Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society

by Cordelia Fine (Author)

48 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0393082081

ISBN-10: 9780393082081

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“Goodbye, beliefs in sex differences disguised as evolutionary facts. Welcome the dragon slayer: Cordelia Fine wittily but meticulously lays bare the irrational arguments that we use to justify gender politics.”―Uta Frith, emeritus professor of cognitive development, University College London

Many people believe that, at its core, biological sex is a fundamental, diverging force in human development. According to this overly familiar story, differences between the sexes are shaped by past evolutionary pressures―women are more cautious and parenting-focused, while men seek status to attract more mates. In each succeeding generation, sex hormones and male and female brains are thought to continue to reinforce these unbreachable distinctions, making for entrenched inequalities in modern society.

In Testosterone Rex, psychologist Cordelia Fine wittily explains why past and present sex roles are only serving suggestions for the future, revealing a much more dynamic situation through an entertaining and well-documented exploration of the latest research that draws on evolutionary science, psychology, neuroscience, endocrinology, and philosophy. She uses stories from daily life, scientific research, and common sense to break through the din of cultural assumptions. Testosterone, for instance, is not the potent hormonal essence of masculinity; the presumed, built-in preferences of each sex, from toys to financial risk taking, are turned on their heads.

Moving beyond the old “nature versus nurture” debates, Testosterone Rex disproves ingrained myths and calls for a more equal society based on both sexes’ full, human potential.

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Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine Paperback $14.25
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of January 2017: Fine knocks it out of the park with her smart and eye-opening investigation into why we give credit to (or blame) testosterone for so many behaviors. With a writing style that reminds me of Mary Roach and her gift for seeking out the ridiculous, Fine puts under the microscope our assumption that testosterone is the wonder hormone that makes men risk takers and competitive and, in its absence, women less so. This might sound like heavy stuff—like the gender studies classes I avoided in college—but Fine invites you to laugh with her as she punctures outdated notions and points out obvious weaknesses in the mighty social (not scientific) barricade of sex-specific dogma and the daily throwaway comments that carelessly reinforces that wall. After reading Testosterone Rex, my new resolution is to never say "Boys will be boys" again. Because while boys are, of course, boys, we owe it to them—and to girls—to understand that they are not defined by this single hormone. —Adrian Liang, The Amazon Book Review

Review

“Fine’s funny, spiky book gives reason to hope that we’ve heard Testosterone rex’s last roar.”
- Annie Murphy Paul, New York Times Book Review

“Fascinating [and] bold. . . . Fine has written a book that’s not only well-researched and convincing but also . . . delightfully humorous.”
- Barbara J. King, NPR

“In this witty corrective, psychologist Cordelia Fine examines the fraying “biological big picture” of sexual selection, and corrals findings in evolutionary science, neuroscience and endocrinology to add nuance to it.”
- Barbara Kiser, Nature, “Best Science Picks”

“The expression ‘essential reading for everyone’ is usually untrue as well as a cliché, but if there were a book deserving of that description this might just be it.”
- Antonia Macaro, Financial Times

“In addition to being hopeful, Fine is also angry. We should all be angry. Testosterone Rex is a debunking rumble that ought to inspire a roar.”
- The Guardian

“[Fine] convincingly and entertainingly demonstrates that, despite stereotypes, such characteristics as risk-taking, competitiveness and nurturing are not “essential” to one sex over the other and cannot be blamed for the lack of equality between males and females in contemporary society.”
- Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American

“Cordelia Fine’s Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society does the public service of deconstructing the biological and societal tenets on which the continued inequality of the sexes is largely founded. . . . Using humor and her uniquely accessible academic writing style, . . . [Fine disrupts] what we think we know about gender difference.”
- Katie Klabusich, Rewire

“A provocative and often fascinating book.”
- The Economist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (January 24, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780393082081
ISBN-13: 978-0393082081
ASIN: 0393082083
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 48 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #214 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Social Theory
- #822 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Sexuality
- #868 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Gender Studies

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48 customer reviews

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A sustained critique of common oversimplified assumptions

January 9, 2018

Format: Audible AudiobookVerified Purchase

This is well-written and well-researched. My major problem with it is that it's not always clear what thesis she's critiquing. At times she seems to be attacking the claim that hormones determine behavior, but what she means by "determine" is vague. Some of her arguments are targeted against a kind of hard determinism (which is so implausible as to be easy to knock down), and at other times the causal relationship seems to be one of influence, but not necessary connection (as Hume would say).
Still, she covers a lot of research that illustrates the complexity of the relationship between hormones, genetics and behavior, which is important to recognize, given the oversimplification of their relationship in popular media (as she notes time and again). If you already grasp that the relationship is complex and there is no simple causal line from hormones to gendered behavior, the book feels like a sustained attack on a dead opponent. But definitely it's worth a read if you think there's a simple causal link and are willing to be challenged, or if you want to gain a greater appreciation of the complex interactions between hormones and behavior.

9 people found this helpful10 people found this helpful

June 1, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Extremely fun and you get to learn quite a bit.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

May 19, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I am fiercely devoted to Cordelia Fine, yall. She is my feminist spirit animal. Full of daring, thoughtful, well-meaning insight and I love her attention to detail and wit.

4 people found this helpful5 people found this helpful

November 10, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

One of the most helpful books for our time.

7 people found this helpful8 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

September 20, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Wonderful book! Well-written, solid and enjoyable. Yet another chisel in a growing pile to chip away at the "gender-brain" monolith.

Interesting that the vast majority of 1-star reviews are unverified purchases posted within a short time-frame.

12 people found this helpful13 people found this helpful

Interesting Research

November 11, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Well written with thorough documentation of research findings. Could and should be a step towards alleviating sexism.

17 people found this helpful18 people found this helpful

Royal Society's 2017 Science Book Prize winner

September 19, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book won the 2017 Science Book Prize from the Royal Society, one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the world. For scientific credibility, that award is quite an endorsement.

FYI, if you are looking for good science books in general, here is the rest of the short list for that prize:

Beyond Infinity by Eugenia Cheng
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
In Pursuit of Memory by Joseph Jebelli
Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith
To Be a Machine by Mark O'Connell

13 people found this helpful14 people found this helpful

Idk What I'm Doing

Good, but does not beat "Delusions of Gender"

April 11, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I found this book interesting and well-written. Challenges the knee-jerk response to blame testosterone for all conceived differences between men and women's personalities and skills. Personally, I think that her other book, "Delusions of Gender", was much stronger and well-written, but this one was worth the money as well. However, if you are torn between buying "Testosterone Rex" and "Delusions of Gender", buy "Delusions of Gender"! It's one of those books everyone should read.

26 people found this helpful27 people found this helpful

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