(1994) Eve's Rib: Searching for the Biological Roots of Sex Differences. By Robert Pool. (ISBN: 0517592983 / 0-517-59298-3)

Book Description: Crown Publishers, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1994. Stated First Edition, number line on copyright page reads: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 . Light Blue Hard Cover Boards, Black Cloth Spine with Gold lettering. 308 pages, 6.25" x 9.25" tall, .1" thick. No underlining, No highlighting, No owner names, No remainder marks, this is a Fine Condition book. Fine copy - Looks never read - Not price clipped. Beautiful gift quality copy of book and dust jacket. COLLECTOR'S COPY.

Book Condition: Fine, Like New for a book over 17 years old.

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine for a book over 17 years old. NON price-clipped DJ [$22.00 US].

About This Book: Why are the sexes different? Is it because men and women are taught by society to think and behave in sex-typical ways? Or are the sexes different by nature? For a quarter of a century, the dominant view has been that if males and females were treated the same from the time they were born, most sex differences would disappear. In Eve's Rib, Robert Pool describes a new understanding of the sexes that has been emerging over the past decade. When little boys play with trucks and little girls with dolls, or when females talk of feelings and males of facts and rules, the reasons are deeper than the sexes being taught to behave differently by society. The roots of these differences lie in the womb. Scientists know that a person's physical sex is determined in the womb by sex hormones. But unlike the Biblical story of creation, in which God created Eve from Adam's rib, the female body plan is actually the "standard" human plan - a fetus will automatically become female unless it is exposed to male hormones. And, as Eve's Rib describes, bodies are not the only things shaped by these hormones in the womb. From before birth, the brains of males and females are different in distinct, predictable ways, and these differences underlie much of the mental, emotional and psychological variation between the sexes. Eve's Rib explores its subject by talking to the scientists doing the research, many of whom are women who find themselves facing a dilemma: They themselves have had to overcome many of the stereotypes about women, and they believe strongly in equality between the sexes, yet their research indicates that in some ways the sexes will never be the same. Their resolutions of this quandary demonstrate how sex differences can be accepted without accepting sexual inequality. The research described in Eve's Rib ranges from rats confused about their sex to humans taking tests of math and verbal ability, and women exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb.

Synopsis: An eye-opening overview of current biological research in the field of gender differences discusses the implications of scientific discoveries for the roles of men and women in society. 15,000 first printing.

About The Author: Through shrewdly selected examples and engaging interviews with researchers, science journalist Pool (Science, Discover, Nature, etc.) assembles a convincing argument to explain the biological basis of sexual differences. Wisely limiting himself, Pool considers the role of hormones in prenatal development: While all fetuses begin as female, the male is differentiated by an infusion of testosterone that alters both the structure of the brain and its function. For biological reasons, then, he claims, boys really do prefer trucks and girls dolls. Boys have a better spatial sense, stronger competitive instincts, and a preference for objects, whereas girls demonstrate greater verbal ability, a more cooperative nature, and an interest in people. Moreover, faced with the same problems, boys and girls use different parts of the brain to solve them and at different speeds: While both can get out of a maze, girls look for landmarks but boys prefer maps. Physiologically, while the male brain is larger, it is not necessarily superior. Of course, there are variations: girls with excess testosterone; boys with excess estrogen; chemicals such as DES that effect pregnancies; and changes in the hormone levels throughout life. All of these biological events, according to Pool, influence behavior far more than the socialization process to which feminists especially have attributed the sexual stereotypes that they want to overturn. Ironically, it was women, often feminists, who made the discoveries about the biological bases of sexual differences. In a speculative chapter, Pool concludes that these differences evolved to suit a more primitive culture and are no longer relevant or useful. A convincing and optimistic study promoting the advantages of difference, the futility of influencing the environment of young children to produce people who are the same but not necessarily equal. Pool captures the resourcefulness of the researchers, the voices of those who made the discoveries and tested them in their own lives.