Bitch: On the Female of the Species - Lucy Cooke

Author: Lucy Cooke

Narrator: Lucy Cooke

Genre: Feminism, Science, Animals

Rating: 4.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: Not as misandrist as I had assumed. Way funnier than I had anticipated! Insightful, relevant, comprehensive, mind-blowing. Go for it!

Science is always said to be objective. But we need to ask ourselves how objective can a subject be if it has excluded the thoughts of half of the world’s population, if it has observed phenomena through masculine-filtered lenses, if it has dismissed any change in traditional masculine superiority as an aberration than as a possible norm. British zoologist and digital personality Lucy Cooke raises an array of questions and provides a throng of answers about various elements of nature where things aren’t quite what we have been taught either in school or through research papers or even through television documentaries.

In one of her Youtube videos, Cooke says, “If you want to tell a story and reach a wider audience, it helps if you are a bit playful about it.” She applies this principle with heart and soul to this book. Every anecdote is peppered with an underlying tone of fun, and every chapter shines a spotlight on her sense of humour.

Right at the start, we have the author's note on the use of language, and here itself, the tone of the book is set. The author makes it clear why we have dual gender-based terms in biology, how the terms are used in the book, and how we should refrain from using the terms unless needed. As we all know, the concept of gender is very fluid, so the traditional theory of the male and female binary doesn’t stand on its feet anymore. Her note clarifies why she resorts to these words at times, while still declaring, “Gendered ideas based on binary sex are nonsense."

Most biology/zoology textbooks teach us things from the perspective of the male of the species. When it comes to females, the information is limited to mothering a baby and sometimes, being the queen of a colony. So the content of this book took me by surprise. Thanks to the documentaries of my favourite nature guru Sir David Attenborough, I did know a few of the facts, such as the female praying mantis biting off the head of her “lover” while the poor guy is indulging in copulation, the story of Darwin’s finches, or the mating hierarchy of certain ape groups. But most of the animal anecdotes were totally new to me. (I am never going to look at meerkats or ducks the same way again! *shudder*)

Fighting for a mate, queening over a group or colony, “pleasuring themselves”, the truth about monogamy, “virgin births”, power struggles,… the book throws one interesting chapter after another, all ideas being supported by ample data and examples from the animal world. As Cooke herself declares, it is high time the “sexist mythology in biology and zoology” is shattered. Along the way, she raises awareness about other topics such as climate change and the impact it is having on the natural world.

The author’s methodology ensures that even those unfamiliar with the animal world will comprehend her points. Her writing is balanced with plenty of light-hearted remarks, multiple anecdotes, and an empathetic approach. She also peppers the content with a few examples from movies such as ‘Finding Nemo’, making it even more relatable. It does get a bit technical at times, but you can safely skip over anything you find esoteric without hampering your understanding of the book. As long as you were able to understand that the animal on the cover is a hyena and not a dog, you’re good to go. 😉

While I loved almost all the content, my favourite has to be the final chapter, in which she shatters the myth of gender duality in nature. All those naysayers who declare that homosexuality isn’t “natural” and “God made two genders”, you’ve got a rethink coming your way!

Cooke doesn’t just stop at revealing examples from nature. Time and again, she highlights examples of female biologists and zoologists whose names have been pushed under the radar for propagating an “incorrect” or “impossible” hypothesis about the female of any animal species. Men have traditionally been considered more evolved and therefore more intelligent, more reasonable, more imaginative, more superior to women. As such, it is not just female animals who have been ignored but also female scientists whose thoughts have been either curtained or curtailed. Cooke also mentions multiple examples where evidence from research has suffered through a confirmation bias, simply because it didn’t match the prevailing idea of male superiority. One example even mentions a male scientist’s declaration of a female bird having “hormonal imbalance” due to the breeding season and hence her behaviour being invalidated. Let me make it clear that she doesn’t point fingers at these male scientists but just shows how rational thinking has been coloured by gendered viewpoints. As she says, “There is no conspiracy here, just blinkered science. […] good scientists can suffer bad biases.”

The audiobook, clocking at almost 12 hours, is narrated by the author herself. And what an amazing experience it has been to hear her! She has put her experience as a BBC presenter to brilliant use and delivers a pitch-perfect performance. I loved the book for its content, but Cooke’s vivacity enhances the experience of the audio version. For the first time in ages, I relished an audiobook at 1x speed, soaking in every word and laughing/sighing along the way.

Tons of thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Bitch: On the Female of the Species”! I usually avoid nonfiction ARCs as I find myself handicapped in reviewing them. But this was one title that appealed to me the minute I saw that bad-ass hyena on the cover and I knew I HAD to read this. Never have I kept my fingers and toes so tightly crossed for any ARC! Hachette’s approval of this title had made my day, and reading this book has made my reading year. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.