Lousy Sex

by Gerald N. Callahan

Overview

In Lousy Sex Gerald Callahan explores the science of self, illustrating the immune system’s role in forming individual identity. Blending the scientific essay with deeply personal narratives, these poignant and enlightening stories use microbiology and immunology to explore a new way to answer the question, who am I?


“Self” has many definitions. Science has demonstrated that 90 percent of the cells in our bodies are bacteria—we are in many respects more non-self than self. In Lousy Sex, Callahan considers this microbio-neuro perspective on human identity together with the soulful, social perception of self, drawing on both art and science to fully illuminate this relationship.  

In his stories about where we came from and who we are, Callahan uses autobiographical episodes to illustrate his scientific points. Through stories about the sex lives of wood lice, the biological advantages of eating dirt, the question of immortality, the relationship between syphilis and the musical genius of Beethoven, and more, this book creates another way, a chimeric way, of seeing ourselves. The general reader with an interest in science will find Lousy Sex fascinating.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607322320
Publisher:	University Press of Colorado
Publication date:	07/15/2013
Edition description:	1
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gerald N. Callahan is a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology and the Department of English at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where he lives with his wife and dog. He is the author of Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes; Faith, Madness, and Spontaneous Human Combustion: What Immunology Can Teach Us about Self-Perception; Infection: The Uninvited Universe; and River Odyssey: A Story of the Colorado Plateau.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Prologue: Leonardo's Dream ix

Origins: Where "I" Comes From 1

1 First Self 5

2 Layers of Self 19

3 Self in the Soil 33

4 Gathering Our Selves 45

Middles: Childhood's End 57

5 The Opposite of Sex 61

6 Lousy Sex 73

7 The Wizards of "I" 87

8 Dreams of the Blind 105

This is not the End: Facing Up to Our Immortality 127

9 The Mysterious Visions of Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck 131

10 The Rock Collector 145

11 On the Lip of Immortality 161

12 Epilogue 173

Editorial Reviews

"Lousy Sex attempts to answer the ages-old question of what is self, but instead becomes a fascinating memoir that fuses science and philosophy into a poignant portrait of the human self . . . Callahan's prose is more poetic than scientific. He imbues a sense of wonder in his subject while punctuating how entwined our biological and psychological halves are to one another—destruction of one leads to a sense of loss for the other."
—Nancy Powell, Shelf Awareness

"Callahan takes the reader on a fascinating trip defining and clarifying how people, wood lice, clown fish, and various other forms procreate and create their own concept of self. Rather like Mary Roach, Callahan has a knack for writing about scientific topics for the general reader. . . As proven in his other works, Callahan is a genuine storyteller who seamlessly combines scientific concepts with everyday life, giving his readers fascintating knowledge in an iminently readable book."
—Lynn Evarts, ForeWord Reviews

"By eloquently combining personal stories and accessible scientific information, Callahan presents and illuminating discussion of who we are and what our place is in the world. Lousy Sex is definitely a fun, quick and thought-provoking read."
—Tara J. Cepon Robins, American Journal of Human Biology


"This collection of essays is highly accessible and will be of interest to both professionals and diletantes. I recommend it to every 'man and alewife' (read the book)."
—Clint Kelly, The Quaterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher