“As a compendium of information on sex and gender diversity in the natural world, Roughgarden's is the richest and most authoritative book available, fulfilling a desperate need of readers both within and outside the scientific community . . . this book is going to have a huge impact.”
Nature
“This brilliant and accessible work of biological criticism has the potential to revolutionize the way readers conceive of gender and sexuality in the natural world. “
Publishers Weekly
“An insightful blend of biology and social science, this work presents a fresh evolutionary perspective on sex, gender, and sexuality, with widespread implications for modern societies.”
CHOICE
“The book is thought–provoking, even at times profound. . . . I hope this book will be widely read. It combines the combustible power of a keen intellect with powerful conviction and ethical courage. Scientists are trained to create the illusion of objectivity by hiding their hopes and expectations. Roughgarden tries a different approach, openly injecting her reasoned convictions and policy agenda into her analyses. I don't agree with all of her conclusions, but she has written an important and honest book about a subject that matters.”
American Scientist
“Throws open the animal kingdom’s closet doors.”
Advocate
“This extraordinary study strengthens the case for a liberal tolerance and blows open established moral and scientific certainties.”
Scotsman
“Brave . . . <i>Evolution’s Rainbow</i> succeeds very well at making the reader rethink their conceptions of social selection and nature.”
Biology Digest
“<i>Evolution’s Rainbow</i> not only enhances our knowledge of the natural world, it also offers an ethical way for such knowledge to be used.”
California Wild
‘A fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality across a wide variety of animals.”
Pink Pages
"An entrancing tale of sexual ambiguity in animals and people, but also that rarest of literary beasts—a science book written from the heart."—Steve Jones, author of Darwin's Ghost
"A thoughtful and scholarly, yet deeply personal, perspective from a brilliant theoretical biologist. This articulate and provocative disquisition is must reading for anyone fascinated by one of the most important contemporary social challenges."—Simon Levin, author of Fragile Dominion
"This book challenges not only the assumptions about male-female differences in behavior and homosexual-heterosexual differences, but also the very meanings of ‘maleness’ and ‘femaleness’ in physical and biological terms. Roughgarden builds a strong case for biological diversity related to what humans call sex, gender, and sexuality."—Bonnie Spanier, author of Im/partial Science: Gender Ideology in Molecular Biology
"Joan Roughgarden asks, and indeed tries to answer, all the big questions about sexual diversity among humans and animals. She takes her readers on a wonderful journey through ecology and evolution and is a brilliant and talented narrator. Evolution's Rainbow will fundamentally change many ongoing conversations on sexuality and science."—Judith Halberstam, author of Female Masculinity
"Every now and then science focuses on a subject that matters. Gender and gender differences matter to us social primates. And we will judge, condemn, restrict or incarcerate people based on our notions of biologically normal variability in gender and sexuality. Thus, it is immensely important when a book comes along, written clearly and authoritatively by an eminent scientist, that demonstrates how wrong most people’s ideas are about this subject. This is such a book."—Robert Sapolsky, author of A Primate’s Memoir