Reviews

Pink Brain Blue Brain

“The belief in blue brains and pink brains has real-word consequences… Read [Eliot’s] masterful book and you’ll never view the sex-differences debate the same way again.”
—Sharon Begley, Newsweek

“Lise Eliot nimbly refutes the overemphasis on sex differences that has dominated popular thinking in our Mars and Venus age--but without resorting to a facile denial of differences, either. This is a lively, marvelously clear and readable book that combines all the latest research on sex differences with smart, sensible and humane advice to parents on how bring out the fullest potential in both boys and girls.”
—Margaret Talbot, Staff Writer, The New Yorker

“I wish that Pink Brain, Blue Brain had been available when my children were small. It’s smart about our biology, smart about our culture—and genuinely thought-provoking in considering the way the two intersect. Read it if you’re a parent seeking some savvy insight on child rearing, as a teacher looking to help students—or just read it for the pleasure of understanding yourself a little better.”
—Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Sex on the Brain: The Biological Differences Between Men and Women

“Lise Eliot surveys the real science of sex differences in a way that is clear and careful as well as entertaining, and her advice on everything from public policy to parenting is sensible and scientifically grounded.”
— Mark Liberman, University of Pennsylvania

“Lise Eliot covers a wealth of the best scientific work on gender in an accessible and engaging style. The suggestions she offers for raising and teaching children are well grounded in research and readily implemented in practice. Pink Brain, Blue Brain is an excellent resource for parents, educators, and anyone else interested in how boys and girls develop.”
—Lynn S. Liben, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Penn State University

“I can’t stop talking about Pink Brain, Blue Brain. Every time I see a toddler on a playground, or walk into a toy store, I remember some remarkable new fact I learned from Lise Eliot. This book will change the way you think about boys, girls, and how we come to be who we are.”
—Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist

“Lise Eliot, a first-rate scholar and a superb neuroscientist, has now brought her extensive knowledge and insight to bear on the difficult and socially important issue of gender difference in her marvelous new book, Pink Brain, Blue Brain. … Eliot explains, in language that is clear to all of us, that these sex differences are plastic and can be modified by experience. .. This is a wonderfully optimistic book that will be helpful not only to parents and grandparents but to the general public as well.”
—Eric Kandel MD, Nobel Laureate and University Professor, Columbia University.

“This is an important book and highly recommended for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children.” —Library Journal

“(a) refreshingly reasonable and reassuring look at recent alarming studies about sex differences in determining the behavior of children... Eliot’s work demonstrates a remarkable clarity of purpose.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[a] sharp, information-packed, and wonderfully readable book”
—Mother Jones

“This refreshingly evenhanded take on how seemingly entrenched gender norms first develop in children refuses to take the easy way out: both nature and nurture are considered, and neither can be discounted... in addition to the science behind the argument, Eliot provides concrete ways that parents and teachers can give children of each sex the greatest possible opportunity to reach their potential.”
—Booklist