Name: BITCH
ISBN: 9780857524126

LUCY. COOKE

A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal

BITCH

Lucy Cooke

Mother. Daughter. Ruler. Provider. What does it mean to be female? The female species has never been more scrutinized or politicised. As we search to define our gender, combat prejudice, and celebrate the myriad of femininity - what can the animal kingdom teach us about its true nature? In BITCH, award winning zoologist, broadcaster and author Lucy Cooke, takes the reader on a global journey to meet the animals and scientists that are helping to redefine female species and release it from the shackles of stereotype. Lucy will present us with a dazzling portrait of the female, introducing us to polyamorous chimps, alpha-female hyenas, menopausal killer whales and lesbian lizards. By showing us the spectrum of the species, she sets out to re-write the evolutionary labels that have come to define a gender and propose a new understanding of what it means to be female today.

The Female of the Species

Bitch

In a year of excellent non-fiction this one is a standout. A detailed tour through the, unsurprisingly, gendered history of evolutionary biology complete with loads of contemporary studies trying to unpick the truth about our existence.

The book really shines when talking you through the amazing cast of creatures that help us better understand the natural world. You won’t be disappointed!

Daniel Bower

In a year of excellent non-fiction this one is a standout. A detailed tour through the, unsurprisingly, gendered history of evolutionary biology complete with loads of contemporary studies trying to unpick the truth about our existence.

The book really shines when talking you through the amazing cast of creatures that help us better understand the natural world. You won’t be disappointed!

A fierce, funny, and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdom Studying 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.

On the Female of the Species

ausra

Katia

'Beautifully written, very funny and deeply important - Lucy Cooke blows two centuries of sexist myths right out of biology.' PROFESSOR ALICE ROBERTS _______________________________________________________________ What does it mean to be female? Mother, carer, the weaker sex? Think again. In the last few decades a revolution has been brewing in zoology and evolutionary biology. Lucy Cooke introduces us to a riotous cast of animals, and the scientists studying them, that are redefining the female of the species. Meet the female lemurs of Madagascar, our ancient primate cousins that dominate the males of their species physically and politically. Or female albatross couples, hooking up together to raise their chicks in Hawaii. Or the meerkat mothers of the Kalahari Desert - the most murderous mammals on the planet. The bitches in BITCH overturn outdated binary expectations of bodies, brains, biology and behaviour. Lucy Cooke's brilliant new book will change how you think - about sex, sexual identity and sexuality in animals and also the very forces that shape evolution. __________ Praise for Lucy's previous book THE UNEXPECTED TRUTH ABOUT ANIMALS 'Endlessly fascinating' - Bill Bryson 'A fabulous read' - Sue Perkins 'I cannot remember when I enjoyed a non-fiction book so much' - Daily Express 'A joy from beginning to end' - Guardian 'Best science pick: deeply researched, sassily written' - Nature

Kimberley 🦉

__________ Mother. Daughter. Ruler. Provider. What does it mean to be female? The female species has never been more scrutinized or politicised. As we search to define our gender, combat prejudice, and celebrate the myriad of femininity - what can the animal kingdom teach us about its true nature? In BITCH, award winning zoologist, broadcaster and author Lucy Cooke, takes the reader on a global journey to meet the animals and scientists that are helping to redefine female species and release it from the shackles of stereotype. Lucy will present us with a dazzling portrait of the female, introducing us to polyamorous chimps, alpha-female hyenas, menopausal killer whales and lesbian lizards. By showing us the spectrum of the species, she sets out to re-write the evolutionary labels that have come to define a gender and propose a new understanding of what it means to be female today.

BITCH A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal

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