The Nature of Human Nature - Review

In her freshman book, The Nature of Human Nature, Dr. Carin Bondar, biologist with a twist, gives a wonderful introduction to how the human species compares with other species of the animal world. Dr. Bondar clearly enjoys her subject which you can discern from any of her dozen locations on the web. Whether filming biology shorts for her biomusings, blogging for Scientific American or tweeting, plusing or facebooking to her followers, Dr. Bondar is constantly forwarding her enthusiasm.
With Nature she uses an easy, sometimes conversational, style to her writing and keeps her subjects short and to the point. The book is composed of two parts, Survive and Reproduce, each section broken into chapters and further short sub-chapters which the reader can devour at their leisure in 3-5 minute increments. The topics range from waste management and crop production to transvestites and male pregnancy. She covers obvious choices like mating rituals, but addresses aspects that one may not have previously thought about like how a species may benefit from having an experienced male or a virgin female. I felt that the less obvious chapters fell under the Survive section and concerned themselves with less sexy but very interesting issues such as peer pressure and home remedies. The information and concepts are presented in a language which a novice can understand but also allows one with previous exposure and experience to remain interested and entertained. Though several of her chosen subjects could be viewed as risqué to some readers, Dr. Bondar stays light in how she treats them and parlays any real controversy that may otherwise arise.
I would liked to have read a more in-depth coverage of fewer subjects, perhaps sticking to the actions and attitudes which are believed distinctly human such as eating junk-food and prostitution. However, I feel that overall Dr. Bondar has produced an satisfying read that gives a glimpse of our world through a slightly different lens. I enjoyed my brief dip into her world and look forward to her subsequent endeavors.
Enjoy the Show!