Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality

(Hardback, Main)

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Bisexuality is the largest sexual minority in the world and the least well understood. This book sets out to answer some of the questions that many people have about bisexuality.

In Bi Julia Shaw explores how people have defined and measured bisexuality during its long and important history. She looks at behavioural bisexuality in animals, and investigates whether there is a bi gene. She introduces some famous bi activists and scholars whom everyone should know. She examines the latest research on bisexual kids, parents and grandparents, and explores bisexual identities across the lifespan. She asks why so few bisexual people are out, and examines the mental and physical health consequences of this. She also questions societal reactions to bisexuality (are bi people more promiscuous No). She explains the visual language of bisexuality, about bi visibility on screen and the colourful world of bisexual communities.

This book aims to demystify bisexuality and celebrate it. Today, most bisexual activists and researchers define bisexuality as attraction to more than one gender, and this is a book for anyone whether they identify as bisexual, plurisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, fluid, unlabelled, any related label or who just wants to know more.

Reviews

'A lively rollercoaster ride through all things bisexual. Full of fascinating facts, up-to-date stats, pop culture references and thoughtful analysis, the book covers everything from bi animals to political scandals, from exclusions in queer spaces to threesomes. Julia writes eloquently and engagingly, sharing moments from her own journey along the way. A must-have for every queer bookcase' - MEG-JOHN BARKER

'Praise for Making Evil: Julia Shaw has crafted a brilliant panorama that elucidates humanity's dark side in her masterpiece, Making Evil' - PHILIP ZIMBARDO, author of The Lucifer Effect

'Warmly, chattily written . . . Shaw draws knowledgeably on psychological and neuroscientific research' - Guardian

'Most of it is unsettling . . . It's also rational, intelligent and necessary' - Herald

'A book that will provide you with the kind of anecdotes I cherish, but will make you a terrifying date on Match.com' - The Times

'If you are interested in evil, the science behind evil, there are so many studies contained within this book . . . a very entertaining book about evil' - BBC Radio 5

Author Bio

Dr. Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist at University College London, and part of Queer Politics at Princeton University which works for LGBT+ equality, democracy, and civil rights. She is actively involved in bisexual research, and is the founder of the international Bisexual Research Group. Dr Shaw also has a hit BBC podcast, Bad People, where together with her co-host she uses research to examine some of society's most pressing issues. She is the author of The Memory Illusion, which was published in 20 languages, and Making Evil, which was a bestseller in Canada and Germany. She lives in London.
@drjuliashaw | drjuliashaw.com