Overview

'Marvellous fun' THE TIMES 'Glorious ' LUCY COOKE 'Colourful' GUARDIAN At a time when people are testing the boundaries of just about everything related to sex and gender, The Sexual Evolution shows that diverse sexual behaviour is not a new development, or even a human one. It's the product of billions of years of experimentation throughout the animal kingdom. Evolutionary biologist Nathan H. Lents takes readers on a journey from silent crickets to lesbian albatrosses to bonobos who kiss, revealing what this incredible array of sexual diversity can teach us. Amusing, enlightening and meticulously researched, this is a book that will demolish biases held by even the most open-minded among us.

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9781837261215

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Reviews

In The Sexual Evolution, the US biologist Nathan Lents romps through the mating habits of the animal kingdom, from polyamorous swans to 'depraved' penguins . . . This is all marvellous fun * * The Times * * At a time when diversity is fast becoming a dirty word, The Sexual Evolution provides a powerful argument about why diversity not only exists, but wins. Lents' scholarly tome never lectures but guides the reader through a glorious array of gender and sexual diversity from across the animal kingdom, with authority and humour. An important addition to this important genre. My copy of this book will be read many times -- LUCY COOKE, author of BITCH A fascinating and important exploration of nature in all its rich, queer glory -- DAVID FARRIER, author of FOOTPRINTS and NATURE'S GENIUS An unnaturally good book - funny, informative and refreshingly frank. The Sexual Evolution injects a timely splash of colour into a field increasingly polarised towards black and white. A must read -- ED WATKINS, Producer and Director of QUEER PLANET The Sexual Evolution is a thoughtfully and delightfully written book full of illuminating and entertaining information that will be new to most readers. At a time when ignorance and misinformation about sex, gender, reproduction and intimacy abound, we could all benefit from reading this research-packed tour * * Science * * Enthralling . . . Lents gleefully tears down cis, hetero and monogamous norms, outlining surprising case studies that give the lie to restrictive conceptions of gender and sex. The result is an indispensable glimpse into the queerness of animals -- Starred Review * * Publishers Weekly * * In this multi-layered exploration of gender biology, Nathan Lents takes us on a wonderfully thoughtful journey through some of today's most challenging scientific terrain. The result is a book that expertly balances the complexity of the issues and the compassion needed to navigate them -- DEBORAH BLUM, Pulitzer-prize winning author of THE POISON SQUAD Read this book - it's fascinating, charming and eye-opening. It dispels misconceptions about life in the animal kingdom and our place in it, but most importantly it shows clearly that nature's beautiful sexual diversity extends to all living things -- JOAN ROUGHGARDEN, author of EVOLUTION'S RAINBOW and THE GENIAL GENE A refreshing read that puts human sexuality in perspective without cultural dogma and indoctrination. With eye-opening stories of animal behaviour, Lents highlights the fundamental role of sexual diversity for all animals - including humans -- DARREL RAY, author of SEX AND GOD An excellent, easy-to-read, science-based summary of what we know about the incredible array of sexual diversity among other animals. A fascinating and eye-opening book -- MARC BEKOFF, author of DOGS DEMYSTIFIED

In The Sexual Evolution, the US biologist Nathan Lents romps through the mating habits of the animal kingdom, from polyamorous swans to 'depraved' penguins . . . This is all marvellous fun * * The Times * * Leave it to Lents to remind us that yes, we have sex for many reasons, and yes, they're often funny as hell. Bravo! -- CAT BOHANNON, author of EVE An entertaining and informative romp through mating strategies in nature . . . Garter snake orgies, gender-masking hyenas, lusty bonobos and the lesbian Laysan albatrosses of Hawaii - this book has it all. All that diversity is fascinating, and frequently funny * * Guardian * * At a time when diversity is fast becoming a dirty word, The Sexual Evolution provides a powerful argument about why diversity not only exists, but wins. Lents' scholarly tome never lectures but guides the reader through a glorious array of gender and sexual diversity from across the animal kingdom, with authority and humour. An important addition to this important genre. My copy of this book will be read many times -- LUCY COOKE, author of BITCH The Sexual Evolution is a thoughtfully and delightfully written book full of illuminating and entertaining information that will be new to most readers. At a time when ignorance and misinformation about sex, gender, reproduction and intimacy abound, we could all benefit from reading this research-packed tour * * Science * * The onus is on all who wish to take part in the sex-gender debate to be reminded of what is fact and what is conjecture. [This] book provide[s] the facts * * Times Literary Supplement * * An unnaturally good book - funny, informative and refreshingly frank. The Sexual Evolution injects a timely splash of colour into a field increasingly polarised towards black and white. A must read -- ED WATKINS, Producer and Director of QUEER PLANET A fascinating and important exploration of nature in all its rich, queer glory -- DAVID FARRIER, author of FOOTPRINTS and NATURE'S GENIUS Thought-provoking, insightful, and surprisingly dirty, The Sexual Evolution brings in-depth research of natural history to contemporary gender issues -- CATHERINE PHIPPS, Lecturer in the History of Gender and Sexualities at the University of Bristol Enthralling . . . Lents gleefully tears down cis, hetero and monogamous norms, outlining surprising case studies that give the lie to restrictive conceptions of gender and sex. The result is an indispensable glimpse into the queerness of animals -- Starred Review * * Publishers Weekly * *

Author Information

Nathan H. Lents is an American scientist, author and university professor. He has been on the faculty of John Jay College in New York since 2006, where he is currently the director of the Cell and Molecular Biology programme. He is the author of Not So Different and Human Errors. linktr.ee/nathanlents

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