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!)

Amazing

What did you love best about Sex at Dawn?

It answers so many things I've long wondered.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sex at Dawn?

At the beginning, it asks the question: Why, if monogamy is human's default setting, is monogamy so difficult for humans. We are constantly fighting for novelty within our long-term relationships, fighting boredom, trying to keep the "spark" alive, trying to get out of the "rut," trying to "re-connect." Some monogamous cultures go so far as to impose penalties on infidelity. WHY, if monogamy is our natural state, would we need punishment (real or self-imposed) to stay in it??? Divorce rates are 40% in first marriages, alone. And infidelity rates (which can vary, depending on the study), over a 30 year relationship, can be as high as 25%. This book goes into our pre-agricultural past and looking at the hunter-gatherer societies still around today to try to get to the bottom of human's sexual behavioral past. I loved all the questions that were asked, and what was discussed.

Setting evolutionary biologists straight.

It's high time someone wrote a book that clears the air with regard to the origins of man's sexuality free from the miasma of religious and societal stigma. Well done.

Amazing piece of FACTUAL study.

This book goes into depth on just how far Big-Religion has gone to de-nature one of our most basic forms of human expression. I've been arguing this case for a long time, and this is the first study to come along that expresses all of my thoughts on the subject, and many, many more. When you're ready to put down your bible, and read a non-fiction book...this is the one. :)

An outsanding book and a true eye opener!

What did you like best about this story?

This book is a true marvel. It changed quite dramatically the way I see the world and it did so with a compelling writing based on good scientific research. Essentially, most of us have been duped into believing monogamy is "natural". This book provides plenty of evidence to the contrary. Five stars!

Fantastic

I am buying copies for my family members. This is a great book and I highly recommend the audio version.

Puts to words, what I've throught for years.

Everyone should read this, at least to consider it's presentation, hypothosis and, well - sort of conclusion... you do the math. a book one can consider as what should be required reading - perhaps in college at least.

Excellent! Wish it wasn't read by a woman.

I think this book would have been better if narrated by a man. Not enough inflection and she has an annoying hiss at the end of certain words. Love the content and all the research that went into this book.

Fascinating new take on sexuality

If you could sum up Sex at Dawn in three words, what would they be?

Must read for anyone who wants to have an opinion on human sexuality.

What other book might you compare Sex at Dawn to and why?

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. The two books both appear correct and have *seemingly* opposite conclusions.

Anyone really interested in human sexuality should read both.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

No characters, but good performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sex at Dawn.

Any additional comments?

No

Fun facts inspire introspection

Interesting & thought provoking. Narrator was stiff - wish the author had read it, his voice is great on podcasts!

One word; GRATEFUL

This book takes the pressure off of Being Human and thinking the way you think.