Bitch: On the Female of the Species
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- Create Date：2022-06-13 03:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Lucy Cooke
- ISBN：B09HQLJF83
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Summary
Studying zoology made Lucy Cooke feel like a sad freak。 Not because she loved spiders or would root around in animal feces: all her friends shared the same curious kinks。 The problem was her sex。 Being female meant she was， by nature， a loser。 Since Charles Darwin， evolutionary biologists have been convinced that the males of the animal kingdom are the interesting ones—dominating and promiscuous， while females are dull， passive， and devoted。
In Bitch， Cooke tells a new story。 Whether investigating same-sex female albatross couples that raise chicks， murderous mother meerkats， or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks， Cooke shows us a new evolutionary biology， one where females can be as dynamic as any male。 This isn‘t your grandfather’s evolutionary biology。 It’s more inclusive， truer to life， and simply more fun。
In Bitch， Cooke tells a new story。 Whether investigating same-sex female albatross couples that raise chicks， murderous mother meerkats， or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks， Cooke shows us a new evolutionary biology， one where females can be as dynamic as any male。 This isn‘t your grandfather’s evolutionary biology。 It’s more inclusive， truer to life， and simply more fun。
Reviews
Kara Babcock
，
Somewhere along the way—likely from Inferior， but I can’t remember—I learned that women are excluded from most clinical trials for medication because our hormonal cycles are considered “too complicated” and they might throw off the trial results。 Consequently， most of the medicines that make it to market have only truly been tested on men。 Then there are inevitably—you guessed it—complications in some women who take these drugs， except doctors are just as likely to blame the issue on—you gue Somewhere along the way—likely from Inferior， but I can’t remember—I learned that women are excluded from most clinical trials for medication because our hormonal cycles are considered “too complicated” and they might throw off the trial results。 Consequently， most of the medicines that make it to market have only truly been tested on men。 Then there are inevitably—you guessed it—complications in some women who take these drugs， except doctors are just as likely to blame the issue on—you guessed it—hormones。 Or it’s all in our head。Gosh， sexism sucks。Lucy Cooke examines exactly this kind of bias in science and medicine， but she does so with a particular eye on evolutionary biology。 Bitch: On the Female of the Species is a tour through some of the weirder corners of the animal kingdom and species that defy our stereotypical understanding of the differences between the “two” sexes。 It is also a polemic against bias in evolutionary biology and science as a whole， a bias against studying the female sex， which has resulted in gaps in vital knowledge。 Cooke rightly points out that when we allow our human biases to influence our methodology， we short-circuit the scientific method—and all of humanity loses out。Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Basic Books for the review eARC！I read a lot of popular science books， and often—especially when written by a scientist—they can be ponderous and dull， at least in parts。 Not so with Bitch， which is a riotous romp from the beginning。 The first chapter， “The Anarchy of Sex，” lists off examples of ways in which females of various species break our idea of sex stereotypes and the binary。 In particular， I found myself picking my jaw up off the floor as I read about the female spotted hyena’s testerone levels and her eight-inch clitoris and fused-together labia！ By the time I got to the third chapter， “The Monogamy Myth，” I was calling my friend to read her a passage about the libidinous activities of female Barbary macaques—“once every seventeen minutes”？？—and laugh in astonishment—the things they don’t teach you in high-school biology， hmm？Where does this so-called wisdom come from anyway？ That’s another question Cooke sets out to answer。 She not only debunks sex myths but actively draws a line through research， from the writings of Darwin all the way up to the modern day—1990s and early 2000s—when some female scientists were still having their papers turned away from journals for being too “political。” This is， of course， the cardinal sin of the dominant group: conflating one’s own perspective （in this case， that of the cis， white， male scientist） with objectivity and neutrality。 When a scientist announces findings that confirm our biases about males being stronger， more active， more promiscuous， then the world rejoices。 When a scientist announces findings that confirm the same facts for females， then it’s “political” because it goes against the received wisdom。 This confirmation bias， along with measurement， selection， and sampling biases， results in a lot of holes in our science。 Cooke stresses the importance of reproducibility of results and long-term studies that， instead of anthropomorphizing the subjects or looking for certain expected traits， observe what the subjects do and record those observations without leaning on established stereotypes。 If we look at a female animal and expect to see maternal behaviour， we will likely find it， and discount any behaviour that might not contribute to that narrative。 Instead， we should just look at the behaviour， record it， and then we can sift through the data to see what we have found。Bitch and books like it are important for laypeople to read because we are taught， growing up， that science is objective， impartial， unassailable。 This is the hill that transphobic people are often willing to die on。 Whether it’s the inclusion of trans women in sport or the very existence of trans people， transphobes （TERFs or GCs or whatever they want to be called these days） are quick to cry “but biology！” as if this is the ultimate argument against my existence when I am … you know … here。 Existing。 Lol。When we make this mistake， when we assume that just because something is written in a book， published in a peer-reviewed study， repeated at conferences and in sound bites on the news， that it is the unassailable truth， we do ourselves a disservice as critical thinkers。 This is particularly the case when the narrative being presented is simplistic and binary。 As Cooke works so hard to elucidate here， nature is seldom either of those things—so when someone announces that it is so， we should be skeptical。 Note that this is different from science deniers， who also profess skepticism—for theirs is， similar to the scientists whose bias is taken apart in this book， a form of confirmation bias rooted in conspiracy theories that ultimately advocate the abandonment of the scientific method。 Cooke is not doing that here。 She is not saying we need to throw out the baby with the bathwater—but it is probably time to change out that bathwater， and maybe get a bigger tub。 The baby might be all grown up now。Incidentally， as a trans woman， I certainly went into this book with a small amount of trepidation。 Any scientific book that discusses the sexes can be， even inadvertently， trans-exclusionary。 So I was reassured when， even before the introduction， Cooke includes an “Author’s Note on Language” that asserts， “This book intends to demonstrate that sex is wildly variable and that gendered ideas based on assumptions of binary sex are nonsense。” Fuck yeah。 As I already commented above， the first chapter then being about “The Anarchy of Sex” cemented my sense that I was going to be safe reading this book。 If that were not enough， Chapter 11 is called “Beyond the Binary” and features the work of trans ecologist Dr。 Joan Roughgarden！ This is important—there is also a common trend among people who want to be allies to shrug and say， “Hey， trans women are women and valid and whatnot， but eh， the data is just for cis men and women。 So we know you exist， we know non-binary people are out there， but for our purposes we’ll just have to ignore you for the next two-hundred pages。 So sorry。” That’s not acceptable。 Trans people are here。 We are in the fields being spoken about。 So Cooke not only professes her allyship but actively includes trans people in her writing and actively makes sure that her approach to analysis is trans-inclusive rather than agnostic。 That is true allyship。 （I’m applauding right now。）Ultimately， Bitch is， as the introduction says， about “a sexist mythology [that] has been baked into biology” and how “it distorts the way we perceive female animals。” Cooke comes with proof to back up this thesis， and most importantly （from my perspective as a curious reader）， she presents this proof in an engaging， often hilarious way。 Honestly， this book was the next best thing to watching a nature documentary， and probably slightly more informative given that it isn’t limited by time slots。 It is worth your time and energy: not only will it entertain， but it is going to help you on your way to breaking down the gender and sex binary we are immersed in， along with the stereotypes that， for too long， too many people have propped up with faulty science。Originally posted on Kara。Reviews， where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter。 。。。more
Foggygirl
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This book was actually on my to read list for a long time before I actually got around to reading it but since I have now finished it I can safely say I’ve found another favourite science writer。
Jessica
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tI love this book and this author。 Like her previous book， The Unexpected Truth about Animals， Bitch looks at the science of animals through contemporary and historic lenses to see how our understanding has changed and how much we still have to learn。 Cooke obviously researched this topic thoroughly and enjoyed it （if her very funny asides are any representation）， and her interest is infectious。 I learned and laughed a lot while reading this book。The author is also the narrator of the audiobook， tI love this book and this author。 Like her previous book， The Unexpected Truth about Animals， Bitch looks at the science of animals through contemporary and historic lenses to see how our understanding has changed and how much we still have to learn。 Cooke obviously researched this topic thoroughly and enjoyed it （if her very funny asides are any representation）， and her interest is infectious。 I learned and laughed a lot while reading this book。The author is also the narrator of the audiobook， and I cannot recommend listening to it if you can。 She is a great narrator and it feels like you are listening to a friend tell you about their niche passion 。。。more
Katherine
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A highly informative and entertaining read。 Ms Cooke's style of writing brings the history of behavioral ecology to life。 Follow the female of several species across the animal kingdom to learn just how varied and complicated courtship， social relationships， and sexual relationships are。 Some stereotypical examples are used to prime readers before going into all the sordid details on other lesser-known specimens。 I've already shared excerpts with my students and plan to tie examples from this te A highly informative and entertaining read。 Ms Cooke's style of writing brings the history of behavioral ecology to life。 Follow the female of several species across the animal kingdom to learn just how varied and complicated courtship， social relationships， and sexual relationships are。 Some stereotypical examples are used to prime readers before going into all the sordid details on other lesser-known specimens。 I've already shared excerpts with my students and plan to tie examples from this text into my lessons where feasible。 。。。more
KC
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The female species has had its fair share of being viewed by evolutionary scientists， predominantly male， as being the weaker sex， the sex that science and research need not to examine or heavily fund。 In this fascinating book by Lucy Cooke， she flips that sexist narrative upside down giving the “lesser sex” the upper hand， revealing how it’s the female species that is the driving force in reproduction and often times the dominate one within the circle。 Filled with wit and humor， often revealing The female species has had its fair share of being viewed by evolutionary scientists， predominantly male， as being the weaker sex， the sex that science and research need not to examine or heavily fund。 In this fascinating book by Lucy Cooke， she flips that sexist narrative upside down giving the “lesser sex” the upper hand， revealing how it’s the female species that is the driving force in reproduction and often times the dominate one within the circle。 Filled with wit and humor， often revealing some of the most spellbinding science， Cooke has creatively written a book on biology & feminism; perfect for the 21st century。 For those who enjoy books on Jane Goodall， Rachel Carson， or Rosalind Franklin。 。。。more
Kit Ledvina
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I found this book unexpectedly delightful。 Definitely one of the most engaging nonfiction works I’ve listened to this year。 Cooke’s narration was excellent and I was surprised to find myself laughing out loud while learning。 Would recommend this to anyone interested in animals， gender and sexual issues， or just science in general。 Thank you to the publisher， author and NetGalley for this ALC！
Kristine Milburn
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What a wonderful， fascinating， and fun read！ Lucy Cooke's skill at presenting research with her cheeky writing style makes it difficult to put down this book。 What a wonderful， fascinating， and fun read！ Lucy Cooke's skill at presenting research with her cheeky writing style makes it difficult to put down this book。 。。。more
Tammy Buchli
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Interesting and educational pop science book。 Not terribly scholarly - I would have liked to see more cites - but an enjoyable light read。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review。
David Stormblade
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Truly fascinating 。。just wish it had photos
Jenny Bell
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Any book that has a hyena on the cover， one of the most badass female-dominant species in the animal kingdom， immediately grabs my attention。 Lucy Cooke provides an interesting look at animals that don't fit neatly into the gender roles that have been held since Darwin。 Bitch doesn't just focus on female animals who control their social groupings or their mate selection but spends a lot of time exploring all animals who vary from how we have traditionally viewed sexes。 The whole concept of gende Any book that has a hyena on the cover， one of the most badass female-dominant species in the animal kingdom， immediately grabs my attention。 Lucy Cooke provides an interesting look at animals that don't fit neatly into the gender roles that have been held since Darwin。 Bitch doesn't just focus on female animals who control their social groupings or their mate selection but spends a lot of time exploring all animals who vary from how we have traditionally viewed sexes。 The whole concept of gender can be fluid， as some animals can even change from male to female （or vice versa）， or even clone themselves through parthenogenesis when a suitable mate can't be found。I enjoyed the personal anecdotes and bits of humor peppered throughout the book。 The selection of animals was varied and fascinating。 I also appreciated the spotlight placed on so many female researchers who have contributed to science in ways that have been overlooked by a large majority of the field。 As a biology student and animal keeper in the field， there was research that I feel I should have been taught and yet had never heard of before this book。 The book is well written， the scientific details were easy to understand and I didn't think it was dumbed down for the reader。 My only complaint was an anticaptivity comment from the author in a section about pandas resorbing their fetuses。 I enjoyed this book and would read more from the author。 I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for my opinion。4。5 stars 。。。more
Lisa Konet
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I appreciate the author shares her love of zoology and highlights the female aspect of many species and relating them to the female human。 Some of these insights were hilarious and spot on， but some of them were cringe-worthy and in poor taste。 This was still an enjoyable， well researched book of female animal fun。Recommended but not to be taken seriously。Thanks to Netgalley， Lucy Cooke， and Basic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 6/14/22
Christine Pape
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Can I start by saying how much I love this cover？ I never remove the dust cover， but I loved this book so much I wanted to preserve the cover and removed it while reading 。 I learned an unbelievable amount from this book and found it a bit distressing to realize how little I knew about gender roles in the animal kingdom。 “Most biologists agree that animals don’t have a gender。” Excuse me？？？ This blew my mind。 I also found myself stopping frequently to research specific animals and terms—there we Can I start by saying how much I love this cover？ I never remove the dust cover， but I loved this book so much I wanted to preserve the cover and removed it while reading 。 I learned an unbelievable amount from this book and found it a bit distressing to realize how little I knew about gender roles in the animal kingdom。 “Most biologists agree that animals don’t have a gender。” Excuse me？？？ This blew my mind。 I also found myself stopping frequently to research specific animals and terms—there were so many I had never heard of。 What is a fossa？ In case you don’t know， they’re adorable。I never thought female animals to be the weaker sex， but this book took my perceptions and magnified them a thousand times。 I felt empowered reading about these incredible females not only in their roles as strong， dominant， brave members of the animal kingdom but as creatures who have enormous control over their evolutionary destiny。 Lucy Cooke shatters norms and preconceptions throughout this entire book。 That said， I enjoyed some parts of this book much more than others。 For instance， I was much more interested in the discussions that involved mammals， birds， or sea creatures than I was learning about the mating habits of fruit flies。 This leads me to my only issue with this book， which is with the complexity of the writing。 This book is VERY technical and scientific。 It left me wondering who the intended audience is。 While I really enjoyed the author’s wit and humor， in places it was almost too much。 When mixed with the caliber of the writing， the clever humor sometimes served to make the scientific prose even more confusing。I have often said if I could have done things differently， I would have chosen a career as a zoologist as I adore animals （in fact， I like them way more than I do people！）。 I’m guessing after reading this book that I likely wasn’t cut out for a career in science！ Still， I think this book would make excellent required science reading。 Our world has been overrun with misconceptions about females and gender roles for centuries。 This book is a wonderful effort to distill at least some of them， and as a woman， who couldn’t love that？Thank you to Basic and Goodreads for an advance copy。 。。。more
sidney
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lol at this taking me 2 months to finish。。。 exam term will do that to a person。this was great！ lucy cooke thoroughly and deftly explores the entrenched biases of evolutionary biology towards males - their evolution， behaviour， and adaptations - and challenges their validity by centering females。 it probably shouldn't have been surprising， but was still a little depressing， that my three years of studying evolutionary biology at an institution not famous for its progressive attitudes have conform lol at this taking me 2 months to finish。。。 exam term will do that to a person。this was great！ lucy cooke thoroughly and deftly explores the entrenched biases of evolutionary biology towards males - their evolution， behaviour， and adaptations - and challenges their validity by centering females。 it probably shouldn't have been surprising， but was still a little depressing， that my three years of studying evolutionary biology at an institution not famous for its progressive attitudes have conformed fully to these biases！ evolutionary theory was proposed by an upper class white victorian man， and largely expanded into its modern framework in the 50s and 60s by more upper class white men - of course there are problems with it！ genuinely a great thing to read right before my exams as a reminder that challenging dogma is okay - science is a human construction and theories are always shaped by the cultures of the people who conceive of them。 it's not like i'm about to come up with anything revolutionary in my essays， but it's nice to be reminded that it is never counter-productive to challenge tradition and look at things in a new light。 i found the style a little colloquial at times， but otherwise no complaints。 i think it suffers a little from misleading marketing - while the content would undoubtedly interest， entertain， provoke and enlighten anyone， i wish this was marketed more as a popsci book about evolutionary biology （which is what it actually is）， because it should be required reading for anyone interested in the field。 overall a thought-provoking， fascinating， and thorough explanation of how females are just as diverse， ecologically and evolutionarily important as males - and critically that the diversity of the animal kingdom exposes binary sexual roles as a fallacy that we need to dispense with。'sex 。。。 is neither static nor deterministic but a dynamic and flexible trait， just like any other， that's shaped by the interaction of shared genes with the environment， further sculpted by an animal's developmental and life histories plus a sprinkling of chance。 rather than thinking of the sexes as wholly different biological entities， we should consider them members of the same species， with fluid， complementary differences in certain biological and physiological processes associated with reproduction， but otherwise much the same。 [。。。] in nature， the female experience exists on a genderless continuum: it is variable， highly plastic， and refuses to conform to archaic classifications。'also， if you did not know that there are lesbian albatrosses that will raise chicks together every year for 10+ years， now you do 。。。more
Trina
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I listened to the audiobook from Libro。fm in one go！ Lot's of neat information and great to hear about so many female researchers and scientists。 I listened to the audiobook from Libro。fm in one go！ Lot's of neat information and great to hear about so many female researchers and scientists。 。。。more
Chelsea
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I absolutely loved this book。 It’s a perfect blend of fascinating biology and satisfies the animal nerd in me while having the much needed discussion about female representation not only in the STEM world but also in general studies of all species。 Cooke deep dives into the vast diversity of females across the spectrum and how gender roles are used or at times not necessary at all。 There is so much in biology that still focuses on the males of the species while the female is overlooked and it tu I absolutely loved this book。 It’s a perfect blend of fascinating biology and satisfies the animal nerd in me while having the much needed discussion about female representation not only in the STEM world but also in general studies of all species。 Cooke deep dives into the vast diversity of females across the spectrum and how gender roles are used or at times not necessary at all。 There is so much in biology that still focuses on the males of the species while the female is overlooked and it turns out， they’re often times way cooler。 Not only in terms of reproduction but also in animal culture and family units。 I learned so much （more than I ever thought I would about genitalia） and I was still hungry for more stories of Cooke’s research into the female of the species。 I love that the conversation is finally starting to be had about changing history from the misogynistic viewpoint that we’ve had to depend on to a more inclusive view。 I can’t wait to see what else is discovered now that we have a the discussion started about gender roles within our own species， let alone how much other species are further along。 Moral of the story: who needs men？ 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
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In this book Bitch by Lucy Cook it is a short but awesome audio listen。 What I found more entertaining than the morphodite it to sex monkeys， moles and other animals what is the utterly ridiculous mindset of zoologist and others who studied or commented on animals in the 1800s。 Oh Bill I was entertaining by whales， lizards and the other animals that Could basically impregnate their self was the mine set of the men commenting on them。 They were so clueless one man even made a chicken with dual se In this book Bitch by Lucy Cook it is a short but awesome audio listen。 What I found more entertaining than the morphodite it to sex monkeys， moles and other animals what is the utterly ridiculous mindset of zoologist and others who studied or commented on animals in the 1800s。 Oh Bill I was entertaining by whales， lizards and the other animals that Could basically impregnate their self was the mine set of the men commenting on them。 They were so clueless one man even made a chicken with dual sexes into his dinner and sent the bones to his anthropologist friend。 I found this book to be witty， Entertaining and educational。 I was mostly impressed by Lucy Cook’s narration。 Usually when a book is narrated by the author I won’t purchase it nor do I want to listen to it， but this summary was so intriguing and I am so glad I got to listen。 I laughed out loud and a couple of parts and shook my head another’s all in all I highly recommend this book。 Please forgive any grammar or punctuation errors as I am blind to dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own。 Thanks to net Galley and the author Lucy cooked for the free copy。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Informative， witty， and thought-provoking。 I loved this book！
Mary Arkless
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"When I had the first inkling to write a book about how female animals had been misrepresented by science， I had no idea the story was so big or that my subject was so vulnerable to cultural pollution。。。。That much of what I had been taught as gospel at university - the very foundations of evolutionary biology - had been distorted by prejudice was a shocking revelation。" Page 281"The Victorian era was all about imposing order on the natural world by creating rules that reflected cultural norms。 T "When I had the first inkling to write a book about how female animals had been misrepresented by science， I had no idea the story was so big or that my subject was so vulnerable to cultural pollution。。。。That much of what I had been taught as gospel at university - the very foundations of evolutionary biology - had been distorted by prejudice was a shocking revelation。" Page 281"The Victorian era was all about imposing order on the natural world by creating rules that reflected cultural norms。 The latest generation of evolutionary biologists are learning how to embrace the chaos of individual flexibility， development plasticity and the limitless possibilities of the natural world。" Page 285These two quotes are cornerstones of what Lucy Cooke discovered as she wrote her book looking at female creatures and their roles in evolution。 It is quite shocking just how much the culture of Victorian England formed evolutionary biology all over the planet。 They totally ignored any scientific findings which did not conform to their norms of the male ruling the roost and the female quietly sitting in the corner， waiting for him to make decisions and take action。 Indeed， they also liked to totally ignore anything which wasn't strictly male and female。 This habit of ignoring what is actually patently obvious to anyone who observes nature continued until very recently， and some scientists are still unwilling to give it up。The two quotes above are from the chapter called "Conclusion" at the end of the book。 How Cooke arrives there is very interesting and well supported with evidence。 It is also a pleasure to read。 I recommend this book。 。。。more
Hellen Yuan
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My new favourite book！
Zan Safra
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Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Digital for this ARC！Lucy Cooke's "Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex， Evolution and the Female Animal" is a brilliant （and very， very refreshing） book that rips down some infuriatingly pernicious stereotypes of female behavior in a fascinating and entertaining way。 （Stereotypes， i。e。 what happens when biologists take the speculations of Victorian-era male scientists as gospel。）From killer mole queens to self-cloning geckos to primates that completely overt Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Digital for this ARC！Lucy Cooke's "Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex， Evolution and the Female Animal" is a brilliant （and very， very refreshing） book that rips down some infuriatingly pernicious stereotypes of female behavior in a fascinating and entertaining way。 （Stereotypes， i。e。 what happens when biologists take the speculations of Victorian-era male scientists as gospel。）From killer mole queens to self-cloning geckos to primates that completely overturn traditional patriarchal views of human behavior， Cooke's work is a very entertaining smashing of old， unsubstantiated claims of how female animals behave in the wild。 The writing is witty and often wonderfully biting， and I learned a tremendous amount。 Five stars！ 。。。more
Cindy :: leavemetomybooks ::
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It feels weird to say that I’ve been cackling out loud while reading a nonfiction zoology book， but nature and sex and biology are apparently hilarious （and fascinating） when Lucy Cooke writes about them。 In just the first half of the book she covers how the sexist nonsense of Darwin and his fellow Victorian Era bros led to the assertion that females are nothing but passive receptors for male reproductive drives （spoiler: incorrect， gents）， unconfusingly explained the bazillion ways sex hormones It feels weird to say that I’ve been cackling out loud while reading a nonfiction zoology book， but nature and sex and biology are apparently hilarious （and fascinating） when Lucy Cooke writes about them。 In just the first half of the book she covers how the sexist nonsense of Darwin and his fellow Victorian Era bros led to the assertion that females are nothing but passive receptors for male reproductive drives （spoiler: incorrect， gents）， unconfusingly explained the bazillion ways sex hormones and gene expression work （spoiler: it’s not all about testosterone and the Y chromosome）， AND: outed some seemingly monogamous birds who sneak out of their nests in the wee hours to bone the neighbors， introduced us to a janky lady Sage Grouse robot held together with Spanx （spoiler: the male grouses were still into her）， and described the more-often-than-not suicidal courting dances of male Peacock Spiders （look this up on YouTube， it’s insane）， PLUS: there are terrifying ostrich penises （I googled this and can’t unsee it and would like to offer my sincere condolences to all the lady ostriches out there just trying to make it through the damn day）， creepy AF horny dolphins， labyrinthine vaginas… and there’s still half a book left （！！）， which is full of menopausal orcas taking care of their grown adult sons who can’t survive without them （nightmare）， murdery meerkats， albatrosses who form same-sex parenting partnerships， and more。 Bitch publishes in the US on June 14th from @basicbooks （thanks for the @netgalley review copy） and is already available in the UK。 I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy if you want to be simultaneously entertained， educated， horrified， and amused。 Also: male ducks are THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING WORST。 。。。more
Bernadette Matthews
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In ‘Bitch’ Lucy Cooke tells us “ I go on a global adventure to meet the animals and scientists that are helping to rewrite an outdated patriarchal view of evolution and redefine the female of the species’This book is brilliant for reframing questions， stepping on Bigfoot Darwinism and chipping off huge chunks of cemented bias in evolutionary biology， including confirmation bias 。 This is a truly thrilling journey showing the nature of female sexuality to be plastic and extraordinary and always a In ‘Bitch’ Lucy Cooke tells us “ I go on a global adventure to meet the animals and scientists that are helping to rewrite an outdated patriarchal view of evolution and redefine the female of the species’This book is brilliant for reframing questions， stepping on Bigfoot Darwinism and chipping off huge chunks of cemented bias in evolutionary biology， including confirmation bias 。 This is a truly thrilling journey showing the nature of female sexuality to be plastic and extraordinary and always adapting。The matrilineal spotted hyena’s for example， females are bigger than the males and dominant， and male having low status， have to appease and beg for food， of these females who have eight inch clitoris， thats shaped and positioned exactly like the male penis， and they also get erections。The great whale matriarchs lead their pods out to sea to fish and play， and teaches her calves to hunt。 The constant songbird is not so constant after all ， and regularly cuckolds her partners， the' female lions mates scores of time during oestrus with multiple mates' 。 On the island of Madagascar female lemurs dominate males。The mole Talpa Europaea sow gonads are described as ovotestes。 Their internal reproduction organs consist of ovarian tissues in one end and testicular tissue at the other。Female choice， helps' polish male brains' with their preference for bright colours louder calls and stronger odours the author tells us。The sage grouse with his beatbox strut for example， hes got to very fit to get the attention of a female， the hens want the best mate with the best genes so the grouse really has to be able to strut his stuff as well as puff out those air sacs。 Polyandry is common in female blackbirds and in fact 90 percent of all female birds routinely copulate with multiple males。， female song birds turn out to be philanders。The female of the species can be very aggressively sexual too， bordering on nymphomania， especially when ovulating。And plenty of female animals enjoy pleasuring themselves， Jane Goodall noticed her chimpanzee's fondling their privates while laughing softly’。Some females such as the mourning gecko clone themselves， and dispense with the whole business of male copulation。This book removed a lot of old fossils views that were my very own and gave me a fresh perspective。Its a very interesting and liberating work， taking the corseted view of female sexuality out of its tin box of binary bindings。 Its like seeing a mummy have it bandages taken off before you eyes， and the live female principle get up and dance。It is easily the most refreshing book Ive read on the female sex ever。 。。。more
Zoe （Zthecapybara）
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A modern look on nature from a passionate scientist， that happens to be a great female author too！ I love Lucy Cooke's work and I can't wait to read more。 If you want to consider our world's expectations with the assumptions we have made on animals this is the book。 A modern look on nature from a passionate scientist， that happens to be a great female author too！ I love Lucy Cooke's work and I can't wait to read more。 If you want to consider our world's expectations with the assumptions we have made on animals this is the book。 。。。more
Elisa
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As an avid reader of books about animals， I already knew that females are not always the weaker sex in nature。 I have a soft spot for the much-maligned spotted hyenas， and I’m fascinated with Frans de Waal’s work with bonobos。 Still， I had no idea that there were so many powerful females in the animal world。 From insects， rodents， birds， and even smaller organisms。 Bitch brings to the forefront how natural history has perpetuated the male-dominated structure from the Victorian era！ Yes， Jane Goo As an avid reader of books about animals， I already knew that females are not always the weaker sex in nature。 I have a soft spot for the much-maligned spotted hyenas， and I’m fascinated with Frans de Waal’s work with bonobos。 Still， I had no idea that there were so many powerful females in the animal world。 From insects， rodents， birds， and even smaller organisms。 Bitch brings to the forefront how natural history has perpetuated the male-dominated structure from the Victorian era！ Yes， Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey are famous， but their field is populated by male-dominated species。 I loved all the anecdotes （which， I know， are not considered proper basis for scientific facts）， and the author’s own experiences meeting many of her study subjects。 The hard science is approachable， avoiding one of the pitfalls of these type of reads。 The last chapter feels a little combative though。 I was expecting feminism， obviously， but the author seems to be working too hard to make a point about non-binary and transgender issues， and mostly applied to humans， my least favorite animal。 I still enjoyed the rest of the book， which is innovative， original and will really open readers’ eyes to the wonders of nature。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Basic Books！ 。。。more
Becca
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I'm not much of a biology person but this book was written in an easy to read fashion and interesting。 Fascinating how sexism has even made its way into the factual interpretation of science。 I'm not much of a biology person but this book was written in an easy to read fashion and interesting。 Fascinating how sexism has even made its way into the factual interpretation of science。 。。。more
Frankie
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Very interesting and eyeopeningVery interesting read and up to date information and case studies included。 Really made me think about everything I learnt whilst studying ecology and reignite my interest。
Kelly Allen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow， one of the most powerful books I have read in ages。 This has really blown me away and made me appreciate nature gender and sex in a whole new light， including us humans。 I didn’t finish biology a-level but found it very easy to read and understand。 Shines a fresh light on research previously （poorly） conducted and subsequently taught as empirical truth。 Gives voice to researchers who have been previously unheard。 Should be read by anyone interested in -zoology， evolution， gender， ecology， s Wow， one of the most powerful books I have read in ages。 This has really blown me away and made me appreciate nature gender and sex in a whole new light， including us humans。 I didn’t finish biology a-level but found it very easy to read and understand。 Shines a fresh light on research previously （poorly） conducted and subsequently taught as empirical truth。 Gives voice to researchers who have been previously unheard。 Should be read by anyone interested in -zoology， evolution， gender， ecology， sexuality， feminism， I cannot praise this book enough。 This is one of the few books I have borrowed from the library and now what to buy to keep。 Some of my favourite quotes in this fabulous and really accessible read-‘ I think it was those transitional anemonefish that rocked my world most。 They made me think about my sex in the most radical way， forcing me to question core presumptions about how it is defined。 This was both uncomfortable and exhilarating。 Discoveringthat biological sex is， in truth， a spectrum and that all sexes are the product of basically the same genes， the same hormones and thesame brains， has been the greatest revelation of all。 It's forced a shift in my perspective to recognize my own cultural biases and tryto banish any lingering heteronormative presumptions about the relationship between sex， sexual identity， sexed behaviour and sex-uality。 A freedom of thought that's challenging to maintain， but leaves me empowered by the boundless possibilities of the female experience。Joan Roughgarden has been a very noisy critic of Darwins sexual selection theory。 Its legacy， she claims， has forced generations of biologists to try to cram the immense sexual variation in nature - the rainbows， as she calls them into overly orthodox binary boxes。The biggest error of biology today is uncritically assuming that the gamete size binary implies a corresponding binary in bodytype， behaviour and life history，; she states at the start of her book。 This has dangerous implications for science and society; 'suppressing the full story of gender and sexuality denies diverse people their right to feel at one with nature'， she argues。"The true story of nature is profoundly empowering for peoples of minority genderexpressions and sexualities。'People forget there are more similarities between the sexes than there are differences。Crewe’s illustrated this profound and inspiring point， like all good scientists， with a rather boring graph。 The overlap behind humps of linear data （one for male and one for female showed individual variation within a sex is greater than the average variation between the sexes）。 Biology often ignores individual variation and irons out any extremes to consider only what is typical for each sex。 So on paper the sexes appear to be completelydifferent， but this is just a statistical phenomenon。 The truth is that males and females are more alike than they are different。We all come from a single fertilized cell。 Therefore we have to have all of the elements to create both sexes， Crews added。 I feelthat if we can study the similarities in greater depth we might dis cover that， in fact， everything about the individual is bisexual？The anemonefish would certainly agree。 But so might some of the more binary creatures we've met in the pages of this book。 Thesynchronized courtship and sexual behaviour of those all-female albatross or gecko couples and the neural switch for “maternalinstinct' demonstrated in the brains of male and female frogs and mice also suggest Crews is correct。 。。。more
Charlotte
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Well and wittily written， entertaining and thought provoking， bringing the joy of a well written popular science book。 I'll have to check out her other book on sloths as well - the subject matter didn't excite me but I now believe the author can。 （reading time 3。4 hours， about half of which read out loud because it was just so entertaining。 Also， about a fifth of the page count is notes and references） Well and wittily written， entertaining and thought provoking， bringing the joy of a well written popular science book。 I'll have to check out her other book on sloths as well - the subject matter didn't excite me but I now believe the author can。 （reading time 3。4 hours， about half of which read out loud because it was just so entertaining。 Also， about a fifth of the page count is notes and references） 。。。more
Kelly Furniss
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I found this a really humorous educational and scientific journey as the author takes you through the animal kingdom analysing different animals and focussing on the female species and how they live and mate。 The style made it easy to read even when you were learning quite complex information。A must read for people interested in the nature genre。
Sarah
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