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9780061120565

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"""A page-turning story of heroes and villains that stirs both compassion and anger."" -- Philadelphia Inquirer ""A riveting account of medical arrogance and misguided science."" -- Playboy ""Colapinto's account . . . raises fascinating scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish. -- Providence Phoenix ""Colapinto's book is a stinging and overdue indictment of the 'sexual reassignment' of infants like baby Bruce and those born with both male and female sex organs....The book also serves as an intimate, heartbreaking diary of Bruce Brenda Reimer, the casualty of a ghoulish science project gone terribly wrong."" -- Cleveland Plain Dealer ""Colapinto, a writer of striking lucidity and compassion, inspired the very private man who now proudly calls himself David to reveal the entire story of his horrendous ordeal in hopes of preventing others from suffering his fate. The result is an arresting and invaluable narrative of personal tragedy, scientific arrogance, and societal confusion over the source and significance of gender differences."" -- Booklist ""Colapinto, the reporter who won a National Magazine Award for a piece on David's story, engrossingly recounts this tale of grotesque medical hubris and a life dragged slowly from the ashes....Colapinto's storytelling, taut and emotive, never plays the grim tale for its sideshow qualities, nor claims the last word on nature versus nurture."" -- Kirkus, starred review ""For the most part, As Nature Made Him is a story of innocence stolen, and of ill fate bravely born....But the book is also a testament to the immutability of self. Because David in the end is a triumph."" -- Dallas Morning News ""In the end, what makes As Nature Made Him impossible to put down is not the machinations of a misguided scientist but the suffering, courage and ultimate triumph of a truly unfortunate child."" -- Psychology Today ""John Colapinto debunks Money's version of Brenda's childhood in his fascinating, exhaustively researched As Nature Made Him. The result is a detailed and riveting account."" -- Seattle Post Intelligencer ""Raises fascinating scientific, philosophical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish"" -- Boston Phoenix ""The hottest hypothesis in the academic world today is that nature always trumps nurture. John Colapinto's absorbing As Nature Made Him stands as exhibit A."" -- Tom Wolfe ""This is a mesmerizing tale that manages to balance an engrossing look at what happened to Brenda with a persuasive argument that biology, not environment, determines sexuality."" -- San Antonio Express ""This thoroughly researched and skillfully told profile of David Reimer deserves to be an early candidate for the best nonfiction book of the year."" -- Albany Times Union ""What happened to Bruce and his parents is a true-life medical horror to rival any of Robin Cook's science thrillers...a fascinating book."" -- Houston Chronicle ""Ultimately, the book stands as a passionate warning against social pressure and prejudice'whether medical, ideological or biological. As a society, we should aspire to Colapinto's stellar journalist example: listening carefully to the circumstances of those who are different rather than demanding that they conform to our own."" -- Washington Post ""With remarkable concision, Mr. Colapinto has telescoped this medical scandal, brilliantly weaving the perspectives of David [Reimer], his family, friends, doctors, and wife...The book's structure is that of a mystery."" -- New York Observer ""An engaging book. Given access to Reimer's psychiatric files, family and friends, the author reconstructs a horrific tale: a scrappy kid made to wear pink and pearls; a bully of a doctor unwilling to admit failure; a family torn apart by guilt. David's courageous and unlikely victory--today he's a happily married stepfather of three--shows us how psychololgy's theories du jour can be painfully, dreadfully wrong. A gut-wrenching, absorbing account -- People magazine"

A riveting account of medical arrogance and misguided science.--Playboy An engaging book. Given access to Reimer's psychiatric files, family and friends, the author reconstructs a horrific tale: a scrappy kid made to wear pink and pearls; a bully of a doctor unwilling to admit failure; a family torn apart by guilt. David's courageous and unlikely victory--today he's a happily married stepfather of three--shows us how psychololgy's theories du jour can be painfully, dreadfully wrong. A gut-wrenching, absorbing account--People magazine Colapinto, the reporter who won a National Magazine Award for a piece on David's story, engrossingly recounts this tale of grotesque medical hubris and a life dragged slowly from the ashes....Colapinto's storytelling, taut and emotive, never plays the grim tale for its sideshow qualities, nor claims the last word on nature versus nurture.--Kirkus, starred review Colapinto's account . . . raises fascinating scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish.--Providence Phoenix Raises fascinating scientific, philosophical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish--Boston Phoenix This is a mesmerizing tale that manages to balance an engrossing look at what happened to Brenda with a persuasive argument that biology, not environment, determines sexuality.--San Antonio Express This thoroughly researched and skillfully told profile of David Reimer deserves to be an early candidate for the best nonfiction book of the year.--Albany Times Union What happened to Bruce and his parents is a true-life medical horror to rival any of Robin Cook's science thrillers...a fascinating book.--Houston Chronicle With remarkable concision, Mr. Colapinto has telescoped this medical scandal, brilliantly weaving the perspectives of David [Reimer], his family, friends, doctors, and wife...The book's structure is that of a mystery. --New York Observer The hottest hypothesis in the academic world today is that nature always trumps nurture. John Colapinto's absorbing As Nature Made Him stands as exhibit A.--Tom Wolfe John Colapinto debunks Money's version of Brenda's childhood in his fascinating, exhaustively researched As Nature Made Him. The result is a detailed and riveting account.--Seattle Post Intelligencer In the end, what makes As Nature Made Him impossible to put down is not the machinations of a misguided scientist but the suffering, courage and ultimate triumph of a truly unfortunate child.--Psychology Today For the most part, As Nature Made Him is a story of innocence stolen, and of ill fate bravely born....But the book is also a testament to the immutability of self. Because David in the end is a triumph.--Dallas Morning News Colapinto's book is a stinging and overdue indictment of the 'sexual reassignment' of infants like baby Bruce and those born with both male and female sex organs....The book also serves as an intimate, heartbreaking diary of Bruce Brenda Reimer, the casualty of a ghoulish science project gone terribly wrong.--Cleveland Plain Dealer Colapinto, a writer of striking lucidity and compassion, inspired the very private man who now proudly calls himself David to reveal the entire story of his horrendous ordeal in hopes of preventing others from suffering his fate. The result is an arresting and invaluable narrative of personal tragedy, scientific arrogance, and societal confusion over the source and significance of gender differences.--Booklist A page-turning story of heroes and villains that stirs both compassion and anger.--Philadelphia Inquirer Ultimately, the book stands as a passionate warning against social pressure and prejudice'whether medical, ideological or biological. As a society, we should aspire to Colapinto's stellar journalist example: listening carefully to the circumstances of those who are different rather than demanding that they conform to our own. --Washington Post

<quote> <blockquote><remark> From the moment I read about the baby boy whom doctors changed into a girl, I yearned to know the story from the child's point of view: What did he think? What did he feel? How did his life turn out? As Nature Made Him </i>tells that story--heartbreaking, infuriating, but also fascinating--an object lesson in medical hubris and close-the-ranks collusion, and in the tragic results when ideology trumps common sense in thinking about sex and gender. Above all, it's a deeply moving human drama and a testament to the inner strength and courage of the child who never lost touch with who he really was. </remark><div align=right><by>--Deborah Tannen</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> The hottest hypothesis in the academic world today is that nature always trumps nurture. John Colapinto's absorbing As Nature Made Him </i>stands as exhibit A. </remark><div align=right><by>--Tom Wolfe</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Harrowing and enthralling, As Nature Made Him </i>makes a convincing case that gender has less to do with the signals we send and receive from the world than with ineradicable messages encoded in every cell of our brains and bodies. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Elle</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Colapinto, a writer of striking lucidity and compassion, inspired the very private man who now proudly calls himself David to reveal the entire story of his horrendous ordeal in hopes of preventing others from suffering his fate. The result is an arresting and invaluable narrative of personal tragedy, scientific arrogance, and societal confusion over the source andsignificance of gender differences. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Booklist</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Colapinto, the reporter who won a National Magazine Award for a piece on David's story, engrossingly recounts this tale of grotesque medical hubris and a life dragged slowly from the ashes....Colapinto's storytelling, taut and emotive, never plays the grim tale for its sideshow qualities, nor claims the last word on nature versus nurture. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Kirkus, </i>starred review</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Riveting, cleanly written, and brilliantly researched. </remark><div align=right><by>--Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>. ..An engaging book. Given access to Reimer's psychiatric files, family and friends, the author reconstructs a horrific tale: a scrappy kid made to wear pink and pearls; a bully of a doctor unwilling to admit failure; a family torn apart by guilt. David's courageous and unlikely victory--today he's a happily married stepfather of three--shows us how psychololgy's theories du jour can be painfully, dreadfully wrong. A gut-wrenching, absorbing account. </remark><div align=right><by>-- People</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Fascinating...the book, by New York writer John Colapinto, skillfully and unsentimentally chronicles the odyssey of David and his anguished parents, who were little more than teenagers when they faced the dilemma of how best to help their son. The book succeeds on many levels--as the gripping story of a child and his family as well as a carefullydocumented examination of how an unproven theory became accepted as standard treatment. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Washington Post</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> This case stands as a testament to the arrogance of the medical profession and to the qualified triumph of a boy who always knew who he was. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Time Out</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> With remarkable concision, Mr. Colapinto has telescoped this medical scandal, brilliantly weaving the perspectives of David [Reimer], his family, friends, doctors, and wife...The book's structure is that of a mystery. </remark><div align=right><by>-- New York Observer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Raises fascinating scientific, philosophical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Boston Phoenix</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Colapinto's book is a stinging and overdue indictment of the 'sexual reassignment' of infants like baby Bruce and those born with both male and female sex organs....The book also serves as an intimate, heartbreaking diary of Bruce/Brenda Reimer, the casualty of a ghoulish science project gone terribly wrong. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Cleveland Plain Dealer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> A riveting account of medical arrogance and misguided science. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Playboy</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> What happened to Bruce and his parents is a true-life medical horror to rival any of RobinCook's science thrillers...a fascinating book. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Houston Chronicle</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> Colapinto's account, developed from a December 1997 article in Rolling Stone</i>, raises fascinating scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Providence Phoenix</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> This is a mesmerizing tale that manages to balance an engrossing look at what happened to Brenda with a persuasive argument that biology, not environment, determines sexuality. </remark><div align=right><by>-- San Antonio Express</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> John Colapinto debunks Money's </i>version of Brenda's childhood in his fascinating, exhaustively researched As Nature Made Him....</i>The result is a detailed and riveting account. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Seattle Post Intelligencer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> For the most part, As Nature Made Him </i>is a story of innocence stolen, and of ill fate bravely born....But the book is also a testament to the immutability of self. Because David in the end is a triumph. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Dallas Morning News</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> In the end, what makes As Nature Made Him </i>impossible to put down is not the machinations of a misguided scientist but the suffering, courage and ultimate triumph of a truly unfortunate child. </remark><div align=right><by>-- PsychologyToday</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> A page-turning story of heroes and villans that stirs both compassion and anger. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Philadelphi Inquirer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>Two riveting stories intertwine in John Colapinto's page turner. . . .One is a human drama, the other a cautionary tale gone awry. And both display, in the stark outlines of a twentieth century morality play, the liberating power of truth and the devastation wrought by lies. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Weekly Standard</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark> This thoroughly researched and skillfully told profile of David Reimer deserves to be an early candidate for the best nonfiction book of the year. </remark><div align=right><by>-- Albany Times Union</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote>

From the moment I read about the baby boy whom doctors changed into a girl, I yearned to know the story from the child's point of view: What did he think? What did he feel? How did his life turn out? As Nature Made Him tells that story--heartbreaking, infuriating, but also fascinating--an object lesson in medical hubris and close-the-ranks collusion, and in the tragic results when ideology trumps common sense in thinking about sex and gender. Above all, it's a deeply moving human drama and a testament to the inner strength and courage of the child who never lost touch with who he really was. --Deborah Tannen The hottest hypothesis in the academic world today is that nature always trumps nurture. John Colapinto's absorbing As Nature Made Him stands as exhibit A. --Tom Wolfe Harrowing and enthralling, As Nature Made Him makes a convincing case that gender has less to do with the signals we send and receive from the world than with ineradicable messages encoded in every cell of our brains and bodies. -- Elle Colapinto, a writer of striking lucidity and compassion, inspired the very private man who now proudly calls himself David to reveal the entire story of his horrendous ordeal in hopes of preventing others from suffering his fate. The result is an arresting and invaluable narrative of personal tragedy, scientific arrogance, and societal confusion over the source andsignificance of gender differences. -- Booklist Colapinto, the reporter who won a National Magazine Award for a piece on David's story, engrossingly recounts this tale of grotesque medical hubris and a life dragged slowly from the ashes....Colapinto's storytelling, taut and emotive, never plays the grim tale for its sideshow qualities, nor claims the last word on nature versus nurture. -- Kirkus, starred review Riveting, cleanly written, and brilliantly researched. --Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review. ..An engaging book. Given access to Reimer's psychiatric files, family and friends, the author reconstructs a horrific tale: a scrappy kid made to wear pink and pearls; a bully of a doctor unwilling to admit failure; a family torn apart by guilt. David's courageous and unlikely victory--today he's a happily married stepfather of three--shows us how psychololgy's theories du jour can be painfully, dreadfully wrong. A gut-wrenching, absorbing account. -- People Fascinating...the book, by New York writer John Colapinto, skillfully and unsentimentally chronicles the odyssey of David and his anguished parents, who were little more than teenagers when they faced the dilemma of how best to help their son. The book succeeds on many levels--as the gripping story of a child and his family as well as a carefullydocumented examination of how an unproven theory became accepted as standard treatment. -- Washington Post This case stands as a testament to the arrogance of the medical profession and to the qualified triumph of a boy who always knew who he was. -- Time Out With remarkable concision, Mr. Colapinto has telescoped this medical scandal, brilliantly weaving the perspectives of David [Reimer], his family, friends, doctors, and wife...The book's structure is that of a mystery. -- New York Observer Raises fascinating scientific, philosophical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish. -- Boston Phoenix Colapinto's book is a stinging and overdue indictment of the 'sexual reassignment' of infants like baby Bruce and those born with both male and female sex organs....The book also serves as an intimate, heartbreaking diary of Bruce/Brenda Reimer, the casualty of a ghoulish science project gone terribly wrong. -- Cleveland Plain Dealer A riveting account of medical arrogance and misguided science. -- Playboy What happened to Bruce and his parents is a true-life medical horror to rival any of RobinCook's science thrillers...a fascinating book. -- Houston Chronicle Colapinto's account, developed from a December 1997 article in Rolling Stone, raises fascinating scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions--and also packs an irresistible narrative force from start to finish. -- Providence Phoenix This is a mesmerizing tale that manages to balance an engrossing look at what happened to Brenda with a persuasive argument that biology, not environment, determines sexuality. -- San Antonio Express John Colapinto debunks Money's version of Brenda's childhood in his fascinating, exhaustively researched As Nature Made Him....The result is a detailed and riveting account. -- Seattle Post Intelligencer For the most part, As Nature Made Him is a story of innocence stolen, and of ill fate bravely born....But the book is also a testament to the immutability of self. Because David in the end is a triumph. -- Dallas Morning News In the end, what makes As Nature Made Him impossible to put down is not the machinations of a misguided scientist but the suffering, courage and ultimate triumph of a truly unfortunate child. -- PsychologyToday A page-turning story of heroes and villans that stirs both compassion and anger. -- Philadelphi InquirerTwo riveting stories intertwine in John Colapinto's page turner. . . .One is a human drama, the other a cautionary tale gone awry. And both display, in the stark outlines of a twentieth century morality play, the liberating power of truth and the devastation wrought by lies. -- Weekly Standard This thoroughly researched and skillfully told profile of David Reimer deserves to be an early candidate for the best nonfiction book of the year. -- Albany Times Union

Author Information

John Colapinto has written for Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Esquire, Mademoiselle, Us Weekly, and Rolling Stone, where the landmark National Magazine Award-winning article that was the basis for As Nature Made Him first appeared. He is also the author of the novel About the Author. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

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