Nonfiction

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

  • Downloads：7384
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-26 07:19:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Eliot Schrefer
  • ISBN：0063069490
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

This groundbreaking illustrated YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals。

A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years， with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals。 Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world--from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlebugs。

In sharp and witty prose--aided by humorous comics from artist Jules Zuckerberg--Schrefer uses science， history， anthropology， and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world。 Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists。

Queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex--and as natural--as it is in our own species。 It doesn't set us apart from animals--it bonds us even closer to our animal selves。

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Reviews

Debbie ，

I got this book off the ARC shelf at Kismet Books in Verona， WI。 Consequently， I got an ARC that had incomplete artwork （large black boxes in some areas） and a few typos， all of which I assume will be adjusted for the final publication this month。Thanks to my friends in field biology， I already knew a little about the fact that certain species in the animal world had non-heterosexual sex and/or living/parenting experiences， but this book really lays it out there。 Sc>Lyssa ，

Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for the eARC！ I learned a TON from this book。 It is written in a really engaging conversational style that draws you in， but it is also grounded in excellently researched and cited science。 This is a very queer-affirming look at the natural world。

Amanda ，

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*“This is partly a book for lonely eleven-year-old Eliot， who only began to see himself as worthy of full respect many years after coming out” is one of the best ways to describe this book。 It is for all the queer kids/adults who were （and sometimes still ARE） told that we are unnatural。 I know tons of kids who could have used this book when we were growing up， and kids that， even now， might still find this book worth their time。 Now on to *I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*“This is partly a book for lonely eleven-year-old Eliot， who only began to see himself as worthy of full respect many years after coming out” is one of the best ways to describe this book。 It is for all the queer kids/adults who were （and sometimes still ARE） told that we are unnatural。 I know tons of kids who could have used this book when we were growing up， and kids that， even now， might still find this book worth their time。 Now on to my review。I loved this book。 I also loved the comic strips at the beginnings of chapters （that poor doodlebug！ Kelch really ruined that poor guy’s life）。 It was great to read something that was both factual about nature but also wasn’t afraid to poke fun at just how weird the animal kingdom could get。 There were also the historical facts about queerness in the human world that I found really interesting， and Sc>Erin ，

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC to review。 A traditional argument against homosexual behavior is that it’s just not natural。 If pressed， the argument might continue that there is no evolutionary benefit to a pairing that doesn’t create children。 This book utterly shatters the “not natural” argument。 Sexual activity and gender expression are wildly variable across species， making homosexuality and bisexuality and gender fluidity incredibly natural phenomena。 And not only natural: evolutionary Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC to review。 A traditional argument against homosexual behavior is that it’s just not natural。 If pressed， the argument might continue that there is no evolutionary benefit to a pairing that doesn’t create children。 This book utterly shatters the “not natural” argument。 Sexual activity and gender expression are wildly variable across species， making homosexuality and bisexuality and gender fluidity incredibly natural phenomena。 And not only natural: evolutionary beneficial both on an individual and societal level。 In some cases， more sex across the board （regardless of who with） equals more chances for babies。 In other cases， same-sex sexual encounters reinforce important social bonds that increase survival rates either individually or for the group as a whole。 Changing sex entirely can save an animal group’s genes from dying out， and these kinds of sex changes happen in myriad ways。 There were other chapters on animals and polyamory， various kinds of reproduction， and still more ways of gender and sexual expression。 The upshot of this entire book is that sex and gender expression are a glorious prism in the animal kingdom。 And spoiler: humans are animals。 One of the most powerful single moments for me was when Sc>Toby Murphy ，

I just enjoyed this book。 Sc>Lily Edelman-Gold ，

Absolutely fantastic book about the prevalence of widely varying sexualities， sexual behaviors， and genders within the animal kingdom。 It’s funny， it’s incredibly interesting， and you’ll likely learn something new on every page you read。

Starr ❇✌❇ ，

What a great look at queerness in nature！ While this book deftly sidesteps overly humanizing or labeling animals and relationships with no understanding of our Western ideals or categories， it also reaches right out to readers- especially those in groups who need it the most- and boldly says "this is nothing new， this is nothing strange， this isn't wrong"。 The fact that this book exists makes me so emotional and so happy。And it's also a genuinely fun read！ I'm not a nonfiction reader， but Sc>Eliot Sc aria-label="2021-09-10 00:00" >2021-09-10 00:00

[5 stars but I might be biased。]Dear Reader，tI was eleven years old when I realized I was gay。 It felt like some foreign thing had risen up inside of me， and I didn’t know what to make of it。 The sum of the discourse around gayness in my sixth grade was “It’s Adam and Eve， not Adam and Steve。” That rhymed， so it had to be true。 But what did it make me？tThat phrase is actually a fair summary of most biology textbooks’ take on same-sex sexual behavior in animals。 By strict Darwinian logic， there i [5 stars but I might be biased。]Dear Reader，tI was eleven years old when I realized I was gay。 It felt like some foreign thing had risen up inside of me， and I didn’t know what to make of it。 The sum of the discourse around gayness in my sixth grade was “It’s Adam and Eve， not Adam and Steve。” That rhymed， so it had to be true。 But what did it make me？tThat phrase is actually a fair summary of most biology textbooks’ take on same-sex sexual behavior in animals。 By strict Darwinian logic， there is something “wrong” about queerness in the natural world， since it would predict fewer offspring。 Therefore， science has long assumed that queerness is caused by human psychology。 This has had a huge effect: Without studies to counteract it， the presumed “unnaturalness” of queerness has been a cornerstone of centuries of laws that have limited LGBTQIAP+ rights in humans。 tEleven-year-old me reeled at the thought that I was unnatural。 I made it to the other side only after years of working to embrace my otherness， to “love the monster” rather than hate myself。But what if it turns out that queer people aren’t aberrations from nature at all？ tThere has been an explosion of research over the last twenty years， documenting species after species with substantial and confirmed same-sex sexual behavior or non-procreative sexual expression。 One thing is now sure: Queer people are not anomalies in the natural world。 Next time someone tells you it’s unnatural for two males or two females to be together， tell them there are a couple of dolphins （or penguins， or geese， or doodlebugs， or _[insert animal here]_） named Adam and Steve who would like to have a strong word with them。Sincerely，Eliot 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0