Sex, Time and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution (Hardcover)

by Leonard Shlain (Author) "She died an agonizingly slow and painful death..." (more)
Key Phrases: human menses, bride barter, cryptic ovulation, Mother Nature, African Eve, Creative Explosion (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This book sets out to explore why and when people evolved so far away from other mammals in several key ways, all of which Dr. Shlain ties to the biological differences between men and women. As in his excellent prior work The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image (which holds that there are links between the ascendancy of patriarchy and written language and the descent of matriarchal societies and goddess-based religions), some of the concepts proposed in this book might seem a bit of a stretch. And they are—whether or not they turn out to be factual. Shlain contends, for instance, that women essentially invented the concept of time due to their experience of menses. Whatever conclusions the reader comes to, the author exposes the underlying gender biases in so many scientific assumptions; the result is one of those books that cannot help but alter one's perceptions. A consistently engaging writer, Shlain traces the course of his own evolving ideas with what might be called a didactic wit: bold statements are first writ large, then Dr. Shlain reveals how he came upon them, frequently with colorful anecdotes that show these are questions he's been wrestling with for many years. It's difficult to tell whether this fascinating thinker will be viewed as the next Darwin or as a crank, but there's no denying this is an audacious work in the realm of evolutionary biology. --Mike McGonigal

From Booklist
Shlain makes brilliant use of his medical expertise in his highly original and intellectually stimulating inquiry into human sexuality and its role in the shaping of civilization that he launched so boldly in The Alphabet versus the Goddess (1998). Here he takes an evolutionary approach to solving the conundrums of misogyny and patriarchy, guiding his curious, perhaps skeptical, certainly riveted readers through well-grounded and intriguing speculations about the purpose of such seemingly impractical, even dangerous traits as bipedalism, menstruation, the perils of childbirth, and the helplessness of infants. Shlain's reflections on human nutrition and women's greater need for iron lead to a fascinating theory about courtship and hunting, which, in turn, generates the hypothesis that the evolution of language was sparked by the delicacy of sexual negotiation. And menses, this daring thinker believes, may well be the source of our perception of time and our unique ability to conceive of and plan for the future. Lucid and compelling, Shlain asks startling and crucial questions about human nature and presents truly imaginative and mind-stretching answers. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1st ed edition (August 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670032336
• ISBN-13: 978-0670032334
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some interesting ideas, some incorrect facts, October 21, 2004

By	James G. Driscoll (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sex, Time, and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution (Paperback)

While at least one central premise of the book - that women lose iron through a variety of ways, and this binds them to men in a hunter/gatherer society, is at least new to me and stands up well to scrutiny, there were numerous other factual errors in the book, as well as completely unfounded conclusions. After spotting about the sixth obvious factual error, I was forced to start taking the rest of the book far less seriously - after all, if I could spot that many, how many had I missed?

In addition to some of the other errors cited by other reviewers here, one that stood out that hasn't been yet mentioned was the author's contention that only mammals have a functional memory (even fish have been demonstrated to have memory, as any aquarium keeper will tell you). Among the authors dubious conclusions are that ancient female humans (which he calls gynosapiens) developed a detailed sense of time before the male - which is certainly not proven, or even suggested, by any of the evidence he presents.

Overall, the book made me very frustrated. It could have been such a good, good book. Instead, it was merely somewhat interesting, and not at all credible.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Record Holder Displaced!, January 26, 2004

By	Bainbridge Bob (Bainbridge Island, WA) - See all my reviews

For 25 years, "A Pattern Language" (C. Alexander, et al) has occupied first place in my "Most Human Wisdom In a Book Cover" category. Leonard Shlain's "Sex, Time, and Power" has just replaced it. Surely, even amongst the well educated, the relationship between men and women holds more misunderstanding than any other human endeavor. Dr. Shlain's insightful study sheds more light into this thorny area than the sum of all other similar books I have read. Although the writing style is personal and humerous, this book is a relatively slow read due to the sheer density of ideas presented and quantity of supporting documentation supplied. Every time I loan out this book, it proves very difficult to get back. It is a slooow read that borrowers do not want to relinquish until they have finished. After a few weeks rumination time, I find them asking me if the book is available again. Get your own copy! Anyone trying to make sense of "The Urge to Merge" will find themselves returning to this fertile well of ideas again and again.
As a related aside, attending a book store talk given by Dr. Shlain, I found him to be every bit an excellent speaker as he is an excellent writer. If given the chance to hear him speak, don't miss it!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ferrous Female, August 28, 2003

By	M. Cohen (Moraga, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many books have been written regarding relationships between men and women. Some even suggest that we are of different species and it is part of a cosmic joke that we are attracted to and must rely upon one another.

If this is the kind of book you are attracted to, you will be quite disappointed in this work by talented author Leonard Shlain. As in his previous two books "Art and Physics" and "The Alphabet Vs The Goddess" Shlain presents an observation that has troubled him. After a thorough search of the literature fails to satisfy his curiosity, some kind of internal dialectic occurs and a well reasoned "what if" process is presented.

The stimulus for this story started when Shlain, as a young medical student, could not accept the casual dismissal of his question "Why is the normal hemoglobin for women less than for men?" All humans rely on oxygen dependent metabolic processes. Women require just as much oxygen carrying, iron based, hemoglobin as men. Why would nature create women to lose this essential product every month in her menses, while pregnant and also in childbirth?

That question is the basis for a well reasoned work that presents possible answers that should stimulate much further discussion and interest. Shlain, also being an exceptional educator, presents pertinent human physiology, anatomy and psychology in an understandable and yet non-patronizing manner.

While this book reads like an entertaining `who done it' novel: the reward is not only a provocative explanation but a worth while educational process.