Testosterone

The Story of the Hormone That Dominates and Divides Us

By: Carole Hooven

Narrated by: Rachel Perry

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Recommended as one of The Times' Best Science Books of 2021

Through riveting personal stories and the latest research, Harvard evolutionary biologist Carole Hooven shows how testosterone drives the behaviour of the sexes apart and how understanding the science behind this hormone is empowering for all.

The biological source of masculinity has inspired fascination, investigation and controversy since antiquity. From the eunuchs in the royal courts of ancient China to the booming market for 'elixirs' of youth in 19th-century Europe, humans have been obsessed with identifying and manipulating what we now know as testosterone. And the trend shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to this history and the methods of modern science, today we have a rich body of research about testosterone's effects in both men and women. 

The science is clear: testosterone is a major, invisible player in our relationships, sex lives, athletic abilities, childhood play, gender transitions, parenting roles, violent crime and so much more. But there is still a lot of pushback to the idea that it does, in fact, contribute to sex differences and significantly influence behaviour.

Hooven argues that acknowledging testosterone as a potent force in society doesn't reinforce stifling gender norms or patriarchal values. Testosterone and evolution work together to produce a huge variety of human behaviour, and that includes a multitude of ways to be masculine and feminine.

Understanding the science sheds light on how we work and relate to one another, how we express anger and love, and how we fight bias and problematic behaviour to build a fairer society.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Carole Hooven (P)2021 Octopus Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"The definitive book on testosterone.... A brave and significant book...simply fascinating and filled with extraordinary facts." (Evening Standard) 

"Testosterone does what all superb popular science must do: it entertains as it educates." (The Wall Street Journal)   

"Fascinating, vital, unputdownable." (Julie Bindel) 

A Very Well Written Course On Human Behavior

This was an excellent listen. Carole Hooven brought a staggering body of evolutionary biology into a single, balanced, and very compelling read.

In light of the current day's gender-difference charged world, she breaks down poor arguments and explains the roots of male behavior in a way that teaches without justifying.

I'll be buying copies of this book for my friends.

Twee American narrator more than l could bear

Subject matter sounded very interesting, but the narrator was very irritating. Will return and get paperback version.

testosterone

really good book on testosterone which outlines some solid data that tears down the false psuedoscience narratives sold by the fanatical left.

i would have liked if the author would have dedicated more time to TRT in normal men and its use in treatment against depression and general ageing effects.

the book was very engaaging when discussing the endocrinology and science based literature but i feel it lost it self in the the last 3 chapters which started to ramble on with anecdotal sob stories and emotional accounts. Almost felt like the author was trying to balance all the facts with leftist fiction.

overall a very good book, well researched information.

Good overall information and explanation.

The book fits nicely into the male/female differences type, where an understanding of how biology effects people is useful in figuring out humans odd behaviour.

Balanced, well researched

It’s lovely to see a book address sex differences and behaviour in such a balanced way, this is a wonderful addition for people who are fans of Steven Pinker (Blank Slate, Better Angels Of Our Nature).

It does a great job of addressing some of the legitimate grievances of the feminist movement while holding strongly accountable for its misinformation and demonisation of men.

I would have liked to hear more about the authors thoughts of the fear women harbour towards male aggressiveness,as she only touched on it for a moment. However I suppose that would be more a psychological talking point than a biological talking point with regard to interactions between the sexes.

We need more people like Carole!

Beautifully researched and carefully written with just the truth and no bias to any particular type of person as hard as it might have been for the author to put her own experiences and emotions aside.

Interesting and well written

It was an interesting listen with the facts laid out clearly and how they don't implicate any kind of prescription for how things SHOULD be.

The content is great, the narration is not.

The narrator clearly has no understanding of what she is reading, as her tone and inflection do not match the content much of the time.

I know this subject and the science very well, but at times I found even my mind struggling to comprehend the words being said in such a mismatched tone of voice.

The author speaks exceptionally well, and should have read this herself like she wanted.

Bad move audible.

This is an important book, but get the Kindle version if you have the time to read it.

Fantastic and gripping

A fantastic review of testosterone. Carol does a great job of telling an interesting and easy to follow narrative through endocrinology, that is so often told in an incomprehensible manner with lots of tricky jargon. As a male reader I found it refreshing that this story was told and explained by a female. And Rachel did a great job at narrating, with plenty of rising internations to keep the listener attentive.

Excellent

A throughout and scholary debunking of testosterone skeptics who are astonishingly still around and infecting academia with pseudoscience and lies. Bravo.