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pamjcam, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by pamjcam)
Angier makes learning about the sciences of the female body refreshing and exciting. As someone who doesnt have a science background, I was dreading the Science class I had to take. However Angier's book made motivated and more importantly helped me thoroughly, and colorfully understand the complexities of the female body.
KJ, June 9, 2010 (view all comments by KJ)
I'm not really one for non-fiction but I really enjoyed this book. It offers great insight into our own biology and why things are the way they are. She presented it in a way that really made sense to me. I think it's a great read.
nicole_wilson1, December 14, 2009 (view all comments by nicole_wilson1)
An incredible achievement. A must read for women. It allowed me to tap into my own unknown feminine wisdom and has given me the vocabulary, honor and inspiration to pass down that wisdom to my daughter.
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"Review"
by USA Today,
"It's a book not just for women. With its massive data on the working biology of both sexes, skepticism of dominant theories about dominant males, and candor about the speculative quality of its own feminist hypotheses, it stands as a benchmark in male-female relations in the late 20th century."
"Review"
by Newsweek,
"A treasure chest of did-you-knows...hits the bull's-eye every time."
"Review"
by Salon,
"A tantalizing, witty journey through female biology, debunking many entrenched stereotypes and myths and a lot of questionable science."
"Review"
by People, Book of the Week,
"Natalie Angier has that rare dual talent: a true passion for science combined with a poet's linguistic flair. In this lively dissection of womanhood, she places everything from estrogen to the politics of motherhood beneath her flawlessly focused microscope, offering innumerable tidbits both surprising and fascinating."
"Review"
by The Boston Globe,
"Intimate and idiosyncratic...dismantles the misogynist mythologies once advanced as the scientific gospel of the female body...Angier's brilliant and witty fantasia will inspire women to believe in their powers."
"Review"
by The New York Times,
"Natalie Angier's dazzling new book calls upon biology and evolution to celebrate the female body. Its upbeat message. . . is supported by rigorous scientific underpinnings."
"Review"
by The New York Times Book Review,
"A tour de force, a wonderful, entertaining and informative book."
"Review"
by Los Angeles Times,
"Angier's Woman is as good as it gets."
"Review"
by Peggy Orenstein, Elle,
"If Our Bodies, Ourselves has become the bible of women's bodies, let Woman: An Intimate Geography be our Shakespeare."
"Review"
by Time,
"The chief manifesto of the new 'femaleist' thinking."
"Synopsis"
by Random,
With the clarity, insight, and sheer exuberance of language that make her one of The New York Times's premier stylists, Pulitzer Prize-winner Natalie Angier lifts the veil of secrecy from that most enigmatic of evolutionary masterpieces, the female body. Angier takes readers on a mesmerizing tour of female anatomy and physiology that explores everything from organs to orgasm, and delves into topics such as exercise, menopause, and the mysterious properties of breast milk.
A self-proclaimed "scientific fantasia of womanhood." Woman ultimately challenges widely accepted Darwinian-based gender stereotypes. Angier shows how cultural biases have influenced research in evolutionary psychology (the study of the biological bases of behavior) and consequently lead to dubious conclusions about "female nature." such as the idea that women are innately monogamous while men are natural philanderers.
But Angier doesn't just point fingers; she offers optimistic alternatives and transcends feminist polemics with an enlightened subversiveness that makes for a joyful, fresh vision of womanhood. Woman is a seminal work that will endure as an essential read for anyone intersted in how biology affects who we are?as women, as men, and as human beings.
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