July 7, 2012

Quick Read: “Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?” by Jesse Bering

Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?…and Other Reflections on Being Human

By Jesse Bering

FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX

I don’t buy the notion that couples have especially vigorous sex following a woman’s infidelity so that the guy’s penis can scoop out his reproductive rival’s sperm. Then again, author-psychologist Jesse Bering predicted I wouldn’t. But even skeptics of evolutionary psychology will find much to appreciate in this collection of Bering’s Scientific American and Slate essays on human behavior. With a frank, funny, and open-minded approach, he asks burning questions: Why do we grow pubic hair? Can a person have a genuine sexual preference for animals? If nothing else, they make great cocktail-party icebreakers: “So, did you know semen might have antidepressant qualities?”

This review originally appeared in our July/August issue of Mother Jones. 

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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