Bitch by Lucy Cooke - anyone read it?

[DefiniteTortoise]

www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/11/bitch-by-lucy-cooke-review-joyous-debunking-gender-stereotypes-nature-wild-darwin-female

I suspect gender woo. For those still stuck on this point - humans are not clownfish.

[TinyRebel]

I've got it on order. Really dislike the title. Also suspect a little gender woo, but no pronouns in bio on Twitter and mutually follows Emma Hilton (@fondofbeetles) so live in hope.
Believe it is solely focused on the animal kingdom.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

She was interviewed on Woman's Hour. It's all about animal kingdom. Refutes stereotypes that all female animals are instinctively nurturing. Sounded quite good!

[DefiniteTortoise]

Very encouraging! Thanks

[WhereYouLeftIt]

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014gt8

"Zoologist Lucy Cooke is on a mission: to break down the 'sexist stereotype' she believes has permeated our understanding of the natural world...

In Political Animals, she sets out to prove that females of the species can be just as fiesty, ardent, manipulative, aggressive, varied, strategic and political as males - questioning some of the theories laid out by the 'father of evolution', Charles Darwin, and hearing from pioneering scientists moving evolutionary biology beyond a male-centric narrative."

I heard this first episode (there are 3) and there is absolutely zero gender woo - quite the opposite! She sees Victorian Darwin as responsible for reinforcing gender woo, by him assuming that female animals of every species are as passive as the Victorian stereotypical lady, and sets about proving him wrong. Interesting discussions with other female scientists.

I expect the book will be very good.

[Megasaur5keeper]

From another book of hers "the unexpected truth about animals" I'd be surprised if there is much conflation of animals changing sex with trans in humans- that is all very much about how imposing human values on animals is leads to error. She is a very entertaining writer.