Book description
In Different, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior to argue that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. While humans and other primates do share…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Different as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I became interested in primatology after writing a children’s book about a primatologist, Mireya Mayor, and reading about her life story.
In my quest for information, I read books and articles, watched many videos, and even drove to hear Jane Goodall speak in person. When I read a review of Frans de Waal and his book based on his work with primates, specifically, chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest relatives, I bought the book. It is a fascinating and truly balanced account.
He moves from chimpanzee to human behavior with ease, making the reader aware that we have a lot in…
Today, gender is frequently viewed as a topic of pure ideological difference between the left and the right.
This book approaches gender as a biological issue rather than a social construct by looking at its evolutionary connections in primates, especially apes. This is a significant step toward establishing gender in the context of objective science, where liberals and conservatives may find common ground.
From Lixing's list on science in behavior and evolution.
If you love Different...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like Different?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 32 books like Different.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Different, you might also like...
Foxfire in the Snow
It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.
Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…
The Main Gate
Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.
Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…
