Rating: 
Summary: A wealth of information
Review: I first saw this book being discussed on television. Then I bought a copy for a friend's birthday gift.I've now read through some of the book, and it is amazing how much information is in this book. It full of "did you know" information. It's not a book you'd read cover-to-cover, but instead you might pick through it, sharing information and laughs as you go.
Rating: 
Summary: Biological Exuberance or Scientific Burlesque?
Review: I must admit that I find some satisfaction in being a thorn in the side of the homosexual fantasy, but I do apologize to all the honest readers of Bagemihl's work for exposing this "manual of gay opinion" for what it is. Although the second half of the book might serve as an excellent reference for students of ethology (and as a sidebar to one reviewer, there are many, many texts about animal sexual behavior on the shelves of the libraries I frequent; I suspect many from before the reviewer was born), the first half of this text is nothing more than opinion, or what would be termed "observational science." Most unfortunate is the fact the Bagemihl's opinion is actually a second-hand opinion, dependent on the first-person opinions of original observers. I do see that such an extensive volume could be a labor of love, since the homosexual fantasy does not separate sex from love or vice versa. As to whether or not homosexual behavior occurs elsewhere in nature, is there a true biologist, especially wildlife biologist, that believes otherwise? Every American farmboy can tell stories of observed homosexual behavior. Although it may seem a small step for Bagemihl to jump from adaptive homosexual behavior to homosexual orientation and lifestyle, this is truly a "giant leap for mankind." If one accepts Darwinian evolutionary theory, then at the species level all behavior serves one purpose: survival. Survival of the species depends on reproduction--asexual or sexual, and sexual reproduction exhibits a myriad of sexual behaviors all designed to enhance survival, specifically survival of the fittest. Most of the behaviors Bagemihl references have been described as enhancing reproductive success, e.g. female bonobo copulation prepares females for future mating and increase fertilization success (and may even stimulate male bonobos, thus enhancing copulatory success). I will admit that there is little hard core, or "conclusive" science to support these interpretations, but the point is that all Bagemihl does in this voluminous text is offer a different interpretation based on his opinion (or a minority opinion if you will). Other interpretations are based on far more knowledge, experience, and collective reasoning. Proposing consideration of modifications to traditional evolutionary theory based on his interpretation of other workers observations is a real travesty. If we were to modify our assumtions, hypotheses, and conclusions regarding evolution every time someone had an alternative perspection, evolutionary theory would be about as valuable as the theory of genetic predispostion to sexual orientation. We cannot construct science to fit any particular "perspective", such as the homosexual perspective, or it is no longer science, but politics, which is where the argument for homosexual equality should remain. At least in the political realm it is a valid argument. In the scientific realm, it has no ground on which to stand. Because of the very unscientific nature of Bagemihl's interpretation, I strongly suspect this work will go the way of the early 90's so-called genetic research on the origins of homosexuality--quickly and quietly discredited. It is unfortunate that the discrediting of such works in the scientific community does not receive anywhere near the media attention and fanfare that the original release of such garbage receives. To sum up, let me say that Bagemihl's work proves absolutely nothing and is more a product of a fertile imagination that of scientific rigor. Bagemihl does present a convincing argument, but he DOES NOT present any conclusive proof of anything. He is much more the marketer than the scientist. Homosexual behavior may (I emphasize "behavior" and "may") have adaptive significance as far as survival of the species. Most ethologists accept that humans do have bisexual behavior tendencies. However, sexual orientation or sexual lifestyle are human choices and deserve psychological interpretation, not biological. Rather than psychoanalyzing wildlife biologists and ethologists, Bagemihl should consider the psychology of the homosexual lifestyle, which in humans includes an emotional element not present in other species, because it is this choice, not homosexual behavior, that flies in the face of evolutionary theory, reproductive strategies, and ultimately, species survival.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm with Gervais on this one...
Review: In his first and only standup comedy special, entitled ANIMALS, Englishman Ricky Gervais (of The Office fame) discusses this book and displays some of the illustrations to be found within its cover. Indeed, the author has gone about using line drawings as evidence that animals have homosexual sex, and as Gervais points out, using simple drawings to support your argument in an age when even photographs can be faked is a bit naff. Indeed, some of the illustrations are pure gold--for instance the one of a male porpoise copulating with another male porpoise's blowhole. The topic is fascinating and is very worthy of serious study, but I just wish Bagemihl had spent many more years working on it, filling up his coffers with all kinds of photographs and undisputable evidence. As it is, the book feels a bit preempted, maybe, and long-winded. Still, I applaud him and the knock-out drawings. I love having this book on my shelf--I'm almost always sharing it with friends who stop by.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent summary of Data, but some questionable analysis
Review: It was a very comprehensive listing and explanation of the various form of homosexuality, transgender, etc found in nature, though it entirely concentrated on birds and mammals. it also deals very, very well with biases, both intentional and unintentional in biological analysis and data gathering on the subject. however, in one section, the author deals with all the many proposed 'causes' of homosexuality in nature, refuting them with examples of individual discrepancies, but then asserting that all are thus totally flawed, and there is no reason. Surely he should have realized that you cannot expect a single universal purpose across even the modest diversity of birds and mammals. I analogize it to expecting a single purpose of forelimbs. We see many applications and variations (hands, flippers, wings) and even total limblessnes, yet we do not assert them to be purposeless because one purpose cannot cover them all. It would have been far more logical to posit that homsexuality, or sexual plasticity, evolved at some point, and nature has since altered it in every species it is incorporated into, so that it's purpose in one species might be opposite that of another, or it might have no current purpose, simply tagging along as a neutral trait that offers neither benefit nor penalty until the species reaches a point where selection acts on it. I also feel that further investigation into homosexuality etc in "lower" organisms which are more instinct-driven would have added some valuable insight into this, and cannot help but wonder at their ommission. the last section, however, was thoroughly disappointing. incorporating myths of anciet tribes as a source of knowledge (when we know they're wrong more often than not), extoling the virtues of these tribes in natural resource management (when we know they're responsible for the death of much of the pleistocene megafauna, and can watch species disappear in the fossil record the moment human fossils appear in a location), adding in Gaia theory (which can be falsified with even cursory examination of paleoecology), and an obscure philosophy about exuberance (which offers no qunatative analysis to support it), he concocts an awkward theoretical explanation which seems to be mostly a hasty addition in the need for some sort of conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating but troubling!
Review: Mr. Bagemihl's work is thorough and amazing! He clearly shows that the accepted paradigm of animal sexuality needs updating. But that's all this book speaks to: Animal behavior. When Mr. Bagemihl tries to make the jump to human behavior, however, significant problems arise. After all, animals are just that: Animals. If we accept the premise that something occurring in nature can then naturally occur in humans, we should easily be able to accept the following human behaviors: bestiality, public masturbation, public excretion, licking one's own anus publicly, scratching one's own wounds until infected, eating one's own children, and eating the children of other humans, among others. These are not acceptable human behaviors, but yet this type of activity occurs in the animal kingdom every day, and is entirely accepted by those dwelling in the animal kingdom. Mr. Bagemihl himself cites the behavior of some Black Swan males, who in some cases "mate for life." When they want children, they either copulate with a female, then forcibly remove her from the nest once she's laid eggs, or they "take over" the existing nest of a female Black Swan. Could two homosexual male humans do the same without repercussions in our society? Of course not! Humans differ in that we have a soul and innate morality. Animals were created by God, but humans were created by God AND "in the image of God." This book shows very clearly how animals behave: For survival and, if time allows, for selfish pleasure. Nothing wrong with that in the animal kingdom. Something VERY wrong with that in the realm of human beings. In an attempt to explain the "natural" occurrence of human homosexuality, Mr. Bagemihl's book fails.
Rating: 
Summary: Facinating
Review: Next time people say something like "Homosexuality does not occure in nature, it is merely a lifestyle choice" you can point them to this book. Backed by years of reasearch it points to numerous examples including ones as dramatic as Male Swans pairing for life AND adopting chicks to raise. Other interesting subjects are homsexual pair-bonds among species that do NOT usually form pair bonds. However one of the most facinating aspects are how other researcers or scientists will explain away the behavior, misreport it or even leave it out altogether. A Must for anybodys collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great reference book!
Review: Now, this is a book that definitly can not be read in one sittiing! But it is filled with information about nature and animal sexuality. Most of which, has been hidden. ...the next time someone says homosexuality does not happen in nature, point them to this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great reference book!
Review: Now, this is a book that definitly can not be read in one sittiing! But it is filled with information about nature and animal sexuality. Most of which, has been hidden. ...the next time someone says homosexuality does not happen in nature, point them to this book!
Rating:
Summary: "there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground"
Review: Rumi would clearly identify this body of work as an act of worship. I had the privilege of seeing the book in it's developmental stage and was very impressed by the contribution it makes to behavioral biology and to the debate over the origin of sexual expression. I was also impressed by the commitment of its author to stay true to his vision of a completely documented exposition of sexual diversity in the animal world. I am even more excited to see the original conception in print in all its fascinating glory! This book will change the way you view animal (and human) sexual behavior!
Rating: 
Summary: Half-baked theory
Review: The book's extensive documentation of homosexuality in animals may be valuable, but the book's style doesn't leave me with much confidence that its interpretations of the research are sufficiently unbiased to be relied upon.
The book's discussions of why it is hard to provide an evolutionary explanation of homosexuality are mostly reasonable, but the alternative to evolution that the book proposes isn't sufficiently well thought out to qualify as a testable scientific hypothesis. Evolutionary theory has a good enough track record at explaining things that appear at first glance to be counterproductive that people shouldn't reject it without finding an alternative with a good deal of explanatory power. But exuberance is an idea which explains very little. And anyone who has made impartial observations of typical natural ecosystems should see that the extravagance and waste that the book worships are sufficiently uncommon as to be hard to reconcile with the book's characterization.
|
