Author Events

"What causes a child to grow up gay or straight? In this book, neuroscientist Simon LeVay summarizes a wealth of scientific evidence that points to one inescapable conclusion: Sexual orientation results primarily from an interaction between genes, sex hormones, and the cells of the developing body and brain.
LeVay helped create this field in 1991 with a much-publicized study in Science, where he reported on a difference in the brain structure between gay and straight men. Since then, an entire scientific discipline has sprung up around the quest for a biological explanation of sexual orientation. In this book, LeVay provides a clear explanation of where the science stands today, taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of laboratories that specialize in genetics, endocrinology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, and family demographics. He describes, for instance, how researchers have manipulated the sex hormone levels of animals during development, causing them to mate preferentially with animals of their own gender. LeVay also reports on the prevalence of homosexual behavior among wild animals, ranging from Graylag geese to the Bonobo chimpanzee.
Although many details remain unresolved, the general conclusion is quite clear: A person's sexual orientation arises in large part from biological processes that are already underway before birth. LeVay also makes it clear that these lines of research have a lot of potential because--far from seeking to discover "what went wrong" in the lives of gay people, attempting to develop "cures" for homosexuality, or returning to traditional explanations that center on parent-child relationships, various forms of "training," or early sexual experiences--our modern scientists are increasingly seeing sexual variety as something to be valued, celebrated, and welcomed into society."

For more information on Simon: http://www.simonlevay.com/

The Book Works book launch author event featuring John O'Melveny Woods for his new book Return to Treasure Island. Monday, August 23rd, at 7:00pm.

"Three years after his triumphant return from Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins learns that Long John Silver has been captured and

sentenced to hang. Jim's fateful decision to help Silver propels them into a dangerous search for the greatest treasure of all time The Pharaoh's Gold. A cryptic map, secret codes and puzzling

clues all lead back to Treasure Island where courage, cunning, and mutual trust are the only weapons that can save Hawkins and

Silver from a horrific death and help them in their quest to find the treasure"

On Tuesday, October 19th, at 7:00pm The Book Works will host Dr. Gary Small as a special author in our Brain-Mind Speaker Series once again for his new book The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head! Don't miss this great opportunity to probe through the human brain!

"During his career, Dr. Gary Small has witnessed some of the strangest of human behaviors, and, for the first time, he opens the doors to his office for all to see. Combining elements of Sherlock Holmes and House, The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head is a spellbinding record of the doctor's most bewildering cases, from naked headstands and hysterical blindness to shrinking penises and self-amputations. It is also an illuminating journey into the mind of a practicing psychiatrist and his life in medicine as it evolves over time- a behind-the-scenes look at the field and a variety of mental diseases as they've never been seen before.

Often funny, sometimes tragic, and always compelling, The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head moves from the halls of a crowded inner-city Boston emergency room to the luxurious suites of a multimillion-dollar mountaintop ski chalet and introduces a strange cast of true-life characters and conditions. Whether it is a sociopath leading two lives with two wives or a hysterical pregnancy, the potential of the mind is always in question. Throughout, Dr. Small sheds light on the human condition in both healthy and disturbed individuals, and provides touching moments sure to resonate with every reader."

For more information on Dr. Gary Small or his previous books, visit his website:

http://www.drgarysmall.com/