Sperm Are from Men, Eggs Are from Women

Wild Kingdom meets Dr. Ruth in Quirk's bawdy guide to species reproduction and the differences between men and women. Each topical chapter compares romantic relationships to sociological, biological, anthropological or zoological findings, all related in Quirk's off-the-cuff prose. The easy reading can be attributed to the fact that Quirk isn't a scientist, but a fiction writer with an interest in science and a knack for finding humor in explaining why people act the way they do. Chapter titles like ""Why You're So Horny"" and ""Why You Like Spielberg more than T.S. Eliot"" set the tone for Quirk's revelations on the purpose of body hair (""It's to stink ... Now we know why the French are so sexy""); promiscuity in the animal kingdom (""the faithful sex looks drab, and the slutty sex looks fab""); and art (""I look at Michelangelo's ceiling, and I see a gay man's erotic fantasies""). Men, Quirk writes, are ""sperm spreaders"" bent on spraying their worthless sperm as frequently and widely as possible, while women are ""womb carriers"" competing against one another to land the best sperm to fertilize a precious egg. Granted, Quirk's book is far from breaking new scientific ground, but his humorous touch (not to mention the chapter on penguin prostitution) make for a readable and off-beat treatise.