It’s not often that you start reading a book after hearing it advertised on the radio. That’s exactly what happened with Olivia Judson’s Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation. While driving to work, I heard it being praised in a morning show, where they essentially read out the book’s synopsis. I fell for it right away.
Strangely enough, the book is indeed about sex. But not about family life problems and how to overcome them (the ever-popular topic), but about how it all works among different species that inhabit our planet.
The book is a popular science work, but it’s different from others in that it’s structured as answers from the fictional Dr. Tatiana to readers of her column. And the readers are not humans.
That’s exactly what makes the book so appealing: its originality of approach. And also the humor, which the author infuses into both “Dr. Tatiana’s” voice and the letters from her “readers.” The book is divided into chapters, but that feels more like a formality. The overall structure is standard: first, a question from some living organism on the planet, and then a detailed answer on the topic from “Dr. Tatiana.”
In each article, the author doesn’t just provide a direct answer but also discusses similar “problems” (or differences) in other species. At the end, “Dr. Tatiana” either gives advice to the inquirer, sympathizes with their situation, or sometimes even expresses envy.
Topics include female cannibalism of males, the peculiarities of changing sex when necessary, promiscuous partners, and all of it from a scientific perspective: why and how. Human sex is hardly mentioned at all, except for rare comparisons.
The book turned out to be quite interesting, though I ended up lowering my final rating for a few reasons:
- At first, the humor is enjoyable, but over time it starts to feel repetitive. The jokes seem a bit one-dimensional, and by the final chapter, they feel somewhat forced.
- The topics are indeed diverse, but even within each “question,” there’s a lack of structure in how the material is presented. It feels like the author jumps from example to example.
Nevertheless, the book is worth reading, as the author isn’t afraid to discuss topics that are often taboo in society, while keeping everything within the bounds of popular science and not descending into vulgarity.
There are no shocking tabloid-style details, but you can certainly learn a lot about the living world around us.
My rating: 3.5/5
 | Olivia Judson “Dr.Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation: Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex” | buy |
