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Sex: A Natural History [Hardcover]

Joann Ellison Rodgers (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0716737442 978-0716737445 January 15, 2002 1st
Everything is sexual. Every joke is dirt, every pun a double entendre, every four letter word a part of the anatomy. Ads and magazine covers are embellished with full breasts and bulging pecs. And we all know which sites are making money on the Internet. Humans are obsessed with sex. But why? And what happens to us when we behave sexually?

In Sex: The Natural History, Joann Rodgers unearths both the roots of our sexual nature and the outcomes of our primal urges. Rodgers explains what it is that makes us male and female in the first place, and than explores the biology and physiology of flirtation, love, courtship, intercourse, fidelity, parenting, and nurturing. Drawing on a wide range of evidence from the laboratory to the natural world she argues that every aspect and kind of sexual behavior that exists today can be seen as an evolutionary and biological response to our powerful need to survive.

And significantly, Rodgers shows that "the battle of the sexes," is really a game of one-upmanship that is never intended to be won. The true purpose of our sexual biology is to get two strangers to a point of cooperation that enables them to bond, parent, nurture and maintain intimate relationships. The sexual strategies employed by men and women may be different but they are ultimately complementary, not antagonistic.

Presenting a view of sex that readers may not recognize--but won't soon forget-Sex: The Natural History illuminates one of the most powerful, and often misunderstood, aspects of human existence.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The reduction of human sexual behavior to adaptations that ensure survival has become rather commonplace in the era of evolutionary psychology. Rodgers, deputy director of public affairs and director of media relations for Johns Hopkins and a lecturer in the university's School of Hygiene and Public Health, builds on this idea as she examines why human bodies and minds are almost constantly preoccupied by sex, often unconsciously. In the tone of a slightly suggestive sex-ed teacher, she examines the rituals accompanying sexual behavior, from the flirtatious touch to the French kiss to the climactic moment of orgasm. Humans, she argues, have developed each behavior to attract and keep the most desirable partner. In spite of the already flooded market for these kinds of books, Rodgers's entertaining anecdotes, her sometimes provocative prose (on the results of a one-night stand: "So he really wasn't the master of the universe he pretended to be? And she wasn't exactly the innocent, 20-something school teacher she presented to him? Big deal") and her notion that sexual behaviors and functions coevolved (that is, when a female desired a particular trait in a male, he eventually developed it) make this a fittingly exciting read. (Jan.)Forecast: Frank, funny and deft, this book will have to elbow its way past the competition to get attention, but Rodgers may have just the right stuff to do that. Her book tour will benefit from her years of media relations experience. Rodgers also spent 18 years as a science columnist for Hearst Newspapers, so her name may be familiar to reviewers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sex is certainly one of humankind's major preoccupations, but how much do people really know about it? There are many books about finding true love, sexual technique, and relationships, but this is the first that really explains sex. Rodgers, a science writer and lecturer in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, looks at the science behind the behavior. Sex is an intricate combination of chemistry, genetics, biology, and psychology. By studying other species, scientists have discovered that humans are not unique. Attraction, arousal, courtship, and orgasm occur even in insects. Well researched and written with clarity and wit, Rodgers's book explains how and why sexual behavior evolved. It goes beyond the works of Masters and Johnson and The Joy of Sex to examine the role that genes, hormones, and neurons play in the process. This fascinating page-turner will both teach and entertain readers. Highly recommended for all public, academic, and health science collections. Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 544 pages
  • Publisher: W. H. Freeman; 1st edition (January 15, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0716737442
  • ISBN-13: 978-0716737445
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,158,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Info, but a difficult read for those who don't know tons about the biosciences, August 16, 2005
This review is from: Sex: A Natural History (Paperback)
How do I say this? I loved this book and I hated it. I am a scientist, but the book was written in a dryer style than many scientific papers I have read and it is about 20x as long. I think the book is worth reading, because it has some really fascinating information in it and if you think critically about the information presented, it can be very enlightening about the complexities of our brains, bodies, behaviors and how they come together to influence one of my favorite hobbies (sex). However, be prepared to read this book in small snippets, that is unless you can keep long lists of hormone, glands and other scientific names straight in your head.
Well worth the read in the end...four months after I started it.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars uncontroversial, October 12, 2005
This review is from: Sex: A Natural History (Paperback)
The book explains why we know so little about sex then goes on to teach a great deal about sex. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone curious about sex and having the desire to read a book that at times is textbookish.

The theories presented are mainstream 1990-2000 and as uncontroversial as you can get. She mentions at times the more controversial theories, such as the application of Red Queen to humans, but always in context and with forwarning that the theory is interesting, but debate exists.

Some theories are a bit dated, as any pop book covering any research subject is, so I'd like to see her fix the three errors I found and update the book a bit. I'd read the sequel!

It's a book you can give your teenager without fear that they will get some wierd misapplied ideas. They will also come away from the book with a rather comprehensive understanding of a complex topic that you might find startling.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Didactic Romp about Sex., January 28, 2005
By 
Bohdan Kot (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sex: A Natural History (Hardcover)
Sex. Sex. Sex. Now that I've got your attention, Joann Ellison Rodgers, winner of the Lasker Award for medical journalism, has authored "Sex: A Natural History."

The topic is stripped down. The biology, genetics, psychology, and so on of sex are examined. Why do men have a propensity for sleep after an orgasm? Why is the brain the engine of sex? How does smell play a part in a woman's choice of a mate?

Rodgers discusses numerous theories. Scientific studies on animals, insects and humans are used frequently. Careful attention and rereads are par for the course for the lay person. Some of the text seems more at home in medical journals. However, she sustains our attention with humor and an upbeat tone.

Getting to "yes" with the right people is an amazingly more subtle and complex process than one would imagine. Rodgers carefully examines the many aspects that entail sex: attraction, flirtation, arousal, love, and fidelity. The author's scientific treatise on sex is not dumbed down and still remains accessible. At times, the countless studies of fruit flies, monkeys and other hapless creatures went overboard for my taste. Nevertheless, the data presented confirms the notion that sex coevolved through cooperation, not conflict.

In conclusion, Rodgers successfully showcases sex and its evolutionary wonders. But she admits, "No, we don't know (yet) exactly why sex evolved, or why there are thorns among the roses." Attempting to answer questions about the history of sex is akin to untying the Gordian knot. Some questions may remain unanswered for awhile or perhaps forever. Overall the romp through "Sex" was didactic and entertaining.

Bohdan Kot

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
Unconcerned and unhampered by those watching them, Malko and Lana focus only on each other and what will happen now. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sneaky sex, seminal pool, sperm warfare, fetal attraction, symmetrical men, sexual brain, sperm wars, mate retention, male voles, gene hunters, imaginary couple, genes into the next generation, cervical stimulation, sexual biology, sperm competition, smell brain, sexual strategies, male chimps, concealed ovulation, gut brain, sex behavior, more sperm, mating relationships
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Stone Age, Johns Hopkins, John Money, University of California, United States, Helen Fisher, Red Queen, Roger Gorski, David Buss, Maynard Smith, Randy Thornhill, University of Maryland, University of New Mexico, Dean Hamer, Robin Baker, San Diego, Santa Barbara, University of Chicago, Laura Allen, University of Michigan, Arthur Arnold, Jackson Laboratory, Kama Sutra, New Guinea, University of Texas
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