"Eve" by Cat Bohannon offers a comprehensive and compelling re-examination of human evolution, emphasizing the significant role of the female body in shaping our species' evolutionary history and societies. Drawing upon disciplines such as evolutionary biology, physiology, palaeoanthropology, and genetics, Bohannon challenges the long-standing male-centric narrative of human development and brings attention to the contributions of the female body.

The book begins with a captivating tour of mammalian development, tracing back to the Jurassic era. By emphasizing the role of women, Bohannon provides an alternative narrative that sheds light on the often overlooked aspects of human evolution. Through this lens, she presents a new history of our species, one that highlights the evolutionary significance of the female body.

One of the primary goals of "Eve" is to challenge stereotypes and encourage readers to reconsider traditional narratives. Bohannon highlights the limitations of evolutionary reasoning that have perpetuated male-centric views. By doing so, she urges us to recognize the essential role of women in shaping our society and future.

Throughout the book, Bohannon explores various aspects of the female body that have influenced human evolution and continue to impact contemporary society. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, cognitive differences, menopause, and other biological factors are thoroughly examined, emphasising their significance in shaping our species. By delving into subjects such as midwifery, gynaecology, and prenatal care, Bohannon highlights the biological and social adaptations related to the female body that have contributed to our survival and flourishing as a species.

In her analysis, Bohannon also addresses the historical bias in scientific research, which has often prioritised male bodies and excluded female bodies from studies. This biased approach has resulted in an incomplete understanding of human evolution and health. By shedding light on this issue, Bohannon calls for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to scientific research, highlighting the importance of considering both male and female bodies.

Bohannon's insightful analysis of the evolution of our culture emphasises the profound influence of traits such as problem-solving, collaboration, and storytelling. She suggests that the evolutionary forces and the role of the female body in shaping these traits have played a pivotal role in our shared human experience.

Through extensive research and engaging storytelling, Cat Bohannon challenges traditional beliefs and assumptions and encourages us to recognise and celebrate the strength and the essential role of women in our evolutionary history. "Eve" serves as a reminder that our shared history is a tapestry woven by the remarkable influence of women throughout time.

While there's a lot of information in this book, I'm not really sure what it was really meant to be... Scientific? Sociological? Chronological about evolution? I really liked the aspects that showcased the history of women - like how agriculture brought settlement, but it was really using wet nurses that boomed population. That's the kind of thought and cause/effect/relation I was hoping this'd be. But some chapters were super scientific, some made no sense regarding women and history (how primates live even nowadays and the way their society is ranked/organized - how is that pertinent to women?) I loved the mention of breast plastic surgery leading to different deposits of adipose tissue in women's bodies - this was in the introduction, and that's the kind of insight I wanted to come away with in this book. However, for example, how can a little animal that secreted milk all over its belly lead us to women's breasts making milk and breastfeeding and that changed the world and the history of man/womankind?
All in all, I wasn't sure what this book really wanted itself to be... It's very long, very weighty with information (and I absolutely loved the footnotes), but ultimately, I don't know what I really read about...

Cat Bohannon delves into a series of profound questions that have been overlooked by scientists for decades. She explores the significant impact of wet nurses on the development of civilization, challenges the notion of women as the weaker sex, examines the potential usefulness of sexism in the context of evolution, and investigates the intricate relationship between women's bodies and their babies.

This comprehensive exploration spans the past 200 million years, offering a unique perspective on the specific science behind the evolution of the female sex. Bohannon's approach is marked by boundless curiosity and sharp wit as she uncovers a range of findings, from the effects of C-sections on women's pelvic shapes to surprising parallels between pus and breast milk. "Eve" stands as both a sweeping revision of human history and an urgent corrective for a world that has historically focused disproportionately on the male body.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I was looking forward to this book but it didnt quite live up to my expectations. Some of the chapters were more engaging to me than others but over all it was an interesting read and ok read but I feel it was a bit too long to hold my attention maybe some of it just went over my level of intelligence.

I was intrigued when |I first saw this book and I was so glad I saw it as it was an amazing book to read. It is a non-fiction book but it is not dull and dreary, but instead, at times, humorous as the author takes the reader on a journey of the female body and how it has helped to shape the world.

I was already pretty hooked before I got to the first chapter after reading the introduction gave some great insight into the book and what was to potentially follow. If I had not read that, well the first chapter would have hooked me as I found out that medicines, trials and medical tests are conducted on males rather than females because it is easier. So if that is the case why are medicines made for the male sex and then used for everyone? Surely this makes medication generic rather than specific! With my mind blown at this point, I did have a quick look at the author. She is a researcher and author with a Ph.D. from Columbia University in the evolution of narrative and cognition.

The author brings so much more than science, biology and all that to this book. It has been done in such a way that it is like she is telling you what she has observed over time and how her research has brought her to her opinions in the book. When I say research, there have been many years of it, I think I read 10 years' worth to produce this book. I have to say it shows because there are so many aspects that are covered that led from the first burrowing egg mammal to the form we see today as Humans. The author does focus on the female body, but she is actually telling the story of how homo sapiens have evolved over the millennia.

This is a fascinating book, addictive and really makes you think about your body and why things are as they are. If you like non-fiction that focuses on evolution, physiology, biology, anthropology and lots of other aspects then this is one for you. I thought it was very accessible as far as reading and understanding it went. Not too heavy on science. One I would definitely recommend.

I can totally believe that this book has taken 10 years to bring to us as the amount of research and hard work that has gone into it reflects so well in the end result.

How can I, as a man, do this book justice? I shall tell it as it is. Although, as the title implies, it is a book about the Eves of our evolution, there is just so much information in there about the way that the various body parts and traits of Homo Sapiens as a whole has developed, turning us into the "humans" that we are today.

This quote made me smile - Among studies that try to parse modern heterosexual male desire, hip-to-waist ratio is a better predictor for whether men will find a woman attractive than the size of her breasts, and this is true across multiple human cultures.

I feel the need to share the following superlatives: the most phenomenal, enlightening, engaging, informative, amazing, jaw-dropping and entertaining book that I have read in a very, very long time and I read a lot.

I am so enamoured of this book that I would like to be able to do the impossible and donate a copy to everyone but, as that is not possible, I exhort you to buy it and read it for yourself. Eve really will enlighten you as to how the various bits of you (male or female) evolved into the person you are and just blow you away in so many wonderful and positive ways in that process.

Goodness me this is a heck of a book! I can quite believe it took ten years to produce as the amount of research is staggering. Is it an easy read? For me the answer is no. I found it fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining, but ultimately a hard slog. There’s a huge amount of every “ology” you can think of – except maybe Scientology - with diagrams and drawings along the way.

Split into chapters which deal with a different part of the female body, this is a fascinating journey through evolution and should be read by everyone especially, dare I say it? - men.

This is a book that says Yes, women and girls have the right to be considered in every walk of life, particularly when it comes to medical research and scientific tests, all of which have been geared towards the male body, and mind.

I think this is probably something I’ll dip into every so often as my brain couldn’t take it all in at once.

Great book, very well researched and interesting, albeit also extremely long and detailed. Worth a read for anyone interested in the differences between men and women.

Drawing on vast amounts of research yielding an informative and fascinating perspective on the importance of women throughout history and pre-history, and how failing to properly value them is detrimental to our future.

It is only very recently that women have started to be included in scientific tests, and if considered at all viewed merely as small men despite the vast differences in physiology and the way medicines are metabolised. Women are more likely to die of a heart attack, despite being much less likely to suffer one, because the commonly known symptoms are those which affect men.

Thought-provoking, fascinating and insightful read.

Eve is a fantastic read for anyone interested in women's history - and by that I mean prehistory, how women evolved. From the first chapter, on a small egg-laying burrowing mammal producing liquid through adapted skin patches for her nurslings, we see how the female body arose and how one small successful step drove another one.

Some chapters are not for the young or tender, but all regard physiology as part of an evolving life and situation, in which the female of the species did her best to produce healthy offspring and train them for life. We see the internal adaptations and the growing brain, the hormones of puberty, motherhood, and the change of life at menopause. Why older women are useful, why the wet nurse was responsible for explosive population growth in early farming towns. Plenty I knew, also plenty I did not know, all of which made perfect sense.

Finally the author looks at how medical science has not been testing anything much on women - for good reasons of course, mostly around childbearing - and many objects were not designed with women in mind. And how today, in some parts of the world, women and girls are 'last to eat, last to be educated' to quote another book I am reading. The shortsightedness of undervaluing the mothers of the next generation is, says the author, borne out by the lack of scientific progress among such cultures. Feeding the girl today gives her the store of nutrients to provide large brains, strong bones and good physique to her sons and daughters. The girl today is the Eve of the next generation.

Science papers are quoted throughout and many books are also referenced, right up to today's discoveries about disease, immunity, brown and white fats, and why women store vitamins from cod liver oil. I enjoyed Eve and hope to read more by this author.

I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

A very informative and fascinating read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fascination! I really enjoyed this book, it was informative and enjoyable to read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A fascinating book. One I've been telling people 'did you know...' about the various parts I've been reading which is the sign of a good book.
I studied evolution and to my shame never questioned at the time where the females were in most of this. Which came first the milk or the live birth? Why do we give birth to giant babies that are frankly a rather rubbish independent survival wise for many years? I never knew my reproductive parts actually looked like that! Yes, they do not look like high school science textbooks at all.
The tools chapter was particularly fascinating with the finds of ancient midwifery tools. Which, would've been key to the survival of humans and still is.

It's an easy to understand book, and written in a chatty way. There's no need for any scientific knowledge prior to it.

I did find some bits a bit of a stretch but to be fair a lot of the ancient past no one knows and it's good to challenge existing theories where there's no evidence for them.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's sobering to read that society's obsession with men means that women are more likely to die of a heart attack. Medics often diminish their symptoms: it's all in our mind, or we're hysterical. But far from being the inferior sex, Bohannon tells us that women account for 80% of people over 100, have more sensitive noses, better hearing at high frequencies, extended colour vision, and longer life expectancy than men by half a decade.

It's quite a scholarly read but accessible to the lay person, and sprinkled with humour.

This is a clever book. Informative, educational, eye-opening and written with a dry sense of humour and genuine humanity. I won't lie, some of it went over my head and other bits had to be read a couple of times to fully get to grips with them but I did learn things.

This has sounded fascinating, and I really wanted to like it, and I wanted to finish it, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me and I have finally given in after many attempts to wade beyond the first third of the book. It's an interesting mixture of biology, anthropology, palaeontology, sociology...all the ologies...but I really struggled with the style. It seemed to veer from feeling very scientific to then seeming more opinionated, and it was heavy-going, so that every time I picked it up I kept thinking of more interesting things I'd rather be doing instead.

This probably says more about me than the book!

There's not a lot of books about the evolution of the women phisiology. It's a fascinating and informative read, the author did an excellent job and this book made me learn a lot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

First of all I want to say thank you to Netgalley and the publishers as I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

such a fascinating read, really well written with a lot of information about female body evolution

I really enjoyed this feminist romp through evolution and here is my review of Eve by Cat Bohannon.
I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinions.
Some scientific non- fiction books can be dry and boring, but Eve is not one of those books. The author presents her evidence of how the female body has driven evolution in a fun, humorous and non-lecturing manner which was a joy to read.
The author has meticulously researched her topic and the book is full of extraordinary and interesting detail. I learnt so much from reading this book and it has helped me understand why it feels the world has been built to make things harder for women- men have been the primary designers and have never considered there are differences between the male and female bodies.
The books discussed the differences in biology, physiology, and psychology between female and male bodies and how human society has changed as a result. The differences not just includes reproductive organs but also how female bodies perceive sounds, their vision, mobility and brains.
The author adds her own personal experiences which provides a human element to the facts and data.

A fascinating view of evolution from the perspective of the female of the species and its effects on humanity and society.
This is well written for the layperson with the science clearly explained. my only issue was with the vast number of foot notes- which on a kindle stretch to several pages per chapter and are quite distracting- an appendix at the end may have been a better format so as not to distract from the main text.