Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It Paperback – Illustrated, June 19, 2001

This book appeared after Anne Moir's Brain Sex and more or less parallels it as far as what it has to say about the brain. But the message delivered with less technical jargon. Not that Moir was overly or highly technical but the Pease couple manage to be even more informal. Simon Baron-Cohen (The Essential Difference) has done much research into how sex differences are formed and affect behavior. I definitely recommend these books to anyone who wants real answers on sexual differences. As all the foregoing authors reiterate, such knowledge is essential for the sexes to get along in times when the world is trying to tear them apart or turn them into bots. America and Europe continue to promote this insidiously attractive but egregiously spurious "blank slate" idea probably because it serves the interests of the military-industrial complex to think of people as plastic widgets to be molded willy-nilly to serve their interests Just think of the ads that bombard your brain with promises of molding you into this or that fashionable (i.e., sale-able) image. Sociologist, of course, have long found it helpful as they tend to see man as Shakespeare described him, as an actor on a world stage mouthing lines of roles from a tale told by an idiot. As a tribute to them, psychologist Steven Pinker (The Blank Slate) refers to the "blank slate" -- which comes from 16th century British philosopher John Locke's assumption that the mind at birth is a "tabla rasa" (blank slate) that must be filled in by experience -- as the standard sociological model, and points out how dictators drool over the idea of programming people to serve their ends. But it is also the fundamental premise of America's political philosophy, encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence as the "self evident truth" that "all men are created equal." In fact, it is neither self-evident nor true, and therefore must be forced, making equality inversely related freedom. The instant book under review doesn't give this background, but Brain Sex (Moir & Jessell) and Why Men Don't Iron (Moir and Moir) do provide a bigger picture. In my estimate, Moir and Jessel's seminal BBC docu and book Brain Sex added immeasurably to the scientific discussion of the time by explaining not just how the "fascinating and unalterable differences between men and women" are formed in the womb, and the behavioral implications of those differences. The Pease book expands on Moir.

I'm currently half way through this book and I love it! I'm reading it on a recommendation from a couple who have already found it very helpful in their own relationship and I've already recommended it to several friends. It's very interesting, well written and entertaining. The facts and research that the authors use to support the physiological evidence that men and women have evolved differently is so much more interesting and helpful at bridging the communication gap than many other books in the same vein that discuss the differences between the sexes but without satisfactory explanation. This book finally explains but men and women are different and can't help their differences, consequently I believe that this knowledge will make me much more patient with my fiancé when he can't find the butter in the fridge, it isn't his fault or that he's being lazy and not trying to help, there is a physiological reason why women can always find anything in the fridge and men can't, and that is just the beginning of this book's interesting and entertaining revelations! I think every man and woman in the world should read this book.

This book is not only funny and entertaining, but it also explains some things that used to drive me crazy about my surrounding male behaviours, starting with my Dad all the way to my boyfriend. Being funny, the book is recommended for gentlemen, too, though I doubt they are willing to read such things. :-))I do not think it will bring revelations in your lives, but it may make you think and understand why is the other behaving like he/she does and it may not give you the recipe for changing the other, but it will sure make you understand that the other will never change. It will lower your hopes in this field, therefore it will also lower your disappointments. :-))

I always am interested in How Review works. I think there is some sort of "self selection process choice" in how people review books. I often find the most best sellers books are not very well reviewed.This is a good book, explaining the difference between how men and women see things and how genetically they are different. Allan and Barbara make a good living out of the book, it is traslated to 31 languages and sold for more than 3 million copies.Easy to read, and fun with a lot of witty quotes. Yes, there are several repetitions throughout but any other books always bear repetitions!It reminds me of the what Oscar to films do: Great Review, but not box office, and other Advertising Awards (great ads, no selling), I love 007 series since i was a kid, and i never understand why they never get Oscars. ;-).So, if you want great review books, look for the great review books (you might not like it!), but if you want to enjoy reading insighful difference between men and women, get this book and enjoy it during a nice sunny weekends.

Useful and Interesting from startTo end

This book was refreshingly 'politically incorrect' with gender generalizations. The combination if their own 'toungue and cheek' narrative AND some emerging science of the brains was a real page turner.The greatest reward was learning some things about how the brains work and why we look 'stupid' to each other by accident. However, the man's language part of thr brain and mind, simply isn't capable of keeping up with two people talking. We men get irritated trying, and we LOOK like we are simply being intollerant for no good reason while everyone else is having a great time.Such as. Women are perfectly capapble of several people talking at once while having a great time.