Dabbs’s writing is wonderfully accessible, with a voice like that of a favorite professor whose class you never want to miss.
A fascinating and timely study of the hormone testosterone and its varied effects on individuals and society.
Dabbs (Psychology/Georgia State Univ.) takes us from construction sites to law firms to the sidelines of the NFL and beyond to measure testosterone levels in men and women from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Levels were measured in saliva, which was all that the subjects needed to donate. Trial lawyers gave it up on the spot; corporate lawyers spat in private. Some film crew types wanted to wait around for their results—for bragging rights on how high their levels were. (While most believed having high testosterone to be a good thing, Dabbs makes clear that, while it may make for a faster life, it also makes for a shorter one.) In addition, he provides us with examples from other species, as well as from classical and pop references, to illustrate his points. Was Oedipus high testosterone? John Wayne? As entertaining as Dabbs can be, he has definite theories on the effects of testosterone on civilization (there would be none without it) and the similar yet utterly different roles it plays in men and women. High-testosterone men tend to be single-minded, goal-oriented, and competitive, but not particularly verbal or faithful in romance—great assets during evolution, but less attractive in a society that values consensus and team play. Testosterone in women seems to augment the action of estrogen—the most successful post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy includes testosterone. Dabbs makes clear that the nature of testosterone is tempered over the fires of culture and nurture, and anyone who has ever raised or cared for both male and female children will find their heads bobbing up and down at the author’s genealogy of the very real differences—remarkably predictable—between boys and girls. While there may be some who disagree with his hypotheses and conclusions, Dabbs never indulges in facile stereotyping.
Dabbs’s writing is wonderfully accessible, with a voice like that of a favorite professor whose class you never want to miss.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-07-135739-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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