Lise Eliot

I was deeply disappointed by this book. Repeatedly, the author tells us that some difference between girls and boys is insignificant compared to variation within each group -- then goes on to discuss at length how parents and teachers should accommodate these important differences. WTF? If the differences are that small, then parents of boys do not, in fact, need to talk to them more in order to make up for their naturally poorer language skills (for example). I fail to see how encouraging show more this kind of stereotyping is supposed to be helpful.

Let alone the other crap the author puts forth without examining her own stereotypes: Boys like science fiction! Girls would buy more Legos if only they were pink!

Oh, and the author makes repeated statements that gender differences (at least in adults) are actually a Good Thing. Because... I don't know, something about romance being more exciting. I guess opposite-gender romance is more exciting?

Other things that bothered me: Misgendering trans people (except in one example late in the book). Typical ableist language about autistic people. Support for school uniforms because they "keep teen girls from turning themselves into sex objects every morning".

I'll end this review with one gem of a quotation from the book:

"But this display was a refreshing reminder of males' wonderful strength, ambition, and keen ability to build things." show less

There is no such a thing as a "male brain", and there is no such a thing as a "female brain". As the author rightly insists, there are more variations within groups than between; and if the Venus vs Mars paradigm makes for good press (it's lazy, sensationalist, and taps into all of our gendered prejudices -so why not?) it is, nevertheless, not only completely bogus scientifically but, also and above all, causing a lot of harm -to men and women, to boys and girls. Now, of course, if you're show more not convinced by that (or already are, but want to sharpen your argumentations when debunking the tiring yet never tired pop nonsense pink/ blue...) then you could grab a lot of books on the topic already e.g. Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference By Cordelia Fine, The Gendered Brain: The New Neuroscience That Shatters the Myth of the Female Brain by Gina Rippon, and Gender Mosaic: Beyond the Myth of the Male and Female Brain by Daphna Joel and Luba Vikhanski are just some of my favourites so far. However, I personally think that this is the best by far. Lise Eliot's perspective is the most encompassing; the more thorough; and, also, the more accessible. What about it?

It starts lengthily on foetal development, genetics and epigenetics. Now, it surely is a pity that we need to recap the birds and the bees to truly grasp how a human being takes shape. In a time when hormones pre-birth are being used and abused to peddle the same claptraps that have been peddled for decades, though, it's important to stress a few points that otherwise ought to be obvious (e.g. believe it or not, you're not a rat -please, just stop with the rats!). The author does that brilliantly. It then goes on by showing the impact of socialisation upon behaviours and, another key point we ought to bear in mind, expectations. This, here, is absolutely not to say that biological differences between male and female are inexistent. That's the straw man argument usually thrown at by the 'pink vs blue' partisans against whose valuing environment as much as brain plasticity, and (no less usually) when being lazy. This is to say, quite bluntly, that hormones impact behaviours and sexuality, certainly not cognitive abilities and interests (and no, that's not a subtle point -please don't be lazy!). It ends, finally, by showing how our misunderstanding of gender differences, blamed on recycled biological determinism taken to various degrees, makes for more than silly pop stories and simplistic understanding of each others to be downright harmful. All along, of course, it also debunks the supposedly "ground breaking studies" that have come CLANG! CLANG! with the pink/ blue paradigm (most of them flawed, questionable, or, just plain fraudulent -you've read that right) while offering different research and coming to grip with the file drawer effect (yes, it matters).

All in all, then, do whatever you want with 'boys and men are this and that' and 'women and girls are this and that' because: genes/ brain/ hormones (delete whatever option[s], as per prejudice). If, however, you're tired as much of the reductionist clichés making a mockery of biological complexities as the covert sexism now wearing white laboratory coats, then I urge you to read this. It's enthralling. It's engaging. It's refreshing. show less

As a research neuroscientist, Lise Eliot has made the study of the human brain her life's work. But it wasn't until she was pregnant with her first child that she became intrigued with the study of brain development. She wanted to know precisely how the baby's brain is formed, and when and how each sense, skill, and cognitive ability is developed. And just as important, she was interested in finding out how her role as a nurturer can affect this complex process. How much of her baby's show more development is genetically ordained--and how much is determined by environment? Is there anything parents can do to make their babies' brains work better--to help them become smarter, happier people?

Drawing upon the exploding research in this field as well as the stories of real children, What's Going On in There? is a lively and thought-provoking book that charts the brain's development from conception through the critical first five years. In examining the many factors that play crucial roles in that process, What's Going On in There? explores the evolution of the senses, motor skills, social and emotional behaviors, and mental functions such as attention, language, memory, reasoning, and intelligence.

This remarkable book also discusses:
- how a baby's brain is "assembled" from scratch
- the critical prenatal factors that shape brain development
- how the birthing process itself affects the brain
- which forms of stimulation are most effective at promoting cognitive development
- how boys' and girls' brains develop differently
- how nutrition, stress, and other physical and social factors can permanently affect a child's brain

Brilliantly blending cutting-edge science with a mother's wisdom and insight, What's Going On in There? is an invaluable contribution to the nature versus nurture debate. Children's development is determined both by the genes they are born with and the richness of their early environment. This timely and important book shows parents the innumerable ways in which they can actually help their children grow better brains. show less

I really enjoyed this. The book is broken down by life stages. In each, she looks at what the evidence really shows for in-built sex differences: hormones, brain structure, genetics. Then she looks at how social forces play on these differences (typically, but not always, small) to turn them into the larger gaps we see in adults. The premise is that it's not as simple as nature or nurture; rather, we start with a small dose of nature and amplify them with a lot of nurture. Along the way, she show more takes down a lot of simplistic pop science about boys and girls and shows how studies are misquoted so that we believe the differences are more hard wired than they are--though some differences are there.

Her emphasis is on the plasticity of our brains and how we create their wiring--and how sex stereotypes become self fulfilling prophecies.

As a parent, I really enjoyed the descriptions of how parents affect their children and what we can do differently. The good news about our plastic brains is that it means we can change our interactions with children to help them develop the skills they need. It's not a simplistic explanation of how girls and boys aren't really different, or that all boys and all girls need to be treated in sex-stereotyped ways, but a way of looking at how our own ideas about sex and gender are transmitted to our children. For example, how we teach boys to suppress their emotions; how we teach girls to be nice; how we can get girls more interested in math and build spatial awareness, and how we can encourage verbal fluency in boys. I would have liked a little more examination about what boys and girls prefer to read as I felt social stereotyping wasn't as strongly examined there as it might have been (in other words, that even if boys might prefer more action, that the books that are published and how they are marketed to kids shapes their ideas of what's okay for boys and girls to read); I also think toy stereotyping got off lightly beyond the broader trucks vs. dolls problem.

Overall, I think it's a great book for anyone who has or works with kids. show less