Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The differences between men and women are studied via humans' primate relatives in this fascinating survey. Primatologist de Waal (Mama's Last Hug) writes that "we have a bit of each ape inside us, while in addition we've had several million years to evolve our own unique traits," and mines his extensive experience observing chimpanzees and bonobos. Some insights confirm stereotypes (male apes like playing with toy trucks, females are "besotted with infants") while others undermine them (females can be as sexually avid as males). The bonobos, de Waal writes, are "peaceful, sex-loving and female-dominated," and, he notes, some primates exhibit homosexual and gender-bending proclivities. De Waal connects these findings to human anthropology and psychology, staking a middle ground in gender controversies: he's "not sure... raising children genderless does them much of a favor," and asserts that "being transgender is intrinsic and constitutional... I mean the opposite of socially constructed." De Waal shines in his empathetic, Tolstoyan portrait of animal life: "I found Luit sitting in a puddle of blood, leaning his head dejectedly against the bars of his night cage," he writes of a mortally wounded chimp. "He heaved the deepest sigh when I stroked his head." This surprising look at the nature of primates has a lot to say about what it means to be human. Photos. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Primatologist de Waal (Emory Univ.; Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves) applies his decades of observation of apes to examine human behavior and its relation to gender and biological sex. He contends that biological sex, for all its implications, does not intrinsically support the gender roles that exist in human societies; rather, gendered behaviors, roles, and proclivities are evolutionary social adaptations with biological origin. De Waal looks to humans' nearest genetic relatives--chimpanzees and bonobos--for comparison. But "different" also applies to these three ape species, which have developed remarkably dissimilar social structures and ways of relating within and between the sexes, so while de Waal's observations are fascinating, the social lessons of this study can be elusive. His perspective is that gender arises from biological distinctions in human bodies and brains but is overlaid and complicated by socialization and culture, and he takes great pains to make clear that description is not endorsement of sexist or patriarchal behavior or sex- or gender-based oppression. The book's slippery conflation of the terms "gender" and "sex" muddies this point, as does its lack of engagement with transgender, nonbinary, or intersex experiences. VERDICT A biological view of human sex differences that could have more explicitly engaged sociology and gender studies but opens much room for discussion.--Wade Lee-Smith
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
What humans can learn from anthropoid apes. World-renowned primatologist de Waal draws on a long career of investigating chimpanzees and bonobos--both equally close to humans genetically--to argue with wit and clarity against assumptions about sex and gender that generate inequality. With anthropoid apes his main focus, the author also looks to many other species (mice, tortoises, marmosets, and whales, among them) for evidence in responding to salient questions: Does the behavior of men and women differ naturally, or is it culturally determined? Are there only two genders? Does gender account for differences in intelligence, aggression, leadership, cooperation, and competition? Are females naturally more empathetic than males? The author demonstrates how chimpanzees and bonobos are studies in contrast. Chimpanzee society "is aggressive, territorial, and run by males. Bonobos are peaceful, sex-loving, and female dominated." Yet de Waal highlights similarities between the sexes in both societies--in intelligence, cooperation, and competition, for example, and even in leadership. Although males are generally larger and the "overwhelming source" of physical violence, still, "violence is not their default condition," nor is it the only way an ape can exert power. Debunking theorists who insist that all behavior is dictated by genetic inheritance, de Waal underscores the "dynamic interplay between genes and the environment." As for sexual behavior and identity, the author asserts that being transgender "is intrinsic and constitutional"--i.e., "the opposite of socially constructed." Same-sex behavior is found among penguins as well as 450 other species, including humans' close relatives anthropoid apes, and de Waal notes the prevalence of "female sexual adventurism," which contradicts the idea that males are sexually insatiable. "It's time to abandon the myth that men have a stronger sex drive and are more promiscuous than women," he writes. The author enlivens his pages with attentive, sometimes moving portraits of animals he has encountered as well as anecdotes about his own experiences as one of six brothers. Engaging, enlightening, and deeply informative. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
