The stronger sex What science tells us about the power of the female body

"Female bodies are far stronger and more capable than most of us have been taught," according to this myth-busting report. Science writer Vartan (The Eco-Chick Guide to Life) argues that understanding strength as moving "the heaviest weight one can manage in a single effort" valorizes activities at which men excel while downplaying the endurance feats in which women often outperform men. She explains that estrogen helps women store fat that's later transformed into long-lasting energy while men rely on relatively inefficient carbohydrates, giving women an edge in many endurance sports. For instance, she notes that the 10 fastest women to swim around Manhattan were about 13% faster than the top 10 men. Vartan skillfully debunks outdated beliefs, as when she points out that contrary to long-standing medical guidance to "minimize exercise and exertion while pregnant," research has shown that pregnant people who worked out regularly enjoyed shorter labors. Bringing a thought-provoking outlook to debates around segregating sports by gender, Vartan wonders why testosterone is considered an unfair advantage, but Usain Bolt's unusually long legs, for example, aren't, and suggests that separating individuals by height and weight would be more logical. This brings valuable perspective to a much debated topic. Agent: Alice Martell, Martell Agency. (July)

The science of what makes men and women different. Women have long been considered the weaker sex, but their bodies outperform men's in myriad ways, including in immunity, flexibility, and longevity, argues science writer Vartan. Growing up with her grandmother, who taught her to shoot and whose favorite target was squirrels eating her birdseed, Vartan learned early that women's strengths are many. Female bodies are "extremely understudied and poorly understood," she writes. But what research there is sheds light on the role of practice and training in developing athletes and how cultural norms influence how societies have viewed women over time. Among hunter-gatherers, men were superior in power (e.g., spear throwing) and short-distance speed, while women excelled in endurance and shooting accuracy. In modern times, men's superior strength in throwing, for example, can come down to the amount of practice boys and men get in their young lives, not inherent skill, power, or testosterone. The book considers the impact of widely held beliefs, such as men being better at spatial tasks. Vartan finds research that "simply telling a group of women that they could best the men…improved their scores." Vartan also asserts that "demeaning language" about menstruation and women's reproductive organs is linked to a "lack of interest in studying women's bodies more broadly." Far from a constant comparison between male and female, the author delves into issues facing women, like endometrial pain, periods, and childbirth. Citing a broad mix of cultural and scientific examinations, by book's end, Vartan calls for a more nuanced understanding of female power and concludes that a future beckons in which men and women play sports together, rather than in separately gendered groups, where prowess is based on skill, not sex. An expansive review of research and cultural history, showcasing how women are strong--yet misunderstood. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.