Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

Written by Eliot Schrefer

Narrated by Joel Froomkin, Dustin Ballard, Hope Newhouse and Neo Cihi

This groundbreaking YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals.

A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world—from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlebugs.

In sharp and witty prose Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.

Queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex—and as natural—as it is in our own species. It doesn’t set us apart from animals—it bonds us even closer to our animal selves.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063069527

Eliot Schrefer

Eliot Schrefer is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for kids and teens, including The Darkness Outside Us and its sequel, The Brightness Between Us, as well as Charming Young Man, Endangered, and Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality. His books have twice been named finalists for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and have garnered a Printz Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and the Green Earth Book Award. He is on the faculty of the creative writing MFA program at Hamline University and lives with his husband in New York City. Visit him online at eliotschrefer.com. 

[z.pokomeda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It should be a compulsory read at schools. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and giggled a lot too.

[Bettina Westerholm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Informative and entertaining, this book had me laughing out loud several times. I really liked the interviews with people studying and working with the animals. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Honestly not the most riveting book, but vastly comforting in challenging the narrative that casts anything other than heterosexual sexuality as abnormal. I love that this book presents a well rounded argument, with evidence, for how we as a species bring our biases into science and are blinded by them. Well done in changing that conversation.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good science. Good back matter. Not sure how the audio of the 'graphic novel episodes' would work, though, and all the other minor illustrations, which are all delightful and entertaining.

The whole thing is a joy to read. The cover art & design are perfect: colorful, vibrant, accessible, just like the text. Definitely YA friendly, but rich enough for adults, too.

"Any article that tries to establish absolute reasons for an animal's partner choice will soon be met by another article disproving it. ... that's precisely what healthy science looks like."

'"The chimpanzee resolves sexual issues with power; the bonobo resolves power issues with sex."' author:Frans de Waal|112082]

Anthropodenial to counter anthropomorphism.

Freud wrote, " if you want to know more about femininity, inquire about your own experiences of life, or turn to poets, or wait until science can give you deeper and more coherent information."

" evolutionary biologists often rightly roll their eyes about these compelling but unproven just-so stories of why something evolved. Evolution is often more complicated than any simple explanation."

For example, lots of times a set of genes for something will also happen to make something else get expressed in the phenotype. Or, sometimes the explanation is simpler than 'traditional' biologists would have us believe: queer sex might not have anything to do with dominance or scarcity of a gender or whatever... critters might engage in it simply because sex feels good, and the more of it one engages in, the more likely they will, in midst of all that fun, have reproductive success.

The point is, we don't know, because until very recently almost nobody was prepared to do the research. Without a diversity of scientists, there has been a lack of diversity of questions asked. The wonderful interviews included in this book show us what is happening to help us learn more by opening up these new avenues of research.

Highly recommended to age 12 up, or younger if they have a particular interest and a supportive family.