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	Who's Really From Venus? The Tale of Two Genders Peggy J. Rudd, Ed.D 1998, PM Publishers 157 Pages

From the Cover Finally the answer to the question: Can balance of masculinity & femininity improve human life? Mars in the Roman God of War, husband or lover of Venus, the planet named for him, and the exemplary model of masculinity.  Venus in the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty, the planet for her and the model of femininity.  But there are millions of people on Planet Earth who choose to embrace the better qualities of both Venus and Mars rather than stay with the stereotypical model or expected norms of their birth sex.  Their stories are presented within the ages of this book.  The names have been changed to protect their identities.  The characters of this real-life drama share the same hopes and dreams.  All are looking for love, and some never find it.  All are transcending gender lines in their endless journey between Mars and Venus. (Ch 1) This book is about people who challenge the dominant gender system described in the Mars-Venus analogy.  Kohlberg sees gender identity as... "achieved at the interaction level, reified at the cultural level, and institutionally enforced via the family, law, religion, politics, economy, medicine and media.  But gender, as an internalized aspect of self is virtually immutable.  Those who, for reasons not yet understood, internalize a gender identity that is not congruent with genital configurations, are often sanctioned because they fail to enact gender in socially prescribed ways, thereby challenging the cultural and structural social order."   Huber and Spitz believe the feminist movement and a greater life expectancy have brought us to the threshold of questioning the immutable relationship between birth sex and gender.

Table of Contents Part One:  Who's really from Venus 1. Transcending Venus and Mars 2. The Tale of Two Genders 3. A Dozen Bits of Wisdom Part Two: Coping on Venus and Mars 4. Let Venus End the Power Struggle 5. Why Clothing Validates Femininity and Affects Intimacy 6. Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places 7. Learning to Face Conflict 8. Making a Commitment 9. What About the Children? Part Three: Getting Involved 10. Priscilla, Queen of the Seas 11. The Original SPICE Girls 12. Southern Comfort, Real Lives 13. Support Organizations

Readers' Comments

Kathy Cloud  katcloud@flash.net

I have just turned the final page in the newest book by Dr. Peggy Rudd, Who's Really From Venus?. I am sorry to see it end. This book made me laugh and it made me cry, and most importantly, it made me think. This book should be required reading for anyone seeking to begin a new relationship or to imporve an existing one with a spouse or partner in a transgendered relationship. Dr. Rudd has provided an elegant and comprehensive text complete with wonderful pictures. It is a poignant reminder that balance and acceptance are not so easily gained by all, but are realistically obtainable goals. I give this book a four star rating!