Pink Brain, Blue Brain

Turning conventional thinking about gender differences on its head, Lise Eliot issues a call to close the troubling gaps between boys and girls and help all children reach their fullest potential. Drawing on years of exhaustive research and her own work in the field of neuroplasticity, Eliot argues that infant brains are so malleable that small differences at birth become amplified over time as parents, teachers, and the culture at large unwittingly reinforce gender stereotypes. Indicating points of intervention where social pressures can be minimised, she offers concrete solutions for helping everyone grow into wellrounded individuals.

“"[a] sharp, information-packed, and worderfully readable book"”

“Gender is strongly affected by environment and stereotyping after all, [Eliot] maintains in this absorbing book.” The Bookseller
10 out of 10 review: "it is difficult to see how Pink Brain, Blue Brain can become anything other than the definitive text on sex differences." The Times Higher Educational Supplement
"She tells her story authoritatively but modestly, with frequent references to her experience as a mother, and illuminates a very accessible pathway through the science." Marek Kohn The Independent
"She tells her story authoritatively but modestly, with frequent references to her experience as a mother, and illuminates a very accessible pathway through the science." Marek Kohn The Independent
10 out of 10 review: "it is difficult to see how Pink Brain, Blue Brain can become anything other than the definitive text on sex differences." The Times Higher Educational Supplement
"A passionate plea for all of us to look beyond the confines of the pink/blue tyranny of childhood... To use the latest brain science to maximise outcomes for both genders, to the greater glorification of both." Culture (supplement to the Sunday Times)
"This meticulous book should challenge everyone's assumption about the role of sex and gender." Sue Blackmore BBC Focus
"Read her masterful book and you'll never view the sex-differences debate the same way again." Newsweek
“This is an important book and highly recommended for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children.” Library Journal
Mother Jones
“This is an important book and highly recommended for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children.” Library Journal
“A refreshingly reasonable and reassuring look at recent alarming studies about sex differences in determining the behavior of children … Eliot's work demonstrates a remarkable clarity of purpose.” Publishers Weekly
"Read her masterful book and you'll never view the sex-differences debate the same way again." Newsweek
“A refreshingly reasonable and reassuring look at recent alarming studies about sex differences in determining the behavior of children … Eliot's work demonstrates a remarkable clarity of purpose.” Publishers Weekly

Lise Eliot is a mother of three, and the Associate Professor of Neuroscience at The Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University. She is the author of What’s Going On In There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life.

Over the past decade we've been bombarded with information about the innate differences between males and females, and many people simply accept that gender differences are hardwired from birth - boys can't focus in the classroom, and girls are obsessed with relationships: "That's just the way they're built." In Pink Brain, Blue Brain, renowned neuroscientist Lise Eliot turns that thinking on its head. Presenting the latest science from birth to puberty, including her own work in the field of neuroplasticity, Eliot convincingly argues that infant brains are so malleable that what begin as small differences at birth become amplified over time as parents, teachers - and society at large - unwittingly reinforce gender stereotypes. While genes and hormones play a role in creating boy-girl differences, social factors, such as how we speak to our sons and daughters, whether we encourage their physical adventurousness, and their types of peer interactions, have a far more powerful impact on brain development than previously realized. By studying how gender differences emerge, Dr Eliot has devised concrete, practical solutions for parents and teachers that explain where and when to intervene to help close the troubling gaps between boys and girls, and enable children of both sexes to reach their full potential.

Turning conventional thinking about gender differences on its head, Lise Eliot issues a startling call to close the troubling gaps between boys and girls, and help all children reach their fullest potential. Drawing on years of exhaustive research and her own work in the field of neuroplasticity, Eliot argues that infant brains are so malleable that small differences at birth become amplified over time as parents, teachers, and the culture at large unwittingly reinforce gender stereotypes. By focussing on the ways in which differences emerge such prescriptive behaviours can be eradicated, and the boundaries that prevent boys and girls from achieving can be destroyed.

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