Wholesale Woman: An Intimate Geography

A fascinating book about the science and evolutionary biology of female bodies. Gets deep into the science of all the remarkable things uteruses, clitorises, and hormones do, from desire to orgasm to menopause; but also into the social issues constructed around gender binaries and womanhood, in particular. "What makes a woman?" is the question Natalie Angier sets out to answer. What she finds is a lot of fascinating science. This book was written in 1999 and is firmly grounded in gender binaries in a way that wouldn't fly today, even as it's committed to breaking down essentialist ideas about gender—so as with any other big definitive book about a huge topic, read it with all your curiosity, critical thinking, and a grain of salt. And take away a wealth of knowledge about what makes half of our bodies tick, and, as far as evolutionary theory can tell us, why. (This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)