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Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Hardcover)

by Olivia Judson (Author) "In my business I get asked a lot of questions ..." (more)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Metropolitan Books; 1st edition edition (Jul 30 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805063315
ISBN-13: 978-0805063318
Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 16 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 341 g

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #320,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Finally, a how-to guide, in the guise of a Q&A advice column, for marching, flying, or slithering into the battle of the sexes, whatever your species. In this entertaining and informative book, evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson presents "letters" from sexually frustrated animals, birds, and insects who ask "Dr. Tatiana" to explain some sexual oddity. For example, "Don't Wanna Be Butch in Botswana" writes, "I'm a spotted hyena, a girl. The only trouble is, I've got a large phallus. I can't help feeling that this is unladylike. What's wrong with me?" Each question leads Dr. T. into a fascinating explanation about the sex life of this species, sprinkled with sprightly stories about other species with similar attributes or behavior.

You'll learn why one stick-insect copulation lasts for 10 weeks (to prevent other males from gaining access to the fertile female) and why the black-winged damselfly's penis has bristles (to scrape out his rival's sperm). You'll learn that male and female orangutans masturbate with sex toys fashioned from leaves and twigs, that slugs are hermaphrodites with penises on their heads, and that females in more than 80 species eat their lovers before, during, or after sex. You'll also ponder human sexuality when you learn that "monogamy is one of the most deviant behaviors in biology" (although jackdaws, chinstrap penguins, California mice, and some termites swear by it) and "natural selection, it seems, often smiles on strumpets."

Highly recommended--you'll read this through just for the fun of it and have plenty of odd facts with which to dazzle your dinner companions. --Joan Price

From Publishers Weekly

Those looking for prurient prose may be better off browsing their local adult bookstore, but readers intrigued by the bizarre facts surrounding animal whoopee (and really, who isn't?) should pay a visit to Dr. Tatiana, the alter ego of evolutionary biologist and journalist Judson. While her wryly salacious tone makes animal mating habits and evolutionary biology pretty racy, the book still reads more like a textbook than the Kama Sutra. Judson uses a tongue-in-cheek advice column format through much of the book, forging letters from dung flies, iguanas, sagebrush crickets and rodents ("Like, what's the deal? I'm a sleek young California mouse and am so in heat.") to explore reproductive biology. The device can be grating, and purists appalled by anthropomorphism may find themselves cringing as Judson chastises a male splendid fairy wren for philandering, while pronouncing his paddle crab counterpart a "gentleman." Still, Judson gets high marks for her copiously researched data. Perhaps most compelling is her chapter entitled "Aphrodisiacs, Love Potions, and Other Recipes From Cupid's Kitchen," in which the roots of animal homosexuality are examined. The reader will undoubtedly come away with reams of fascinating factoids, such as the nauseating dining habits of tropical cockroaches during copulation, and the pregnancies of the male seahorse and his cousin, the pipefish.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
In my business I get asked a lot of questions. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared for bugs, lots of bugs, May 19 2004

By	C. Pierce "SciFi Junkie" (Ferndale, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Paperback)

This book is fairly easy to read and imparts a lot of trivial knowledge in a fun format.

I was a little disappointed on two points. First, that almost all of the subjects in the book are bugs. I'm sure mammals and reptiles have interesting sex lives, habits, and behaviors so let's hear about them. It's hard to tell if the research was focused on bugs, or if bugs are that much more interesting than the rest of us animals.

Secondly, each section seems to follow a familiar pattern as far as writing style: light, medium, and extremely dense. Once the author makes her point (answering the question) the writing gets rather dense and it's difficult to finish the topic completely.

Otherwise the book delivers as it promises.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of info bundled into fun reading, Dec 8 2003

By	fan of quality products "turmfalke22" (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

Since there have been so many extremely well written and elaborate reviews posted already, I'll keep mine short and sweet: this book is a riot. If you've every wondered just "how do they do it, and why do they do it they way they do it?", and I don't mean your neighbors, then this is a must read. Sure, there are oodles of subject-specific text books on the market, some of which require a masters degree in English to understand, but every so often there comes along a true gem such as this little book. Combining in-depth knowledge with entertaining and original writing is an art, and Olivia Judson is a master in both fields. Enjoy!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Informative Reading on an Important Topic, Jul 17 2003

By	Kent Lion (VIRGINIA BEACH, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Paperback)

Having trouble getting your teenagers to read? They might willingly read this. They will learn a lot about a subject that is near and dear to their hearts; and perhaps they will begin to understand that, like it or not, nature has her own rules that are founded on practical considerations (reasons). They might even be encouraged to actively search for more information on the subject from legitimate sources (e.g., a visit to a library).

Reading other people's reviews of this book, I'm reminded of how deeply ingrained the association of sex and morality is in at least the American mind. I think Ms. Judson's intents were to inform and to entertain on a subject that is of central importance to humans as part of all creation (many of us seem to forget we are part of nature), and about which people don't seem to know very much (relative to how important it is). She may also have wanted us to get a feel for how little we really know. She succeeded in all 3 points, in my opinion.

I do not believe her intent was to even hint that what's normal for other critters is right for humans (refer to my first paragraph; the "reasons" must apply). I also don't believe she intended for her work to be used in making moral judgements. (Is anyone qualified to judge nature's morality?)

The mixture of American English and English English is...um...curious.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars never mind the cloth, feel the width
A fine read on evolutionary biology.
That Judson has used the macro mechanics of sex to both illustrate some of the more current hows of the theory of natural selection and to... Read more

Published on Oct 18 2003 by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars The time has come, the Doctor said, to talk of many things
It is not often that I give the same book to friends regardless of their general interest in biology. I have been doling this one out left and right for months now. Read more

Published on Jul 14 2003 by Profligate Nature

5.0 out of 5 stars Birds do it, Bees do it
Sex. We love to talk about it but not think too much about it. Judson opens the world to us of the different permutations and methods of sexual contact in the world, and why. Read more

Published on Jan 7 2003 by J. J. Kwashnak