Cannibalism + bestiality + gay men -- Is it a diatribe from Rick Santorum or a novel by Dennis Cooper? It's Jesse Bering's collection of science essays, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?: And Other Reflections on Being Human [Kindle], which his publisher's marketers harm with pandering jacket copy harping on "the most taboo issues":
"...a bold and captivating journey through some of the most taboo issues related to evolution and human behavior. Exploring the history of cannibalism, the neurology of people who are sexually attracted to animals, the evolution of human body fluids, the science of homosexuality, and serious questions about life and death, Bering astutely covers a generous expanse of our kaleidoscope of quirks and origins."
Otherwise, the book's science is probably sound. The thirty-odd pieces originally ran in Scientific American or on Slate and the title essay appeared in Best Sex Writing 2010
. Moreover, the author is going to be great on the gay thingy because he was named Scientist of the Year by the awesome national queer sci - tech nerds association, NOGLSTP. His previous book, The Belief Instinct: The Psychology of Souls, Destiny, and the Meaning of Life [Kindle], was an ALA top book of the year. Yale's Paul Bloom says, “Jesse Bering is the Hunter S. Thompson of science writing, and he is a delight to read—funny, smart, and madly provocative.”
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