Rating: 
Summary: The Politics of Science
Review: As Nature Made Him is a very well-written book that tells a fascinating story on two levels: the tragic childhood of Brenda/David -- a boy who was raised as a girl after a botched circumcision, and the politics that influence medical research. Dr. Money, the Johns Hopkins psychologist who advised the child's family, believed that nurture was more important than nature in determining sexual identity, and he allowed this belief to color the "scientific" research he conducted to investigate this issue. As Money gained stature in his field, he helped to suppress the reporting of data that were inconsistent with his own work. This is a much more common problem in science that many people realize -- a researcher or group of researchers value a certain approach, their studies support their viewpoint, they become successful and famous, and then government agencies and scientific journals are reluctant to fund and publish research that does not support the popular viewpoint. Author John Colapinto allows the reader to appreciate both the personal and theoretical tragedies that result when scientific research is influenced by politics and values.
Rating: 
Summary: Best book so far this year!
Review: I saw the subject of this book, David, interviewed on Oprah, and I had to read it! I finished it all in no time. The author has completely researched David's life, including the scientific/psychological debate surrounding his botched circumcision and being raised as a girl, in a manner easily understandable to those not professionals in these fields. Initially, his parents were horrified knowing that their son could never be a "normal" male after his botched circumcision and pinned all their hopes on one doctor to make him normal. It was heartbreaking to witness all the torture that he went through being raised a girl but acting more male than even his twin brother. Socially, this made him a pariah everywhere especially at school causing him to live most of his youth in misery and leading to depression and suicide attempts. This also caused more pain to his parents knowing that this experiment was failing but trusting the "famous" doctor, who recommended this sex reassignment, without question. Additionally, this book demonstrates the tendency of some social scientist researchers to take one side on the nature vs. nurture debate and to make their findings parallel their own beliefs. Dr. Money takes the cake in being so confident in his belief that children could be completely changed to either sex with the right environment that he ignored the torture it caused David and his family. If you are interested, even remotely, about the origin of sex roles, this is must read. I, myself, was a sociology major in college; therefore, I learned about this case in a gender class and loved every part of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Humanity Overcomes Hubris and Arrogance of Medical Industry
Review: In 1967, six month old twin boys simultaneously develop inflamation at tip of their foreskins. A physician says it's phimosis. (That's unlikely since almost all newborn boys have unretractable foreskins and only a few can retract by six years of age; some can't retract until late teens. Whatever it was cleared up in a few days without any treatment.) Physician says they need circumcision. That was standard, "only solution" in Canada and US at the time; it still is in the US, but Canada has almost completely abandoned circumcision. Eighty percent of men worldwide are not circumcised. English speaking countries adopted it to "cure" masturbation early in 20th century, but now US is only English speaking culture to continue it. The rest of the world never did it, except for religious reasons (16% of world population is Muslim) and a few remote places where it's done as a tribal "marker." Many "medical" reasons have been suggested by US medicine, but none ever proven. Colapinto performs service to humanity with this well written investigation into what happened to Bruce - Brenda - David Reimer. It is thorough and "academic" journalism, but an easy to read work that will make many readers unable to put it down. You'd have to be cold as ice not to begin to feel empathy for Reimer as you develop disgust and outrage toward John Money, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and the entire medical industry in the US, and admiration for Mickey Diamond, the University of Hawaii biologist who exposed the web of deceit and lies surrounding the case. The main hero is David Reimer who survived horrors that would destroy most humans. This is a book about frightening secrets within the medical industry (how intersex infants are "assigned" a gender they may not want when they mature; how "peer reviewed" publications are not reviewed by anyone in many cases; the fact that infant circumcision is not necessary, not safe, and can maim and kill), the triumph of the human spirit, and what one person went through because of hubris and arrogance in the medical industry. All through the book one wonders, Why? Why? Oh why, do we keep doing this to innocent baby boys? Why do we risk what happened to Reimer to conform to some social custom that has long been proven to have no medical value? You keep going back to page 19: "It only added to [parents'] misery that Brian's [twin brother] phimosis had long since cleared up by itself, his healthy penis a constant reminder that the disastrous circumcision on Bruce had been utterly unnecessary in the first place." The hubris and arrogance of Money and Johns Hopkins parallel that of physicians who continue to circumcise infant boys despite the absence of any medical reason to do it. This is our wake-up call. Such cases used to be kept secret, but the cat is now out of the bag. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: John Money the monster
Review: I read As Nature Made Him several months ago and still think about the impact it had on me almost daily. There isn't a person that I don't recommend the book to. In short it really touched me and invoked such anger at how this boy's life began. I wept several times while reading this book for the pain that David Reimer and his family endured for a significant period of their lives. John Money can only be described as possessing a mental disorder and I am surprised he hasn't faced a court to answer for all the sordid behaviour he inflicted upon innocent children. He used David Reimer and his twin brother as his very own live human guinea pigs. He mentally, sexually and physically abused David Reimer, his twin and their parents. I felt that the author (amazingly) remained fairly objective and presented all the facts he was faced with. He is to be commended for the fabulous way he has brought David Reimer's story to light all over the world (I am in Australia) and so hopefully others who are going through similar experiences can know they are not alone and they are not the freaks but the doctors who perform these infantile gender assignment operations are the sickos. I will keep an eye out for other material by this author and probably reread As Nature Made Him another million times in my lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic , true story........fine writing.
Review: I was inspired to read this book because of the movie, "Boys Don't Cry" and because of a movie on tv about Teena Brandon- Brandon Teena. I wanted to read a non-fiction account of this situation, and I must say, I got what I asked for in reading "As Nature Made Him."
The author, John Colapinto, did extensive research to write this chilling story of attempts by experts in the fields of medicine and psychology to change a boy into a girl. Since other reviewers have told the story over and over, I would like to add the fact that Colapinto's inclusion of the brother Brian's experiences and outcome at the end of the story, were appreciated. Brenda's ordeal, although exclusively her own in a physical sense, had a tremendous traumatic impact on the entire family and was well conveyed by the author. I read alot of books, but I have to say that this is one of the best written coverage of a highly complex subject. I would recommend this book to anyone. I hope Mr. Colapinto will write another book soon. The man can write!
Rating:
Summary: Sadly, things don't always end happily...
Review: David Remer, the subject of this book committed suicide yesterday, 5/12/2004. Weirdly, I was talking about this case
just yesterday with co-workers. Like most others, I highly reccomend this book. It shows the dangers of ignoring human nature, and of the belief that you can mold a child into being something contrary to his or her very nature (see also 'The Blank Slate' by Steven Pinker)
Rating:
Summary: Tragic , true story........fine writing.
Review: I was inspired to read this book because of the movie, "Boys Don't Cry" and because of a movie on tv about Teena Brandon- Brandon Teena. I wanted to read a non-fiction account of this situation, and I must say, I got what I asked for in reading "As Nature Made Him."
The author, John Colapinto, did extensive research to write this chilling story of attempts by experts in the fields of medicine and psychology to change a boy into a girl. Since other reviewers have told the story over and over, I would like to add the fact that Colapinto's inclusion of the brother Brian's experiences and outcome at the end of the story, were appreciated. Brenda's ordeal, although exclusively her own in a physical sense, had a tremendous traumatic impact on the entire family and was well conveyed by the author. I read alot of books, but I have to say that this is one of the best written coverage of a highly complex subject. I would recommend this book to anyone. I hope Mr. Colapinto will write another book soon. The man can write!
Rating:
Summary: Meeting David
Review: Just sitting in the diner this morning, leafing through a local (...) newspaper, I saw the obituary for David Reimer, once Brenda, once Bruce. Vaguely familiar with the case, but not having read the book, I was still immediately saddened by his death. An hour later, book in hand, I sat to read a compelling book about the unfounded theories of a doctor that led to the tragic life of Reimer, "As Nature Made Him". The book, penned by Rolling Stone scribe John Colapinto, recounts the horrific, and I mean horrific, childhood of Bruce Reimer, having survived a botched circumcision, only to be forced to live as a girl by two well-intentioned yet ill-informed parents. Now Brenda, his life bascially becomes a living hell, dressing and acting against his very nature. Even worse, he is forced to undergo bizarre and irrational questioning by supervising doctor John Money that literally made my stomach turn. Colapinto's book moves fast, very fast, through David's life, making for a quick read. Yet the speed in which you can read this book in no way detracts from its central messages. David comes out of the whole ordeal a wounded survivor, possibly an inspiration to others who might befall the same fate. And yet, his demons caught up with him, causing his recent suicide. Perhaps none of this would have happened if that one failed circumcision never occured. Or if his mother happened to miss a television special with the notorious Dr. Money on it. But it did, and the tragedy of it all loomed over this work. We simply cannot afford, as a society, to play with people's lives for the sake of advancing careers or prestige or fame. People are much too important for that. Let David's life and death be an example, so that this simply will never, ever happen again.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, Tragic
Review: 'As Nature Made Him' is the horrifying true story of David Reimer, who lost his penis as an infant after a botched circumcision. His parents, only under-educated teenagers at the time, believed in the expertise of John Money at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Money told them the best course was to castrate the baby and raise him as a girl, that nurture was more important than nature; gender could be changed with willpower, surgery and hormone treatments. The book recounts Brenda's lonely, mixed-up childhood and the devastating effect it had on the entire family. I was filled with rage at Dr. Money, who only wanted to promote his theories and stroke his own ego, no matter what the cost to patients or their families. This book is doubly devastating after hearing the news that David Reimer (formerly Brenda) had killed himself in May, 2004 at the age of 38.
Rating:
Summary: great book tragic ending
Review: I loved this book when I read it a couple years ago and was happy to see David on talk shows doing well. This month, May 2004 he committed suicide and I think the blood is on Dr. Money's hands. I feel so bad for his parents and the other twin is dead also. How devasting.
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