Y : The Descent of Man

by Steve Jones

Men, towards the end of the last millennium, felt a sudden tightening of the bowels with the news that the services of their sex had at last been dispensed with. Dolly the Sheep - conceived without male assistance - had arrived. Her birth reminded at least half the population of how precarious man's position may be. What is the point of being a man? For a brief and essential instant he is a donor of DNA; but outside that glorious moment his role is hard to understand. This book is about science not society; about maleness not manhood. The condition is, in the end, a matter of biology, whatever limits that science may have in explaining the human condition. Today's advances in medicine and in genetics mean at last we understand why men exist and why they are so frequent. We understand from hormones to hydraulics how man's machinery works, why he dies so young and how his brain differs from that of the rest of mankind.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Evolution, Genetics, Popular Science, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Stephen Jones is a Welsh geneticist and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject of biology, especially evolution. He is one of the contemporary popular writers on evolution. In 1996 his writing won him the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize "for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media".

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is another of Steve Jones' updates/responses to/homages to Charles Darwin's work. It's probably remarkably different in many ways, in terms of the content, but it is an interesting read. I do think Jones goes a bit too much into gender essentialism -- I played rough with my sister and the local boys, which the female-bodied are allegedly hard-wired not to do -- and sometimes his constant reiteration that the Y chromosome is dying out seems a little hysterical, like maybe it might give fuel to the men's rights people.

And if he could maybe stop talking about promiscuous gay men causing the spread of AIDs in every book, that'd be great. (I don't care how true it may be, straight people get AIDs too, thank you very much.)

There is interesting stuff here in terms of genetics, foetal development, even the development of the human race as witnessed by the Y chromosome. Honestly, though, I'm not finding Jones' work that fun to read -- it seems to drag on forever -- so once I've finished the last one I have out of the library, that'll be it.

[Robert Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which the author wittles himself to death about the possibility that men are largely redundant.

I liked the science (biology mostly) and the picture on the front (someone swimming?) I disliked the writing (too many 'vague pronouns'*), the examples (men being vaguely useless, including the author) and the pessimistic tone of the whole book.

Don't bother reading this unless you are a real nut for ... ach, I don't know. My advice: just don't bother.

*Pronouns are frequently used in academic writing, but the use of ‘vague pronouns’ can be problematic. A pronoun is considered to be vague when it is difficult to determine what the pronoun refers to (the antecedent). Ambiguity or confusion can occur when demonstrative pronouns, such as ‘this’ or ‘it’ (which have no clear antecedents), are used to begin a sentence. (Leila Emery - https://www.aje.com/en/arc/editing-ti...)

[Rebecca_harley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get into this book, and even longer to finish it. The order seems a bit random, and the author tends to jump back and forth between topics anyway. He only very briefly discusses matters such as sexism, homosexuality and transgenderism/sexuality which I think should have been given more coverage. I was expecting the book to be filled with purely genetics and scientific fact, however it became clear quite quickly that a lot was closer to sociology and there was a lot of what I would call speculation. In summary I feel as though this book was simply an example of self-indulgence on the writer's part and contributes very little to genetics or biology, but perhaps that's because I am female.

[Rahele Tavana · Rating 5 out of 5]

As typical of Steve Jones books, lots of jumping back and forth. You can't follow one story without being presented lots of different stories at the same time, but overall, an amazingly interesting book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Sometimes the author can try to cram so much information in that the writing becomes unclear.

[Happy Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating take on the origin of the male sex as well as its future involving topics from genetics to evolution.

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a title which is both an hint at Darwin's 'The Descent of Man' and, an humorous allusion to the Fragile Y Hypothesis ('descent' as in decline, for Steve Jones clearly adheres to it) here's a book that delivers exactly what it implies on the tin: a witty yet enlightening read on evolutionary biology.

Sure, it can be tough at times. I mean, if you're not familiar with the basics of genetics (including the Fragile Y Hypothesis then) some passages will be a bit challenging to go through. Nevertheless, it remains a brilliant work of popular science, far-ranging and full of fascinating titbits about the making of the human male. Guarding against the dangers of reductionism/ biological determinism, but still brave enough to compare us to other species, the author also shows brilliant insights, served by an engaging and witty writing style that makes, all in all, for an engrossing read.

Yes, it does have its weaknesses!
First, claiming the Y chromosome may disappear within ten million years -given its fragility and rate of decay- is a controversial idea that has been challenged even since the publication of this book. Then, Steve Jones may at times seem to loose the plot, as when he gets tangled up in debates on circumcision or castration. Indeed I found here that, ironically, he was falling into a trap he himself is keen to denounce that is, using science as a sole determinant to societal decisions when it should be only one of it. Well! This might be only my own impression because, I confess I found it regretful too that, at other times, he didn't go far enough in using the insights of biology to debunk some ideological rubbish (e.g. Kennewick Man as an argument against racism)!

Whatever, 'The Descent of Men' remains a very good read, both delightful and very instructive. I really liked it!

[Esther Eastwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a geneticist, this book didn’t really include much genetics. I was expecting there to be more information about the evolution of the Y chromosome and scientific detail about its disintegration over time.

Instead, Jones goes into rambling detail on numerous other topics, which I expect he doesn’t have academic qualifications for. I noticed a lot of hand-waving when it came to his arguments, and he often went down a rabbit hole of explaining male behaviour, only to say that this is all speculation and that this could be all due to societal expectation and nurture.

I read on because there were interesting elements of the book, even though I think it felt slightly outdated - when I looked up some of the facts included, it turned out that modern research has disputed the claims he makes here.

I’m also not a massive fan of Jones’ prose - he is overly lyrical at times, and it seemed at times that he was struggling to come up with new ways to refer to aspects of ‘maleness’ which he was trying to write about.

[Peter Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that when I started this book I was a bit distracted but this book did nothing to gain my attention or grab me. It just ended up as a string of interesting facts, sometimes connected sometimes not. Often the facts made you want to dig deeper behind the initial anecdote but, no, it was straight on to the next 'interesting fact' so that in the end you just ended up feeling worn out by fact after fact after fact. I persevered after the distraction had passed and the only improvement was a slight improvement in the readability which might be down to the fact that I didn't feel obliged to think about the relentless procession of facts but just press on to the next one. It's frustrating as the author is clearly a master of his subject but just lacked the ability to communicate this mastery.

[Giulia B · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it difficult to finish this book, mostly because chapters have a title about something, then an introduction about something else and then the author starts taking about something completely different (chapter 8 was agony).
Beside following him through random topics and having statistics and trivia about genitals and sex in other animals thrown in, I didn't quite catch the point of this (there's no fil rouge connecting the topics, beside "men" - and that is a very large topic to talk about)

[KitCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to get into - the path is windy and the chapters are filled with interesting facts but you need to wade into it to find those facts. There are also interesting theories and opinions which you need to spend some time differentiating from the facts.

This is very much a general overview of a bunch of information loosely packaged around the journey of the Y chromosome. The author delves into the topic covering facts on animal mating, social history, socialization theory and a half dozen others.

[Stuart Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very entertaining information intermixed with some deep genetics which went way over my head.
Of particular note was the exploration of genetic heritage around the globe and how different cultures may have intermixed.
Not a book to read in one sitting, so I had the right approach of dipping in and out.

[Goran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting...

[Sue Chant · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit thin and anecdotal compared to his previous genetics books.

[Neil Aplin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing so far. Too much detail on the science that loses me.

Not successful at reading whole book, skipped after a third of the way in, but read some of the last pages as earmarked by Dad!

[Farrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Men have become the weaker sex, eh? Simone de Beauvoir would love this. Baldness, circumcision, the struggle of the little swimmy sperm, paternity, and erectile dysfunction must really burn. Too bad these are super shallow and have no real bearing on maleness and superiority in modern society. But they lose their hair...so that's something.

I like that he spans different cultures and geographies to offer a thorough examination of "prepuce" removal, so that gets a star. The history of circumcision is interesting, on the realsies. But, this guy sounds a little rapey at times, like an MRA fuckrag.

And it's like, "AIDS" bla bla bla "Africa" and "AIDS" and "Kenya." Other people get AIDS too, as he says of the US " highest incidence of the illness in the developed world" but only gives stats on Africa.

Being that I studied gender on an annoyingly grandiose level, the final chapters come off as amateur hour in an Introduction to the Sociology of Gender course at a junior college. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I took that class. Years later, I taught that class. But this drivel is sophomoric. Admittedly, I'm not the audience for this book. I was hoping for some new perspectives, challenges to my cavewoman thoughts, or simply some interesting reading. Alas...

I will say, that there is a sentence which got me thinking:

"the notion of modern man as the savage tamed is...." . His concluding thoughts on the matter bore me. But the first half of the sentence got me thinking--what is the appeal? Things like the Sterling Institute, men's retreats, the fascination with cavemen, the Paleo diet etc. Is it comforting or empowering to know that we, as modern humans, have power over nature? It takes away the symbiosis of our roles in nature.

Also, our working lives have changed through time, as we live in "a world filed with professions rather than trades." OK, OK, So i got a new perspective and liked more than one sentence.

But the muck he ends with about the ascent of woman matched with an equivalent descent of man? Go back to your MRA meeting, meathead.

[Peter K · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and illuminating book from the eminent scientist that covers much ground. He ranges across explanations of the biological differences between women and men being grounded in the different distribution of the X & Y chromosome and the weaknesses that this can create in the male. He covers sociological ground also as well as pure scientific explanation and I enjoyed reading it throughout. The only questions I would have related to the last chapter that seemed to be rather more speculative than previous chapters about the balance in society between men and women but this is a minor query

[Danielle T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read Darwin's The Descent of Man yet so I can't tell if Steve Jones is trying to parallel structure here, though it's certainly a slimmer volume. A nice broad survey of all the things that make someone biologically male- hormones and genes that play a role in development, the mechanics of the penis, the diversity of sperm types across Animalia, tracing genealogy via the Y chromosome, etc. He provides a list of further reading for nonspecialists which could be handy, though because this was published >10 years ago you may be better off googling newer material.

[Veronika KaoruSaionji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor and silly colection of sometimes very interesting facts about men (human males). But, it would be great if there could be some (much better) book about women (human females)! And similar good one about men (huma males), too.
Plus, the autor clearly very fear feminity, which can "to devour" him. Nothing for me. But I was able to read it whole - amazing me. :o)
But maybe, for (some?) male readers good book - I don´t know, because I am female one. :o)

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Jones' y, is an elegantly written discussion of maleness, masculinity, manhood, in the latin VIRTU. He touches all bases in a wry yet exhaustive manner. From his initial claims that man is truly the second sex to his exhaustive discussion of the penis and all penile issues and beyond, he does a masterful job.

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous look at what makes men men and at all kinds of aspects of masculinity, all of the obvious ones and a few that aren't. Lots of genetic stuff as you'd expect but quite a lot that dives out into other areas of biology and beyond. Great writer as well as a good scientist.

[Genetic Cuckoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page turner of a book. Wonderful and enlightening at the same time. It explored the origins of the Y chromosome and some interesting studies and findings regarding the evolution of sex and sexual reporduction. This is a must read for anyone interested in genetics.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly because I don't own the chromosome in question, I did not find this as involving as Jones's other books, as I did not think that the chapters followed a logical order.

That being said, the science was well explained and the book contained a wealth of interesting information.

[Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual with books by Steve Jones there are some interesting facts related with good humour that appeal to a wider audience than science fanatics. Despite the title, the book is concerned primarily with the characteristics of the Y chromosome and not the imminent demise of the male of the species.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

every american man should be forced to read the chapter about circumcision.

the rest of the book is great too.

[Tim Domagalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

an informative, if sometimes uncomforable(for men) look at mens cotributions to reproduction, etc. A rather humbling experience

[Dionne]

To be added if given a time

[Marijana · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow!

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Jones evaluates fatherhood and the Y chromosome, covering many topics. My review:
http://voices.yahoo.com/a-review-y-de...

[Nina Mcneill · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was an explique of the genetic causation of male (humans) and i don't have enough science to really appreciate it.