Reviewed By:
Kashiko Black
Review Date:
November 3, 2014
Category: Informational, Polyamory, Monogamous, Relationship
Back Cover Summary:
In this controversial, thought-provoking, and brilliant book, renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha debunk almost everything we "know" about sex, weaving toegheter convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and pscyhosexually to show how far from human nature monogamy really is. In Sex at Dawn, the authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing towards a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation, and generosity.
Reviewer Comments on Rating:
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the book provided some interesting theories as well as factual information. The authors pulled from and cited a bunch of different resources to make their arguments and I felt that some of the arguments were valid. That being said, this book was really hard for me to get through. The authors played on typical cultural bias to try to emotionally manipulate the reader to their argument. In discussing the theories of Darwin, they tell the reader that Darwin is calling their mother a prostitute; not a real argument and used only as an emotional ploy. They argue for poly being more in human nature and give examples of successful societies where women have more social acceptance to enjoy their sexuality but then subtly imply that these women are sluts. It is argued that sexual sharing reduces risk in a society but there is not mention of risks of STIs. The authors also spend a good portion of the book talking about how human violence cannot be linked to violence in primates, which has very little to do with the topic on hand. Overall I would use this book to track down some of their references but I did not enjoy reading it and I would not recommend it.
