by Angela Saini
Nothing here I didn't know already, but still very important stuff. Obviously a scientific and medical establishment run by men is going to overlook and denigrate the attributes of the weaker sex, and this explains in a lot of detail some of the ways this has hurt us all. I'd say it's required reading on the subject, but I think it could have been both broader in scope--cover more topics--and narrower in detail--less detail for each. There was a lot to say that she didn't have time to say, but on some subject, there was too much said.
The only subject that really got me thinking was the question of propagation of genes. What is the best approach for a man to ensure his genes survive him? Is it to be a lord and sleep with all your vassals; is it foot-binding and genital cutting and strict restriction of women's behavior; or is it cooperation in a society that promotes the grandmother as a backup childcare resource? Or some combination of these all. The chapters that talked about possible reasons why women may need to stay alive after menopause are pretty interesting.
All that said, she has an awfully bad habit of confusing guesses and speculations with actual testable and refutable scientific theories. I wanted to read more about "the New Research" and not just a bunch of likely sounding ideas that had not yet been backed up by any data.
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