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Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon

2024-12-24 3 min read Sincheenz

There are so many things to applaud in this book. Firstly, the very idea of writing a book on the role of females in evolution. Evolution has mostly explained from the male perspective and has been accepted as the norm. But it is a very fundamental fact that without women and their reproductive success, there would not be 8 billion Homo sapiens on this earth today. The author has done a brilliant job of bringing across this message. Her storytelling skills are remarkable.

I like how each chapter starts with a story, then facts and studies are discussed, followed by her introducing her point of view, and finally leaving behind a thought to mull over. Excellent writing skills.

The book starts with why mammals evolved to produce milk—the necessary immunity starter kit that helps their offspring stay alive once out of the womb. Then she discussed the womb, and this was very fascinating.As a mother of two, I did pick up one of those “What to Expect When Expecting” books, but I think it would have made more sense to read THIS book. It takes a very subjective view of pregnancy and doesn’t glorify giving birth or make it seem like the easiest and most natural thing to do. I think everybody, man or woman, should be made aware of the battle between the female body and the fetus and will appreciate the complexity and the ordeal a woman’s body is put through. Birthing will not be trivialized, and yes, thousands of women have done it and each needs to be congratulated on this feat even if they have done it a dozen times singlehandedly.

I found the chapters on perception, voice, and brain extremely insightful. I did not know much about the pruning process of the brain during adolescence and how it affects men and women differently. Also, reading about the pruning process in the third trimester and the remapping after birth made a lot of sense. The book focuses on the female anatomy, why we as women are the way we are. Things that are to our advantage and disadvantage, why we have less strength but more endurance, and how, despite our brains being physiologically the same, we are still prone to being better or worse at learning and adapting to different things than the male brain.

The chapter on menopause had an interesting take. The book ended with the chapter on love. Quite unexpected, but it gave the book a poetic ending.

The book talks about the role of the female body in evolution and how this perspective has been overlooked. It is not a book that yells, “There would be nothing without us women,” but it does show that evolution wanted to advantage women, women’s bodies, and the offspring they produced to carry on evolution.

The book explains how much the female body has contributed to what we have today in society. It highlights how evolution has favored women in unique ways, not just for reproduction but for the survival and growth of our species. It makes a strong case for recognizing the role of women not only in the past but also in shaping the future.

Females across many societies are often viewed as mere birthing machines and caretakers. This book explains what a vital role they play for the child and society throughout the various phases of their lives, even when they are not reproducing anymore.

This book celebrates the strength, adaptability and brilliance of the female body and mind. Loved it.