Why people recommend it
Eve by Cat Bohannon is a groundbreaking popular science book that traces two hundred million years of female human evolution, offering a fresh perspective on how the female body shaped human history and development. The book received enthusiastic praise from Steve Levitt across multiple episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire and Freakonomics Radio. Levitt candidly admitted his initial skepticism toward prehistoric topics, but explained that chapter after chapter, Bohannon offered such surprising and fresh insights that he simply could not put the book down. He praised the work for avoiding standard popular science tropes, noting instead that it brought forth completely new facts that fundamentally altered his worldview and frequently sparked conversations with others. Stephen Dubner also promoted the work on Freakonomics Radio while introducing an upcoming conversation with the author. Furthermore, during an appearance on the show, Cat Bohannon discussed the writing process itself, describing how her editors played a crucial heroic role in trimming down the massive manuscript and refining its overall tone. Through these engaging discussions, the podcast hosts highlighted the profound cultural and scientific impact of Bohannon's historical exploration of the female body.
Who recommended it
- Steve Levitt Recommended
- Cat Bohannon Discussed
Steve Levitt — 5 mentions
“I did not expect to like this book I'm generally just not that interested in things that happened 200 million years ago or even 10,000 years ago I tend to be much more excited by modern events but in chapter after chapter K bannan offers such a fresh and surprising perspective that I couldn't put the book down”
“My guest will be Cat Bohannan, who has written an absolutely stunning book; it's called "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution."”
“Welcome to a special episode of 'People I Mostly Admire' with Steve Levitt. I did not expect to like this book. I'm generally just not that interested in things that happened 200 million years ago or even 10,000 years ago.”
“But in chapter after chapter, Cat Bohannan offers such a fresh and surprising perspective that I couldn't put the book down. Over and over, I found myself bringing up these stories in conversation. Are her hypotheses right?”
“This isn't just a repackaging of the standard popular science stories; on subject after subject that I thought I knew something about, you brought forth facts and ideas that were totally new to me, that were fascinating, and that changed my view of the world. And I don't think, as a writer, you could have hoped to do anything more”
Cat Bohannon — 2 mentions
“The book used to be longer; my editors did a heroic job of helping me trim it down. I cut out a lot of jokes because not all my jokes land, but also they were worried about the tone.”
“So I was amazed and surprised to read in your book that not only do babies latch onto some men's breasts, but that male breasts can actually sometimes produce milk. Oh, absolutely, many male nipples can produce milk biologically.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 2
“you'll hear a fantastic conversation with cat bohannan the author of Eve how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution”
“His show is called People I Mostly Admire, and you'll hear a fantastic conversation with Cat Bohannan, the author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- Directory of Officers, Faculty, Students, Departments
- Power and Progress
- Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
- The Power of Habit
- The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples
- Why Nations Fail
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“the episode you're about to hear is a fascinating and wonderfully weird conversation with cat bohannan an evolution researcher and the author of a new book called Eve how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution”
“she's written a book called Eve how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution”
“more broadly the book is called Eve how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution”
“well few people cover more ground than K bannan and her book Eve so I suspect our email inbox will be quite busy”