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
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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