The Fate of Gender: Nature, Nurture, and the Human Future

In this wide-ranging sociological and cultural survey, Browning (The Monk and the Skeptic), a former NPR correspondent, raises questions about what gender means in the Western world today (though he includes many references to non-Western cultures). Notions of gender have become “ever more complex” and “how we comprehend what it means to be male or female, or both or neither, appear more and more to be infinitely fluid,” he writes. As Browning touches upon sexuality, family, gender roles, and politics, it often feels like he’s stringing together numerous unrelated threads in order to address an impossibly complex constellation of topics. It’s clear from his experiences and personal anecdotes that he’s struggling to make sense of a fast-changing world, and that he’s searching for answers as much as anyone else. He addresses physiology (excluding intersex traits), the mental and emotional aspects of gender, and the blurred lines that have become more prominent in the West in recent years, but although he’s good at putting the pieces together, the book seems oddly lacking in confidence. As he points out, “Gender is rather experiencing an unprecedented proliferation of meanings, forms, and expression.” This may not be the most authoritative work on gender issues, but Browning certainly touches on and opens up a number of interesting discussions for general audiences. [em]Agent: Jennifer Lyons, Jennifer Lyons Literary. (June) [/em]