Status
Available
Publication
New York : Metropolitan/Owl Book, 2003.
Description
A sex guide for all living things and a hilarious natural history in the form of letters to and answers from the preeminent sexpert in all creation. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is a unique guidebook to sex. It reveals, for example, when necrophilia is acceptable and who should commit bestiality with whom. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, and when to eat your lover. It also advises on more mundane matters -- such as male pregnancy and the joys of a detachable penis. Entertaining, funny, and marvelously illuminating, the book comprises letters from all creatures worried about their bizarre sex lives to the wise Dr. Tatiana (a.k.a. Olivia Judson), the only sex columnist in creation with a prodigious knowledge of evolutionary biology. Fusing natural history with advice to the lovelorn, blending wit and rigor, she is able to reassure her anxious correspondents that although the acts they describe might sound appalling and unnatural, they are all perfectly normal -- so long as you are not a human. In the process, she explains the science behind it all, from Darwin's theory of sexual selection to why sexual reproduction exists at all. Applying human standards to the natural world, in the end she reveals the wonders of both. "Delightful . . . Easy to understand and hard to resist, it's sex education at its prime -- accurate, comprehensive, and hilarious." -- Newsweek… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member erk
A fantastically entertaining read: witty and clever, packed with information, and sometimes outright hilarious. All about the fascinating sexual biology of all sorts of creatures... fascinating and sometimes a wee bit disturbing. A terrific science book, even for those who don't like science,
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methinks. Show Less
LibraryThing member bunnyjadwiga
Writers such as Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins successfully portrayed evolutionary biology and natural history for the layperson, even with a dollop of humor. But Olivia Judd goes a bit farther. Combining the intriguing genres of advice column, sex advice, and natural history writing with a
From the stick insects that copulate for 10 weeks or more to the pseudophallic female hyena, Dr. Tatiana's advisees fascinate and educate us about "the battle of the sexes." Judd does give us a fairly solid scientific background on the theories behind this, but strongly advances one point: the old dictum that "males are promiscuous and females chaste" advanced by A.J. Bateman in 1948 ain't always true.
Chastity belts, monogamy, males who do child care, detachable sex organs, hermaphrodites, asexual reproduction, food in courting customs, rape, incestous species, kamakazi insemination, homosexuality, males worn out by female insatiety, female catfights over males -- it's all here, with far stranger things. The book concludes with a 'transcript' of a 'TV studio interview' with a species that has practiced parthenogenesis for millions of years.
Dip into this chapter book anywhere to come up with a fascinating jewel, and probably a laugh. Coming to the last page of this romp, though, you'll not only be enlightened as to the natural history of unusual insects, sea animals, bird and even mammals, but introduced to a wide variety of thought about evolutionary biology.
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healthy dose of laughter, Dr. Tatiana addresses the sex concerns of perfectly normal though a bit odd-sounding creatures.From the stick insects that copulate for 10 weeks or more to the pseudophallic female hyena, Dr. Tatiana's advisees fascinate and educate us about "the battle of the sexes." Judd does give us a fairly solid scientific background on the theories behind this, but strongly advances one point: the old dictum that "males are promiscuous and females chaste" advanced by A.J. Bateman in 1948 ain't always true.
Chastity belts, monogamy, males who do child care, detachable sex organs, hermaphrodites, asexual reproduction, food in courting customs, rape, incestous species, kamakazi insemination, homosexuality, males worn out by female insatiety, female catfights over males -- it's all here, with far stranger things. The book concludes with a 'transcript' of a 'TV studio interview' with a species that has practiced parthenogenesis for millions of years.
Dip into this chapter book anywhere to come up with a fascinating jewel, and probably a laugh. Coming to the last page of this romp, though, you'll not only be enlightened as to the natural history of unusual insects, sea animals, bird and even mammals, but introduced to a wide variety of thought about evolutionary biology.
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LibraryThing member bookishbat
If I tell you that this is a book about science, zoology, and aspects of evolution - some of you may immediately tune out and rush to click on to another page. Well then, it's a book about the sex lives of various creatures - oh let me just make it easier and give you some quotes, so you can see
Pg. 176, from Chapter 11: The Fornications of Kings, in "Part III: Are Men Necessary? Usually, But Not Always."
"Dear Dr. Tatiana,
I'm a true armyworm moth, and I've gone deaf in one ear. I've read this is from having too much sex. Trouble is, I'm (sob) still a virgin. So what's happening to me?
---Piqued in Darien
Be assured, you have nothing to worry about. It's just that your inner ear is now hosting a torrid, incestuous orgy. ...What happened is that one evening when you stopped to sip nectar from a flower, a mite scrambled up your tongue as if it were a ladder. When she reached your face, she crawled through the tangle of your scales and hairs to the outer caverns of your ears... Then she stepped up to the delicate membrane...that screens off the inner ear from the outer ear, and she pierced it. In doing so, she destroyed forever your ability to hear with that ear.
After settling and and perhaps taking a light supper of - I'm afraid - your blood, she started to lay her eggs, about eighty in all. A couple of days later, the eggs hatched... First to emerge were the males of the brood; then came all their sisters. The males grew up faster than their sisters, prepared one of the innermost galleries of your ear as a bedchamber, carried their sister brides thence..."
And you now get the idea of what's going on in Piqued in Darien's ear. There are some details I cut purely for reasons of space - because the details and examples of various matings is what makes the book so fascinating.
Another example, this is part of an answer to a male stickleback whose eggs were stolen. Dr Tatiana brings up the male bowerbird, which also the gender that does the nest building, and has to deal with rivals messing with their nests.:
page 73, from Chapter 4: Swords or Pistols, in Part 1, Let Slip the Whores of War!
"...Because they are quite big, bowerbirds are easily able to monopolize fruit trees, scattering smaller birds out of their way. Thus, like aristocrats everywhere, most of these birds have lots of free time. And so, naturally, they have a hobby. It's art.
Male bowerbirds spent weeks building and decorating elaborate "bowers." Depending on the species, the bower could be anything from a clearing strewn artfully with leaves to huts more than four meters (thirteen feet) wide or towers more than three meters (ten feet) high, woven out of sticks, painted with juice from crushed fruits, and decorated with flowers, mushrooms, feathers, snakeskins, snail shells, butterfly wings, beetle heads - or anything else that catches the artist's eye. One scientist nearly had his camera stolen by a bowerbird who wanted to add it to his decor; another almost lost his socks. Artistic styles differ greatly among populations - even populations of the same species - so that whereas flowers might be fashionable in one area, beetle wings will be all the rage in the next. Moreover, this is no random collection of junk: the objects are selected and placed with great care...
Why do they do this? To impress girls, of course. Females come to the bowers to mate. And one way to make your bower look even better than a rival's is to resort to theft and vandalism. Yes, I'm afraid that bowerbirds are not above foul play to further their own ends. Stealing is rife. Rare or fashionable objects vanish from one bower only to appear in another. And some bowers are regularly vandalized or completely destroyed."
This example in particular so interested me that if someone had asked me (just after I'd read the page) to join an expedition to observe and take notes on bowerbirds over the next decade I would have probably signed on. (Especially if I'd managed to forget how many poisonous things are frolicking around Australia.) The book is full of such unique examples, pointing out similarities between species and theorizing as to why such behaviors and traits had helped species succeed in the big race to procreate.
I do have to add that the chapter on the praying mantis' habit of eating her husband is grim yet amusing. That would be Chapter 6: How to Make Love to a Cannibal. Because it's not just the mantis that tends to do this.
So this is science with a sense of humor, albeit sometimes a dark humor. There are end notes and a long bibliography should you want to find out more about any particular creature. (I'm trying not to look and find more to read about the bowerbird - I already have a huge To Read stack.) This is also a great book to pick up, read a chapter or two, and put down. I must admit that I've reread it a few times - but then I'm a bit of a zoology geek.
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what sorts of questions Dr. Tatiana receives, and some of her answers. This will give you a better idea how the book is both humorous and completely weird. Not to mention hard to categorize.Pg. 176, from Chapter 11: The Fornications of Kings, in "Part III: Are Men Necessary? Usually, But Not Always."
"Dear Dr. Tatiana,
I'm a true armyworm moth, and I've gone deaf in one ear. I've read this is from having too much sex. Trouble is, I'm (sob) still a virgin. So what's happening to me?
---Piqued in Darien
Be assured, you have nothing to worry about. It's just that your inner ear is now hosting a torrid, incestuous orgy. ...What happened is that one evening when you stopped to sip nectar from a flower, a mite scrambled up your tongue as if it were a ladder. When she reached your face, she crawled through the tangle of your scales and hairs to the outer caverns of your ears... Then she stepped up to the delicate membrane...that screens off the inner ear from the outer ear, and she pierced it. In doing so, she destroyed forever your ability to hear with that ear.
After settling and and perhaps taking a light supper of - I'm afraid - your blood, she started to lay her eggs, about eighty in all. A couple of days later, the eggs hatched... First to emerge were the males of the brood; then came all their sisters. The males grew up faster than their sisters, prepared one of the innermost galleries of your ear as a bedchamber, carried their sister brides thence..."
And you now get the idea of what's going on in Piqued in Darien's ear. There are some details I cut purely for reasons of space - because the details and examples of various matings is what makes the book so fascinating.
Another example, this is part of an answer to a male stickleback whose eggs were stolen. Dr Tatiana brings up the male bowerbird, which also the gender that does the nest building, and has to deal with rivals messing with their nests.:
page 73, from Chapter 4: Swords or Pistols, in Part 1, Let Slip the Whores of War!
"...Because they are quite big, bowerbirds are easily able to monopolize fruit trees, scattering smaller birds out of their way. Thus, like aristocrats everywhere, most of these birds have lots of free time. And so, naturally, they have a hobby. It's art.
Male bowerbirds spent weeks building and decorating elaborate "bowers." Depending on the species, the bower could be anything from a clearing strewn artfully with leaves to huts more than four meters (thirteen feet) wide or towers more than three meters (ten feet) high, woven out of sticks, painted with juice from crushed fruits, and decorated with flowers, mushrooms, feathers, snakeskins, snail shells, butterfly wings, beetle heads - or anything else that catches the artist's eye. One scientist nearly had his camera stolen by a bowerbird who wanted to add it to his decor; another almost lost his socks. Artistic styles differ greatly among populations - even populations of the same species - so that whereas flowers might be fashionable in one area, beetle wings will be all the rage in the next. Moreover, this is no random collection of junk: the objects are selected and placed with great care...
Why do they do this? To impress girls, of course. Females come to the bowers to mate. And one way to make your bower look even better than a rival's is to resort to theft and vandalism. Yes, I'm afraid that bowerbirds are not above foul play to further their own ends. Stealing is rife. Rare or fashionable objects vanish from one bower only to appear in another. And some bowers are regularly vandalized or completely destroyed."
This example in particular so interested me that if someone had asked me (just after I'd read the page) to join an expedition to observe and take notes on bowerbirds over the next decade I would have probably signed on. (Especially if I'd managed to forget how many poisonous things are frolicking around Australia.) The book is full of such unique examples, pointing out similarities between species and theorizing as to why such behaviors and traits had helped species succeed in the big race to procreate.
I do have to add that the chapter on the praying mantis' habit of eating her husband is grim yet amusing. That would be Chapter 6: How to Make Love to a Cannibal. Because it's not just the mantis that tends to do this.
So this is science with a sense of humor, albeit sometimes a dark humor. There are end notes and a long bibliography should you want to find out more about any particular creature. (I'm trying not to look and find more to read about the bowerbird - I already have a huge To Read stack.) This is also a great book to pick up, read a chapter or two, and put down. I must admit that I've reread it a few times - but then I'm a bit of a zoology geek.
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LibraryThing member yorkjob
Hilarious book...helps you remember that it takes all types.
LibraryThing member Poopy
I LOVE this book! It is full of all kinds of arcane and interesting - and fun! - facts that never seem to make it into the Discovery channel and National Geographic documentaries, and really stretches the imagination. Males that bear children? Females with penises? Species with not 2, but 3
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genders? It's all true - and this book explains how it came to be so. For the most part, the language is very down-to-earth and not dry or overly-scientific (with a few exceptions, particularly towards the end). I would still recommend this book to any ammature nature buff, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member ElizabethPisani
Disclosure statement: Olivia is a friend of mine (although I'd only met her once when I read and fell for this book). Evolutionary biology, and more particularly the biology of sexual (and sometimes asexual) reproduction made simple. And funny, and engaging, and endlessly fascinating. A great read,
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even if you're a praying mantis. Show Less
LibraryThing member co_coyote
OK, if you only have time for one book in your busy schedule on evolutionary biology, choose this one. You are not likely to regret it. Who could have imagined there are so many ways to have sex? Goodness! Part sex manual, part just pure fun, this book is a gem that will make you extremely popular
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around the water cooler at work for the time it takes you to read it. This book has definitely made my list as one of the best this year. Well done, Dr. Tatiana. I can't wait for the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
This was just plain fun. I won't remember many of the details, but just getting an overview of the wide and wonderful variety of ways that different species manage their reproductive life was an eyeopener.
LibraryThing member slothman
A great look at the evolutionary biology of sex, presented as a collection of newspaper advice columns where “Dr. Tatiana” answers questions sent in by everything from slime-molds to vertebrates. Judson keeps the pace lively and the writing humorous, mixing the exposition of the gobsmackingly
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weird mating behaviors found throughout the animal world with our current understanding of the evolutionary principles that give rise to them. If you’re designing aliens for your science fiction setting, this book is full of inspirational material (in the vein of the Alien Sex panels given at local science fiction conventions by SF author and physical anthropologist Patricia MacEwen). This book could also be a good way to liven up the study of biology for a high school student with a dry textbook; if you have more academic pursuits in mind, there’s an excellent set of references in the back. Show Less
LibraryThing member detailmuse
When it comes to the topic of gender,
Mother Nature’s been having some fun.
Take nothing for granted! Remember,
You won’t find any rules -- not a one!
And not just regarding gender (where, by the way, there are more than two) -- Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation shows that species are
In an advice-column Q&A, fretful letters submitted by anthropomorphized insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals are answered by Dr. Tatiana (aka evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson), in a voice that’s an amusing blend of Dr. Ruth with Miss Manners. An assertion that damselflies have evolved “some of the fanciest penises around” caught my attention early on, and nature’s inventiveness just got more interesting from there. The content is surprisingly substantive, and the light style keeps it terrifically accessible.
Mother Nature’s been having some fun.
Take nothing for granted! Remember,
You won’t find any rules -- not a one!
And not just regarding gender (where, by the way, there are more than two) -- Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation shows that species are
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coloring outside the lines in every aspect of sex, including seduction; mating; fertilization; monogamy and promiscuity; nesting and child-rearing ... proving that anything that leads to propagation of the species (and explaining why it does) is fair game for an evolutionary adaptation.In an advice-column Q&A, fretful letters submitted by anthropomorphized insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals are answered by Dr. Tatiana (aka evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson), in a voice that’s an amusing blend of Dr. Ruth with Miss Manners. An assertion that damselflies have evolved “some of the fanciest penises around” caught my attention early on, and nature’s inventiveness just got more interesting from there. The content is surprisingly substantive, and the light style keeps it terrifically accessible.
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LibraryThing member harahel
Very entertaining way to learn more about the animal kingdom.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
A very lovely book that not only explains the process of sex (defined here as the mixing of two different genetic types to create a totally different combination of genes) but how it happens.
Not only is this book scientifically sound, its entertaining to read! Its not very often you find a book
I suspect this book will make a nice addition to any evolutionary biology course. It is also nicely sourced at the end, with a list of all literature and articles sourced.
Not only is this book scientifically sound, its entertaining to read! Its not very often you find a book
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that entertains and educates. A lot of different subjects about sex are covered, including finding a husband, finding a wife, selfing, cloning (did you know identical twins are technically clones?), monogamy, and anything in between. I suspect this book will make a nice addition to any evolutionary biology course. It is also nicely sourced at the end, with a list of all literature and articles sourced.
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LibraryThing member kaelirenee
I wish all my textbooks were written like this book. I learned as much from this book as I did from my evolution class. It's funny, well-organized, and presented in a very memorable way. As the Dr. Ruth for insects and microbes, Dr. Tatiana explains strange sex bahaviors in plants, animals, fungi,
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and bacterium while teaching the evolution of things like monogamy, erections, and sexual dimorphism. Very interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
Although this book purports to be about the evolution of sex, it's more of a trip through the quirky sexual habits of other species, written in the form of a newspaper advice column. The author combines humor with facts in an amusing way, and she has a lightly snarky writing style that can help to
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hold interest, but it's pretty lightweight, more entertainment than education. I came away from it feeling a little dissatisfied. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bodagirl
Definitely one of those books you can put down for awhile and then pick right back up. It's mostly written as a series of advice columns (except for the last chapter), and Judson uses that format to mix in humor without diluting the science. This is not to say she gets technical and uses jargon,
Definitely recommended for those who want to learn some fun facts, but don't have a background in science(like myself), though I'm sure those with more of a science back ground would enjoy it as well (especially for the excellent bibliography).
Oh, and I never, ever want to be a female hyena! See chapter 12.
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she actually stays away from most science terms and keeps the titillating world of animal sex titillating instead of boring.Definitely recommended for those who want to learn some fun facts, but don't have a background in science(like myself), though I'm sure those with more of a science back ground would enjoy it as well (especially for the excellent bibliography).
Oh, and I never, ever want to be a female hyena! See chapter 12.
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LibraryThing member jimroberts
I highly recommend this book. It excellently explains some of the great variety of sexual behaviours and strategies displayed by sexual, and not only bisexual, species. However, the main thing I get from it is, how little we know about sex. There is enormous scope for future research by any young
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person interested in the subject. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarah_Beaudette
Okay, I'm lazy. I'd rather be tricked into learning than do it deliberately, and I'd like you to make me laugh while you're doing it please, Ms. Author. If you're like me, this is the book for you. (Sarah Vowell's humorous books are the historical counterparts to this one if you like to be tricked
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into learning). Chopped into short, easy-to-read social advice column letters from the weirdest species you can think of, this book reveals the oddest and most counter-intuitive sex practices in creation. It was fascinating, and made me change the way I think about why species have evolved the way they have. Or, it made me start thinking about it in the first place, and I'm not really a sciencey person. I suspect that sciencey people don't use the word sciencey. Whether you're sciencey or not, you'll enjoy it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarah_Beaudette
Okay, I'm lazy. I'd rather be tricked into learning than do it deliberately, and I'd like you to make me laugh while you're doing it please, Ms. Author. If you're like me, this is the book for you. (Sarah Vowell's humorous books are the historical counterparts to this one if you like to be tricked
Show More
into learning). Chopped into short, easy-to-read social advice column letters from the weirdest species you can think of, this book reveals the oddest and most counter-intuitive sex practices in creation. It was fascinating, and made me change the way I think about why species have evolved the way they have. Or, it made me start thinking about it in the first place, and I'm not really a sciencey person. I suspect that sciencey people don't use the word sciencey. Whether you're sciencey or not, you'll enjoy it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarah_Beaudette
Okay, I'm lazy. I'd rather be tricked into learning than do it deliberately, and I'd like you to make me laugh while you're doing it please, Ms. Author. If you're like me, this is the book for you. (Sarah Vowell's humorous books are the historical counterparts to this one if you like to be tricked
Show More
into learning). Chopped into short, easy-to-read social advice column letters from the weirdest species you can think of, this book reveals the oddest and most counter-intuitive sex practices in creation. It was fascinating, and made me change the way I think about why species have evolved the way they have. Or, it made me start thinking about it in the first place, and I'm not really a sciencey person. I suspect that sciencey people don't use the word sciencey. Whether you're sciencey or not, you'll enjoy it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Booktalk: Relationships are never easy. That's why the lovelorn ask for advice from folks like Dear Abby, Ann Landers...and Dr. Tatiana. Here are some of the letters Dr. Tatiana has received in her mailbag (read p 25, 76, 33). Dr. Tatiana dispenses practical advice with humor, compassion and a good
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dose of biology that's understandable, readable and extremely interesting. You'll never look at sex and love in the same way again once you've read DR. TATIANA'S SEX ADVICE TO ALL CREATION. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mrs_McGreevy
Science books are so much more fun when they're dirty!
LibraryThing member T_K_Elliott
This is the only biology non-fiction book I have found so fascinating that I read it while walking (nearly fell down the stairs) on the loo (no comment) and in the bath (my Kobo heroically risking death by drowning).
The conceit of various creatures writing to the wise Dr Tatiana for advice on their
Judson (or Dr Tatiana) has obviously picked on the weirder reaches of sexual behaviour, just as I suspect the agony-aunt columns in newspapers do, but her discussion places each of these behaviours in its evolutionary place. Nobody's sexual conduct is bizarre for the sake of it (except maybe Homo sapiens, but that's a different book) - there is a reason why heads get bitten off, penises are covered in spines, and some organisms change sex, and Dr Tatiana explains the evolutionary logic behind each. She even briefly considers the evolutionary value of homosexuality: it has persisted in many species, so what is it for?
Apart from the sheer fascination, the thing that I most valued about this book was the comprehensive list of references. It's one thing to be interesting - it's quite another to provide the material to allow the interested reader to go and find more detail should they wish to do so.
I would recommend this book not only for anyone interested in the evolutionary biology of sex and wanting an overview of the landscape, as it were, but also anyone who is contemplating writing a science-fiction book involving aliens.
The conceit of various creatures writing to the wise Dr Tatiana for advice on their
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bizarre sex lives gives the book a certain verve and amusement value that, for example, my university texts did not have. The facts and theories, however, are just as good.Judson (or Dr Tatiana) has obviously picked on the weirder reaches of sexual behaviour, just as I suspect the agony-aunt columns in newspapers do, but her discussion places each of these behaviours in its evolutionary place. Nobody's sexual conduct is bizarre for the sake of it (except maybe Homo sapiens, but that's a different book) - there is a reason why heads get bitten off, penises are covered in spines, and some organisms change sex, and Dr Tatiana explains the evolutionary logic behind each. She even briefly considers the evolutionary value of homosexuality: it has persisted in many species, so what is it for?
Apart from the sheer fascination, the thing that I most valued about this book was the comprehensive list of references. It's one thing to be interesting - it's quite another to provide the material to allow the interested reader to go and find more detail should they wish to do so.
I would recommend this book not only for anyone interested in the evolutionary biology of sex and wanting an overview of the landscape, as it were, but also anyone who is contemplating writing a science-fiction book involving aliens.
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LibraryThing member glade1
This was a fun book, and eye-opening! I thought I knew some things about nature, but there's some truly weird stuff out there. From creatures with thousands of genders, to those who clone themselves and do not need sex at all, and everything in between, this book has them. It is formatted like an
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advice column with a creature writing in with a question and Dr. Tatiana answering it and providing lots of information along the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member Velcrosky
It was interesting but after awhile I found myself losing interest.
LibraryThing member heidialice
Evolutionary biologist Judson discusses interesting theories and phenomena in reproduction in advice-column style.
The advice column gimmick is slightly cutesy but doesn’t get grating. Judson is rock solid in her science and avoids the pitfalls common to discussions of evolution and science. She
The advice column gimmick is slightly cutesy but doesn’t get grating. Judson is rock solid in her science and avoids the pitfalls common to discussions of evolution and science. She
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doesn’t conflate causation with correlation, and clearly understands the non-linearity of evolution. This book mostly focuses on outliers to show the great variety in nature, and to make points about the average. Show Less
Awards
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (Shortlist — 2003)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Science & Technology — 2004)