Sex at Dawn

How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships

By: Christopher Ryan, Cacilda Jetha

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson, Jonathan Davis, Christopher Ryan (Preface)

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. Mainstream science - as well as religious and cultural institutions - has maintained that men and women evolved in families in which a man's possessions and protection were exchanged for a woman's fertility and fidelity. But this narrative is collapsing. Fewer and fewer couples are getting married, and divorce rates keep climbing as adultery and flagging libido drag down even seemingly solid marriages.

How can reality be reconciled with the accepted narrative? It can't be, according to renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha. While debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book.

Ryan and Jetha's central contention is that human beings evolved in egalitarian groups that shared food, child care, and, often, sexual partners. Weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality, the authors show how far from human nature monogamy really is. Human beings everywhere and in every era have confronted the same familiar, intimate situations in surprisingly different ways. The authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation, and generosity.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes a Preface written and read by author Christopher Ryan.

©2010 Christopher Ryan, Cacilda Jetha (P)2010 Audible, Inc

Critic reviews

"A surprisingly non-titillating book about sex among prehistoric people makes for a terrific audio adaptation...With their straightforward approach, the narrators show professionalism and authority in this anthropological discussion of sex." ( AudioFile)

“ Sex at Dawn is the single most important book about human sexuality since Alfred Kinsey unleashed Sexual Behavior in the Human Male on the American public in 1948.” (Dan Savage)

"My favorite book of 2010...it's the only book I read this year that proved that I was badly mistaken about something." (Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!)

Excellent book, highly recommended.

The authors do a great job of providing information, pro and con arguments, and mix in humor to keep it from getting dry - something that Jared Diamond's books can fall victim to at times. Being in my 40s and having witnessed (ok maybe even participated in) some interesting subcultures in human society I can say that this helped answer many questions I have been forming over the years.

The narrators are very good as well with Ms Johnson hitting the humor and sarcasm notes as appropriate.

A great challenge for the standard narrative

As a biology major, I feel pray to many of the biological misconceptions that were pedalled as fact during my schooling. This book rightly challenges many of those assumptions, and forces the reader to grapple with why we think monogamy is based on human nature.

While the book is captivating, I found the performance to be a bit monotone and boring. On multiple occasions, I had passengers in the car with me act on shock that I could tolerate listening to it for extended periods. If it wasn't for the quality of the content, I'm not sure I could have.

awesome, a real mind blower!

this book opened up a new perspective into our society as well as my own sexuality. every single human should read this book and maybe our culture could chill the hell out a bit. always love learning about the evolutionary basis of human behaviors. a fascinating read

Obviously influential, familiar

I've been directed to this book a number of times through various podcasts and media. They've kind of summed it up, but it was good to hear it all contextualized and now I can say I read it.

Makes perfect sense!

The compilation of studies and stories examined in this book all seem to point in one direction. Humans are incredibly sexually diverse and have been from the start. The amount of information explained is almost overwhelming. Try to forget what you think you know about the sexual behavior of people and open your mind to a seemingly obvious origin that makes perfect sense once all studies are compiled and explained. Also check out Joe Rogan's interviews with Chris Ryan (The Joe Rogan Experience) where he talks more about his books and his life.

Interesting.

This was a very interesting book with many concepts and facts I have never known.

Must read. Extremely educational.

Must read for anyone who wants to have a basic level of sexual culture.

Answers many questions that I an my loved ones have asked ourselves over our lives and relationships.

change your perspective... change your life

Sex is the only constant. Sex is nature. Man created marriage. those who buy into it will suffer in quite desperation.

Extraordinary

Extraordinary account of the history of sexuality and radical and helpful insights to understand where we are and where we are going as couples, families and as a society.

Thought Provoking

A very thought provoking and paradigm shifting book. It leaves me thinking about very essential parts of myself and beliefs.

The book is well written with factual references and a storytelling style that makes you sit up and get as most information that you can from the title.

I enjoyed reading this book and I totally recommend it to anyone interested in human sex.