Bitch: On the Female of the Species
- Downloads：5736
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-20 11:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lucy Cooke
- ISBN：1668615932
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Mansoor
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معمولا مذهبی‌ها را به ضدیت با تکامل می‌شناسند。 واقعیت امر اینکه بزرگ‌ترین و خطرناک‌ترین منکران تکامل فمینیست‌ها و مقلدان ایدئولوژی جنسیت‌اند معمولا مذهبی‌ها را به ضدیت با تکامل می‌شناسند。 واقعیت امر اینکه بزرگ‌ترین و خطرناک‌ترین منکران تکامل فمینیست‌ها و مقلدان ایدئولوژی جنسیت‌اند 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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BitchOn the Female of the Speciesby Lucy CookeThis book was absolutely amazing！ It's going in my favorite folder for sure！ I read it twice！ It has factual information about various aspects of the female species that make them unique， in so many different species！ Some aspects are so bizarre it's hard to believe！ Besides the rare and unusual tidbits of info that is explained and shocking the reader， sometimes it's the subject itself that's shocking！ Wow， the subject！ Lol！ Yes， this book will blow BitchOn the Female of the Speciesby Lucy CookeThis book was absolutely amazing！ It's going in my favorite folder for sure！ I read it twice！ It has factual information about various aspects of the female species that make them unique， in so many different species！ Some aspects are so bizarre it's hard to believe！ Besides the rare and unusual tidbits of info that is explained and shocking the reader， sometimes it's the subject itself that's shocking！ Wow， the subject！ Lol！ Yes， this book will blow you away！ The facts and information is also presented in a humorous， witty， and clever way that kept me smiling and chuckling！ I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Subject， humor， facts， and writer！ All wonderful！ 。。。more
Andrea Smith
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Bitch The very title of this book made me curious and wanted to check it out further。 Bitch， wasn't what I had in mind but was interesting and funny enough to hold my attention and had me laughing unexpectedly。 I definitely related to Cooke finding gross biology stuff awesome。 I grew up to be a nurse。 Cooke shows us that the females of the species can be just as dynamic as their male counterparts。 We learn gender roles， and the diversity of female species and look at family units。 Cooke covers m Bitch The very title of this book made me curious and wanted to check it out further。 Bitch， wasn't what I had in mind but was interesting and funny enough to hold my attention and had me laughing unexpectedly。 I definitely related to Cooke finding gross biology stuff awesome。 I grew up to be a nurse。 Cooke shows us that the females of the species can be just as dynamic as their male counterparts。 We learn gender roles， and the diversity of female species and look at family units。 Cooke covers more than reproduction。 I love animals and biology and found this book engaging。 I learned a lot of cool stuff。 Because Cooke is starting the conversation about changing history from a misogynistic viewpoint， I'm sure this is controversial for some。 However， I enjoyed listening to this book。 The narration was just okay for me。 Thank you， NetGalley and Hachette Audio，for providing me with an Audio ARC for an honest review。 。。。more
Jo Lee
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review。Synopsis A fierce， funny， and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdomStudying 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 Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review。Synopsis A fierce， funny， and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdomStudying 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。 This probably wouldn’t be my usual choice of book， but I guess that’s why I was keen to listen to it。 Truly an inclusive read， with great wit and humour， although I felt like I was learning a subject that I didn’t really have an interest in （sorry） I actually really enjoyed the process。 I love and hate the fact that this book is pushing the boundaries simply by being about the female of the species written by the female of the species。 A step forward that seems so absurd yet brilliant。 。。。more
RoshReviews
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In a Nutshell: Not as misandrist as I had assumed。 Way funnier than I had anticipated！ Insightful， relevant， comprehensive， mind-blowing。 Go for it！Science is always said to be objective。 But we need to ask ourselves how objective can a subject be if it has excluded the thoughts of half of the world’s population， if it has observed phenomena through masculine-filtered lenses， if it has dismissed any change in traditional masculine superiority as an aberration than as a possible norm。 British zoo In a Nutshell: Not as misandrist as I had assumed。 Way funnier than I had anticipated！ Insightful， relevant， comprehensive， mind-blowing。 Go for it！Science is always said to be objective。 But we need to ask ourselves how objective can a subject be if it has excluded the thoughts of half of the world’s population， if it has observed phenomena through masculine-filtered lenses， if it has dismissed any change in traditional masculine superiority as an aberration than as a possible norm。 British zoologist and digital personality Lucy Cooke raises an array of questions and provides a throng of answers about various elements of nature where things aren’t quite what we have been taught either in school or through research papers or even through television documentaries。 In one of her Youtube videos， Cooke says， “If you want to tell a story and reach a wider audience， it helps if you are a bit playful about it。” She applies this principle with heart and soul to this book。 Every anecdote is peppered with an underlying tone of fun， and every chapter shines a spotlight on her sense of humour。 Right at the start， we have the author's note on the use of language， and here itself， the tone of the book is set。 The author makes it clear why we have dual gender-based terms in biology， how the terms are used in the book， and how we should refrain from using the terms unless needed。 As we all know， the concept of gender is very fluid， so the traditional theory of the male and female binary doesn’t stand on its feet anymore。 Her note clarifies why she resorts to these words at times， while still declaring， “Gendered ideas based on binary sex are nonsense。"Most biology/zoology textbooks teach us things from the perspective of the male of the species。 When it comes to females， the information is limited to mothering a baby and sometimes， being the queen of a colony。 So the content of this book took me by surprise。 Thanks to the documentaries of my favourite nature guru Sir David Attenborough， I did know a few of the facts， such as the female praying mantis biting off the head of her “lover” while the poor guy is indulging in copulation， the story of Darwin’s finches， or the mating hierarchy of certain ape groups。 But most of the animal anecdotes were totally new to me。 （I am never going to look at meerkats or ducks the same way again！ *shudder*）Fighting for a mate， queening over a group or colony， “pleasuring themselves”， the truth about monogamy， “virgin births”， power struggles，… the book throws one interesting chapter after another， all ideas being supported by ample data and examples from the animal world。 As Cooke herself declares， it is high time the “sexist mythology in biology and zoology” is shattered。 Along the way， she raises awareness about other topics such as climate change and the impact it is having on the natural world。The author’s methodology ensures that even those unfamiliar with the animal world will comprehend her points。 Her writing is balanced with plenty of light-hearted remarks， multiple anecdotes， and an empathetic approach。 She also peppers the content with a few examples from movies such as ‘Finding Nemo’， making it even more relatable。 It does get a bit technical at times， but you can safely skip over anything you find esoteric without hampering your understanding of the book。 As long as you were able to understand that the animal on the cover is a hyena and not a dog， you’re good to go。 😉While I loved almost all the content， my favourite has to be the final chapter， in which she shatters the myth of gender duality in nature。 All those naysayers who declare that homosexuality isn’t “natural” and “God made two genders”， you’ve got a rethink coming your way！ Cooke doesn’t just stop at revealing examples from nature。 Time and again， she highlights examples of female biologists and zoologists whose names have been pushed under the radar for propagating an “incorrect” or “impossible” hypothesis about the female of any animal species。 Men have traditionally been considered more evolved and therefore more intelligent， more reasonable， more imaginative， more superior to women。 As such， it is not just female animals who have been ignored but also female scientists whose thoughts have been either curtained or curtailed。 Cooke also mentions multiple examples where evidence from research has suffered through a confirmation bias， simply because it didn’t match the prevailing idea of male superiority。 One example even mentions a male scientist’s declaration of a female bird having “hormonal imbalance” due to the breeding season and hence her behaviour being invalidated。 Let me make it clear that she doesn’t point fingers at these male scientists but just shows how rational thinking has been coloured by gendered viewpoints。 As she says， “There is no conspiracy here， just blinkered science。 […] good scientists can suffer bad biases。”The audiobook， clocking at almost 12 hours， is narrated by the author herself。 And what an amazing experience it has been to hear her！ She has put her experience as a BBC presenter to brilliant use and delivers a pitch-perfect performance。 I loved the book for its content， but Cooke’s vivacity enhances the experience of the audio version。 For the first time in ages， I relished an audiobook at 1x speed， soaking in every word and laughing/sighing along the way。4。75 stars。Tons of thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Bitch: On the Female of the Species”！ I usually avoid nonfiction ARCs as I find myself handicapped in reviewing them。 But this was one title that appealed to me the minute I saw that bad-ass hyena on the cover and I knew I HAD to read this。 Never have I kept my fingers and toes so tightly crossed for any ARC！ Hachette’s approval of this title had made my day， and reading this book has made my reading year。This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook。***********************Join me on the Facebook group， Readers Forever！， for more reviews， book-related discussions and fun。 。。。more
Jo Lee
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review。Synopsis A fierce， funny， and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdomStudying 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 Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review。Synopsis A fierce， funny， and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdomStudying 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。 This probably wouldn’t be my usual choice of book， but I guess that’s why I was keen to listen to it。 Truly an inclusive read， with great wit and humour， although I felt like I was learning a subject that I didn’t really have an interest in （sorry） I actually really enjoyed the process。 I love and hate the fact that this book is pushing the boundaries simply by being about the female of the species written by the female of the species。 A step forward that seems so absurd yet brilliant。 。。。more
Peter Tillman
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Science magazine's review: https://www。science。org/doi/10。1126/s。。。（scroll down）Excerpt:"Did you know that all female mammals have a clitoris？ Or that there is no such thing as a “maternal” instinct？ Or that the only nonhuman animals known to go through menopause are the toothed whales， such as orcas？ In addition to containing salacious conversation starters， Lucy Cooke’s new book， Bitch: On the Female of the Species， aims to confront the male-focused assumptions that have long gone unquestioned Science magazine's review: https://www。science。org/doi/10。1126/s。。。（scroll down）Excerpt:"Did you know that all female mammals have a clitoris？ Or that there is no such thing as a “maternal” instinct？ Or that the only nonhuman animals known to go through menopause are the toothed whales， such as orcas？ In addition to containing salacious conversation starters， Lucy Cooke’s new book， Bitch: On the Female of the Species， aims to confront the male-focused assumptions that have long gone unquestioned in evolutionary biology。" 。。。more
Su versmonesprit
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In her book #Bitch （‘A revolutionary guide to sex， evolution & the female animal’ in UK; ‘On the female of the species’ in US， a trimmed title I feel betrays the book） zoologist Lucy Cooke has one clear objective: to challenge a historically biased view of the animal kingdom。“[… G]ood scientists can suffer bad biases，” writes Cooke。 Her aim isn’t to negate the work of scientists who have， in essence， made biology a science; what she wants is to lift the blindfolds imposed by longstanding bigotri In her book #Bitch （‘A revolutionary guide to sex， evolution & the female animal’ in UK; ‘On the female of the species’ in US， a trimmed title I feel betrays the book） zoologist Lucy Cooke has one clear objective: to challenge a historically biased view of the animal kingdom。“[… G]ood scientists can suffer bad biases，” writes Cooke。 Her aim isn’t to negate the work of scientists who have， in essence， made biology a science; what she wants is to lift the blindfolds imposed by longstanding bigotries。 The cultural notion of the ‘fairer （read weaker， submissive） sex’ and the religious value of heteronormativity have caused a considerable group of scientists to lose objectivity in their assessments。 According to Cooke， what makes these biases particularly dangerous is their “boomerang nature” — because such beliefs are ingrained in scientists， they do not register contradicting patterns; this causes a lack of data; this lack of data is presumed to be evidence as to the absence of female dominance and （in anthropomorphised terms） queerness; this is then used as ammunition by bigots to justify their views， on account of what is ‘natural’。But these convictions couldn’t be farther from the truth。 Nature is not uniform。 Female agency， female aggression， female power， female dominance are observed across many species。 Homosexuality and same-sex partnership are not all that rare。 In nature， not even sex is always binary。 Cooke takes the readers on an absolutely wild， superbly fun journey through the social orders and sexual behaviours of a wide range of animals， from mammals to arthropods， to prove her points。 At the face of an ecological crisis， she further notes， the survival of numerous species will likely depend on these qualities。While Cooke， as should be expected， uses proper terminology， this does not obscure the clarity of her explanations， or hinder the flow of her narration; she breaks down everything， and anyone who has been to high school will readily be familiar with the terms anyway。 Without a doubt， Bitch has been written to be read and understood。 There’s nothing intimidating 。 。 。 except maybe for the female spiders， and that shouldn’t be a cause for concern unless you’re a male spider looking to mate！I had， until now， never enjoyed an audiobook （or even completed one without increasing the speed to x2） as much as I adored Bitch， narrated by the author herself。 It’s a terrific experience: Cooke sounds much less like reading a book， and far more like presenting a documentary film！ 11 chapters， an introduction， a conclusion， a running time of almost 12 hours， and not once does Bitch get boring， or the audiobook become cumbersome to listen to。 Cooke’s awesome sense of humour and witty remarks made me chuckle several times。Half a year gone by， and Bitch is my first 5-star read of 2022。 Going in， I was hopeful of course， but I didn’t expect it （especially since it’s an audiobook） to be absolutely perfect。 It should be a compulsory read in all high schools！ I wholeheartedly recommend it。Huge thank you to #NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this wonderful DRC！ 。。。more
Anne Morgan
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I start this review with a confession: I absolutely picked up this book because of the cover。 Hyenas are among my favorite animals （even more so after reading Bitch） and a cover featuring a hyena？ I wanted to know what that book was about！ Reading the synopsis I was a little concerned the science would go over my head， but I knew I had to read this book （or listen， as the case may be- I listened to the audiobook， excellently narrated by author Lucy Cooke herself）。 So kudos to the cover designers I start this review with a confession: I absolutely picked up this book because of the cover。 Hyenas are among my favorite animals （even more so after reading Bitch） and a cover featuring a hyena？ I wanted to know what that book was about！ Reading the synopsis I was a little concerned the science would go over my head， but I knew I had to read this book （or listen， as the case may be- I listened to the audiobook， excellently narrated by author Lucy Cooke herself）。 So kudos to the cover designers for drawing me in， but after that it was all Lucy。 Along the way I started sharing bits with my co-workers and they came to expect updates after lunch breaks。 I think I sold this book to all of my colleagues at the indie-bookstore where we work before the book came out based on "So I'm eating my sandwich and learning about 。 。 。" One day this included a customer who was looking for a book to send to her daughter doing a semester abroad in England- her boyfriend had just dumped her for being too "feminist and empowered"。 I told her that was （unintentionally from his point of view， sadly） the best compliment to give someone and mentioned this book， and that it was probably already out in the UK。 A fabulously well done mix of science facts both past and present and female empowerment， it seemed the perfect recommendation for a teenager who had been dumped for being "too feminist"。With that as a background， in case you can't tell， I loved this book and was fascinated from start to finish。 Lucy Cooke， an author， National Geographic explorer， and award-winning documentary filmmaker with a master’s degree in zoology from Oxford University， has a brilliant writing style that is both irreverent， witty， and direct。 Whether describing Charles Darwin's original evolutionary theory or her own experiences scooping orca poop （yes， that is a scientific thing） you feel as if Cooke is talking directly to you and sharing stories that might interest you。 Or shock/enrage you as you come to understand that the "pure science" myth they teach in school is just that- a myth。 Females have been sidelined from more than just conducting scientific research since Victorian times， Darwin and the Victorian patriarchy considered females the passive sex and focused their studies on the active， more interesting， males in the animal world。 This has carried over far longer into the twentieth and twenty first centuries than I expected， often influencing studies by scientists who would ignore data to get the results they wanted， marginalizing and limiting the amount of research done on females （human health care isn't mentioned but I think we all would agree its an example that would fit here！）。Cooke takes us across the globe and around the animal kingdom， from my beloved hyenas to lesbian albatrosses; from the dark side of matriarchal meerkats they probably don't show on Discovery Channel documentaries to menopausal orcas; a wide variety of spiders and insects and why they eat their sexual partners; sexually promiscuous song birds who completely freaked out scientists; a wide range of matriarchal species defying stereotypical male domination; and "Evolution's Rainbow"， perhaps the new theory in evolution as modern science evolves to accept a non-binary approach to nature， redefining what gender means and its place in the natural world。Bitch: On the Female of the Species takes a humorous but thoroughly researched look at evolution and nature， and （I think） fairly successfully demolishes the stale and sexist myths of a male dominated animal kingdom once and for all。 Cooke highlights research done by scientists of all genders to show that moving forward is a new world of thought， working hard to question everything the patriarchal establishment has entrenched as dogma over the centuries。 Here， females have their day， their spotlight， as scientists try to learn more and show us what their lives are like， asking the reader to question what they think they know about the world around them， including what it means to be "female"。If you love animals， science， or want to learn about a new avenue of feminism， you absolutely need to read Bitch: On the Female of the Species。 。。。more
Emily
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Absolutely loved this book！ Full of interesting science， perfectly woven around social commentary。 A fantastic book that everyone should read！
agata
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I enjoyed reading this book so much more than I expected， and I picked it up already expecting a lot！ Bitch is a funny， informative book about female animals and what roles they play in the world。 It approaches the subject from a pretty feminist perspective， and I really appreciated that Cooke firmly takes a stand and makes sure to say that “sex is wildly variable and that gendered ideas based on assumptions of binary sex are nonsense” before even the first chapter begins。 Cooke points out that I enjoyed reading this book so much more than I expected， and I picked it up already expecting a lot！ Bitch is a funny， informative book about female animals and what roles they play in the world。 It approaches the subject from a pretty feminist perspective， and I really appreciated that Cooke firmly takes a stand and makes sure to say that “sex is wildly variable and that gendered ideas based on assumptions of binary sex are nonsense” before even the first chapter begins。 Cooke points out that despite the fact that science is supposed to be objective， there’s still a certain emphasis on the importance of the males in the animal kingdom。 The bias towards males is partially the result of women being pushed out of the scientific fields， and I loved that Cooke proved many myths wrong - like the one that females are always the monogamous ones - in an easy to follow and understand way。 An amazing slice of pop-science that made me reevaluate some of the things I believed for many years。TLDR: Bitch is a fun and educational read that illustrates how fascinating the female animal kingdom is。 It also makes a broader point about how sexism affects our perspective and beliefs， and what we can do to counter it。 。。。more
Kara Babcock
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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
Luke Phillips
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Bitch by Lucy Cooke is a much needed overhaul of our binary， male-dominated thoughts on sex in the animal kingdom。 Like many， I was taught that male animals， on the whole， did all the hard work of strutting their stuff， fighting it out， and playing a leading role in。。。well， leadership。 But as Cooke explains， this is much more down to old， white， male scientists who ignored the science and instead pursued conformational bias as it suited them。 And this isn't opinion - it's documented fact。 Even M Bitch by Lucy Cooke is a much needed overhaul of our binary， male-dominated thoughts on sex in the animal kingdom。 Like many， I was taught that male animals， on the whole， did all the hard work of strutting their stuff， fighting it out， and playing a leading role in。。。well， leadership。 But as Cooke explains， this is much more down to old， white， male scientists who ignored the science and instead pursued conformational bias as it suited them。 And this isn't opinion - it's documented fact。 Even Mendel's fruit flies - practically the foundation of modern genetic study， is marred by ignored parameters and data。Cooke goes on to introduce us to matriarchal societies - including orca and spotted hyenas， as well as "lesbian" albatrosses， and even a species of gecko that has given up on males altogether。 With real dedication to the science， an excellent eye for detail， and a cheeky sense of humour， Cooke reveals why the world of sex in the animal kingdom is much less binary （and male dominated） and far more brilliant and complex than we've ever imagined。I had some slight concerns towards the end of the book though。 The trans-gender scientist making the case for trans-gender species seemed to be dangerously close to the conformational bias that Cooke had taken a stand against at the start of the book。 But， as the whole book frankly points out - it's unlikely that a binary， heterosexual male scientist would even likely do such studies in the first place。 And again， some of the conclusions about gender in the animal kingdom felt a little anthropomorphic rather than an unbiased look at the facts。 But， I'm a layman， and Cooke is the scientist - there should be no doubt that she has the authority to address the topic。 I really enjoyed this book。 It was thought-provoking， educational， fun， and brilliantly researched。 I would thoroughly recommend。 。。。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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