T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us Audiobook

Quotes

• Featured in The Wall Street Journal's “10 Books to Read: The Best Reviews of July”

• Hooven makes a compelling case that T is a powerful influence on our bodies and brains…As the final chapter of [T] argues, it’s hard to make a start on…social improvements if we don’t fully understand why things are the way they are. Clear-eyed books like this, which mercifully avoid culture-war partisanship, are a great start on that particular quest.

  — The Times of London

• One of the most compelling books on human behavior I’ve ever read, T is a scientific mystery story told with insight, intelligence, and panache.

  — Daniel Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of the New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness

• Hooven’s review of what testosterone does and does not do is science-writing at its best: intriguing, personal, bold, persuasive, and most importantly, transparent. Her gripping account will fascinate, whether you’re a teenager in the throes of puberty or are just curious about the nature of sex and gender—one of the most important debates of our time.

  — Richard Wrangham, author of The Goodness Paradox

• With all the talk about testosterone in sex, sports, and politics, we need a good explanation of the science and its implications, and this one is outstanding.

  — Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of How the Mind Works and Enlightenment Now

• “Filled with fascinating—often astounding—insights, T takes us on a journey from the discovery of this powerful hormone, to its effects throughout the animal kingdom, to a crucial understanding of how it shapes human minds, bodies, and behavior. Hooven is a compelling and compassionate guide, and T is a book we need now.

  — Emily Yoffe, journalist and former “Dear Prudence” at Slate

• T is the story of the most famous, most misunderstood, and most maligned chemical in our bodies: testosterone. A fascinating, brave, and brilliant book—the best I’ve read on the topic.

  — Steve Stewart-Williams, author of The Ape that Understood the Universe

• “A superb and engaging book that delivers the unfiltered truth about testosterone, sex and sex differences, told with clarity and compassion. T conveys a deep understanding about the hidden power of testosterone in our lives, but also teaches us how scientific knowledge exposes harmful misconceptions and helps us become more humane.

  — Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding

• “With wit, warmth, and a touch of motherly love, Hooven lucidly lays out a formidable scientific case for how and why the sexes are different. Boldly confronting contemporary gender issues, T speaks directly to why getting human nature right matters for making the world a better place.

  — Joe Henrich, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and author of The WEIRDest People in the World and The Secret of Our Success

• “Dr. Carole Hooven has written the definitive book on testosterone…[which] examines testosterone from every possible angle…If we can educate ourselves about ‘T,’ according to Hooven, then the unfiltered truth about the impact of testosterone and the differences between the sexes will add to our knowledge-base and help us create a better society.

  — Evening Standard

• We need to be more accepting...Human beings are slow to learn, and it takes us a long time for us to adopt all this information and adapt...We need more examples like you. You're raw, and you're open, and you're confident enough to be vulnerable...It was a great conversation. I've never cried more.

  — Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience

• Truly one of the most remarkable and fascinating books that I’ve come across in a long time…Carole is that rare scientist who is able to take sometimes complicated and technical information and make it all understandable.

  — Danielle Crittenden, The Femsplainers Podcast

• This is a smart, balanced, interesting, humane, and rigorous book that pulls no punches. It helps us understand better the relations between men and women, homosexuality, transgenderism—all aspects of our lives.

  — Andrew Sullivan, The Weekly Dish

• [T]imely and intriguing…[T investigates] the ancient question of nature vs. nurture, and Hooven walks a fine line between the two…popular science likely to excite academic debate on sex and gender.

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “Hooven separates testosterone fact from fiction in her comprehensive debut…[S]he takes readers to high-tech labs and on a day of ‘chimping’ in Uganda’s Kibale forest—and her writing is refreshingly free of jargon. The result is an approachable introduction to an often misunderstood aspect of human biology.

  — Publishers Weekly

• [Hooven] deftly details the tremendous impact of testosterone…[and t]he complex interplay between genes, hormones, social environment, and experience makes us who we are…Hooven effectively counters erroneous or misleading assertions about testosterone, a hormone so culturally familiar to most of us that it's frequently designated by a single letter.

  — Booklist

• [Hooven’s] insight into evolutionary biology and human behavior will be valuable not only to scientists but to anyone interested in social change…A provocative, academic, accessible look at the science behind human behavior.

  — Library Journal

• Employing evolutionary biology, endocrinology, and good storytelling, Hooven lays out how testosterone works, why it works as it does it, and what the consequences are...Where a careful reading and understanding of the best evidence leads, Hooven follows.

  — Philosophy Blog