“Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha have written the essential corrective to the evolutionary psychology literature. Sex at Dawn irrefutably shows that what is obvious—that human beings, both male and female, are lustful—is true, and has always been so. The urgent sexuality that is everywhere apparent in human society and which requires layers of religious, social, and psychological suppression was likewise a constant feature on the African savannah. The more dubious its evidentiary basis and lack of connection with current reality, the more ardently the scientific inevitability of monogamy is maintained—even as it falls away around us. Thus Darwin and science have been corralled into the business of fomenting useless, irrational guilt. Drs. Ryan and Jetha make this all as transparent as glass, and do it with style.” - Stanton Peele, Ph.D.
“Turns everything you thought you knew about sex on its head. A bold and unashamed assessment of the plentiful scientific data that illuminate the true origins and nature of human sexuality. Funny, engaging, and superbly written, this book explores the science behind what many of us suspected all along: human beings are not naturally monogamous.” - Julie Holland, M.D., author of Weekends at Bellevue
“A healthy relationship with sexuality can be a strong positive influence on overall emotional and physical well-being. But understanding human sexual drives and needs and adapting them to social constraints and moral and religious precepts is tricky. Sex At Dawn challenges conventional wisdom about sex in a big way. By examining the prehistoric origins of human sexual behavior the authors are able to expose the fallacies and weaknesses of standard theories proposed by most experts. This is a provocative, entertaining, and pioneering book. I learned a lot from it and recommend it highly.” - Andrew Weil, M.D.
“Sex At Dawn challenges conventional wisdom about sex in a big way... This is a provocative, entertaining, and pioneering book. I learned a lot from it and recommend it highly.” - Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Healthy Aging
“Sex At Dawn is a provocative and engaging synthesis... that has the added benefit of being a joy to read.... A book sure to generate discussion, and one likely to produce more than a few difficult conversations with family marriage counselors.” - Eric Michael Johnson, Seed Magazine
“This paradigm-shifting book is a thoroughly original discussion of the origins and nature of human sexuality. Despite its controversial perspective, Sex at Dawn is persuasive and supported by wide-ranging interdisciplinary research. These authors have a gift for making complex material reader-friendly, filling each chapter with humor and passion as well as dozens of revolutionary insights.” - Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.
“One of the most original books I’ve read in years, Sex at Dawn manages to be both enormously erudite and wildly entertaining—even, frequently, hilarious. Ryan and Jetha slip effortlessly across millions of years, from the savannah of prehistoric Africa to the contemporary bedroom, presenting cutting-edge research with clarity and wit. A must-read for anyone interested in where our sexual impulses come from, Sex at Dawn helps explain why modern men and women behave as strangely as we often do.” - Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon's Privates
“One of the most original books I’ve read in years, Sex at Dawn manages to be both enormously erudite and wildly entertaining—even, frequently, hilarious. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in where our sexual impulses come from.” - Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon's Privates
“You clearly have an exciting book on your hands, whether people agree with it or not: these are issues that will need debating over and over before we will arrive at a resolution.” - Frans de Waal, author of The Age of Empathy
“So many separate moments in my life, I’ve thought in regards to something in the world, in society, ‘That ain’t right!’ What’s so unbelievably powerful about Sex At Dawn is that it makes cohesive all those separate moments…it’s helped me understand myself and the world so much more clearly.” - Ilana Glazer (Broad City)
“Sex At Dawn has helped me understand myself and the world so much more clearly.” - Ilana Glazer, co-creator of Broad City
“Sex At Dawn is the single most important book about human sexuality since Alfred Kinsey unleashed Sexual Behavior in the Human Male on the American public in 1948.” - Dan Savage
“This paradigm-shifting book is a thoroughly original discussion of the origins and nature of human sexuality... These authors have a gift for making complex material reader-friendly, filling each chapter with humor and passion as well as dozens of revolutionary insights.” - Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.
“Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha have written the essential corrective to the evolutionary psychology literature...” - Stanton Peele, Ph.D.
“Funny, witty, and light ... Sex at Dawn is a scandal in the best sense, one that will have you reading the best parts aloud and reassessing your ideas about humanity’s basic urges well after the book is done.” - Newsweek
“The writing is engaging, the material covered is appropriate, and really it is the best non-technical summary I have read of the relevant issues.” - Todd K. Shackelford, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Florida Atlantic University, and editor of Evolutionary Psychology
“A wonderfully provocative and well-written book which completely re-evaluates human sexual behaviour and gets to the root of many of our social and psychological ills.” - Steve Taylor, author of The Fall and Waking From Sleep