The Fragile Wisdom brings the biology and anthropology of sex differences to life by taking an evolutionary perspective on why certain health problems that never affected our ancestors, plague women today. A biological anthropologist specializing in reproductive ecology, Grazyna Jasienska postulates that women’s biology and health are evolutionarily distinct from men’s because of the relative energetic investment in reproduction and consequently executes her analysis of medical questions using the lens of sex.
In this text intended for an academic adult audience, Jasienska investigates emerging medical concerns by juxtaposing the biological demands of the world that human bodies evolved in with those of current industrialized society. She presents a very well-cited argument based on a broad spectrum of primary literature findings, from biochemistry bench work to anthropological field studies, yet the book has a narrative style reminiscent of storytelling. Jasienska frames her book around the important distinction that “Health and evolutionary fitness are not synonymous” (p. 2). She explores how this disjunction relates to reproductive cost/benefit balancing acts.
Jasienska discusses hormone variation, agriculture and estrogen levels, developmental programming, case studies of childhood diet and heart disease, intergenerational effects of slavery, the physical burdens of reproducing, factors affecting life span, how modern diet and exercise patterns are distinct from historical circumstances, evolutionary trade-offs, benefits of philanthropy, and gene-lifestyle interactions. Jasienska also offers a basic biological introduction to each topic she considers before delving into larger questions, which makes The Fragile Wisdom accessible regardless of the reader’s particular background and specialty.
The way that Jasienska revisits hormone levels and energy storage from a variety of perspectives gives her argument a high level of coherency and stresses the broad implications of her work. It is rare to find a book that is able to simultaneously consider such a myriad of causes for biological disease. However, The Fragile Wisdom would be strengthened by exploring additional issues or by drawing on public health research to suggest interventions to combat the problems it presents.
Of note, Jasienka never attempts to advise the reader how to live a long and healthy life. Indeed, one of the main conundrums she grapples with is the fact that we are all products of our genetics, environment, and choices, in often-uncontrollable ways. She begins by explaining that “healthy” is a generally unattainable ideal. Returning to earlier hunter-forager subsistence patterns is not only impossible, but would also not necessarily fix the rising frequency of breast and gynecologic cancers or obesity and metabolic syndrome. Jasienska suggests, however, that becoming cognizant of how external factors impact the delicate balance of our internal biology might allow us to work toward a healthier future.
This text provides an important summary of current research knowledge across subfields of sex and gender health and synthesizes those findings to present a new holistic perspective on women’s bodies. As engrossing as it is educational, The Fragile Wisdom leaves as many questions as it answers, in the best possible way.