Title: Inferior
Author: Angela Saini
Type: Non-Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 280
Rating: 4*/5
Angela Saini – Inferior
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.
Inferior is an interesting book, because it uses scientific studies, statistics and data to question the way that women have been portrayed throughout the years by scientific literature. Now, I’m not a woman, but I do believe in science, and Saini’s book opens your eyes to the fact that science isn’t always impartial.
It’s a feminist book, then, but one that can be enjoyed whatever you call yourself. And it’s also non-fiction, which means that it’ll help to broaden your mind, in this case by challenging established wisdom by attacking the flawed science that much of it is based on. But it doesn’t come across as preachy, or even as boring – it’s a thoroughly engaging look at how science has been manipulated, without our knowledge, and it raises and then answers a whole host of questions that follow.
And that’s how science should be – the entire field relies upon enquiring minds asking questions, and Saini doesn’t shy away from them. Some people claim that science can’t be sexist because it just presents the facts, but facts can be interpreted in different ways, such as when we try to explain why the menopause happens.
For me, as a reader, it was a challenge – not because it was difficult to read, but because it invited my active participation and got me wondering, “What if?” And it’s as convincing on the matter of gender as The God Delusion is on religion – a much-needed triumph of free thinking. Read it!
Angela Saini
