesting. It readable presents and explores results concerning the differences between the male and female brain. However, there is a strong bias on the author's part toward the notion that humans are evolving to be more and more monogamous as if this is the ideal state or that evolution is somehow directed. Also, throughout the book the author always seems to be vaguely deriding male versus female qualities.

I bought the book after I heard the author speak on the local NPR station's talk show. She was more interesting, more informative, and much less verbose than in the book. There are other popular books on the biology and evolution of the human sexual functions, and this one does not stand out from the crowd. Somewhat of a let down.