Description
What does it mean to be female?
Mother, carer, the weaker sex? Think again. In the last few decades a revolution has been brewing in zoology and evolutionary biology.
Lucy Cooke introduces us to a riotous cast of animals, and the scientists studying them, that are redefining the female of the species.
Meet the female lemurs of Madagascar, our ancient primate cousins that dominate the males of their species physically and politically.
Or female albatross couples, hooking up together to raise their chicks in Hawaii.
Or the meerkat mothers of the Kalahari Desert – the most murderous mammals on the planet.
The bitches in BITCH overturn outdated binary expectations of bodies, brains, biology and behaviour.
‘Gloriously original’ – Daily Mirror
‘A sparkling attack on scientific sexism’ – Nature
‘Humorous, absorbing, sometimes shocking (for a variety of reasons), and bound to be a conversation starter’ – BBC Wildlife
‘Brilliant…Cooke is a superb science writer’ – TLS
‘Zoologist Lucy Cooke’s hilarious and enlightening book reclaims evolutionary biology for females of all species’ – New Statesman
‘Introduces us to a marvelous zoetrope of animals’ – The Atlantic
‘[An] effervescent expose…[A] playful, enlightening tour of the vanguard of evolutionary biology’ – Scientific American
‘A dazzling, funny and elegantly angry demolition of our preconceptions about female behaviour and sex in the animal kingdom…Bitch is a blast. I read it, my jaw sagging in astonishment, jotting down favourite parts to send to friends and reading out snippets gleefully…’ – Observer
‘A book that is tearing down the stereotypes and the biases. Absolutely fascinating’ – BBC R4 Woman’s Hour
‘From the heir to Attenborough. 5*’ – Telegraph
’Glorious … A bold and gripping takedown of the sexist mythology baked into biology…full of marvellous surprises’ – Guardian
‘Colourful, committed and deeply informed’ – Sunday Times
