A Guardian Book of the Week
Longlisted for the PEN / E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
An award-winning physician and scientist makes the game-changing case
that genetic females are stronger than males at every stage of life
Here are some facts: Women live longer than men. They have stronger
immune systems. They're better at fighting cancer and surviving famine,
and even see the world in a wider variety of colors. They are simply
stronger than men at every stage of life. Why is this? And why are we
taught the opposite?
To find out, Dr. Sharon Moalem drew on his own medical experiences -
treating premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit;
recruiting the elderly for neurogenetic studies; tending to HIV-positive
orphans in Thailand - and tried to understand why in every instance men
were consistently less likely to thrive. The answer, he discovered, lies
in our genetics: two X chromosomes offer a powerful survival advantage.
With clear, captivating prose that weaves together eye-opening research,
case studies, diverse examples ranging from the behavior of honeybees to
American pioneers, as well as experiences from his personal life and his
own patients, Moalem explains why genetic females triumph over males
when it comes to resiliency, intellect, stamina, immunity and much more.
He also calls for a reconsideration of our male-centric,
one-size-fits-all view of medical studies and even how we prescribe
medications - a view that still sees women through the lens of men.
Revolutionary and yet utterly convincing, The Better Half will make
you see humanity and the survival of our species anew.
