Books and Cooks West
September 2002
Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species
by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species
by
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
September 7 at 5:30 PM
Michele's place
Mexican lasagna, cauliflower-artichoke salad, vegetables and pita bread with dips, chocolate ice cream, red and white wine
Our rating: 4.1 cups of tea!
Mother Nature: A History of Mothers, Infants, and Natural Selection should be
required reading for anyone who happens to be a human being. In it, Hrdy
reveals the motivations behind some of our most primal and hotly contested
behavioral patterns--those concerning gender roles, mate choice, sex,
reproduction, and parenting--and the ideas and institutions that have grown up
around them. She unblinkingly examines and illuminates such difficult subjects
as control of reproductive rights, infanticide, "mother love," and maternal
ambition with its ever-contested companions: child care and the limits of
maternal responsibility. Without ever denying personal accountability, she
points out that many of the patterns of abuse and neglect that we see in
cultures around the world (including, of course, our own) are neither
unpredictable nor maladaptive in evolutionary terms. "Mother" Nature, as she
points out, is not particularly concerned with what we call "morality." The
philosophical and political implications of our own deeply-rooted behaviors
are for us to determine--which can be done all the better with the kind of
understanding gleaned from this exhaustive work.
Hrdy's passion for this material is evident, and she is deeply aware of the personal stake she has here as a woman, a mother, and a professional. This highly accomplished author relies on her own extensive research background as well as the works of others in multiple disciplines (anthropology, primatology, sociobiology, psychology, and even literature). Despite the exhaustive documentation given to her conclusions (as witness the 140-plus-page notes and bibliography sections), the book unfolds in an exceptionally lucid, readable, and often humorous manner. It is a truly compelling read, highly recommended. -- Katherine Ferguson
