PRAISE FOR THE TAILORED BRAIN

"Fascinating and timely."―Salon

“This searching guide to better brain health….effectively punches holes in unproven practices.”

 ―Publishers Weekly

“In a field characterized by junk science and false promises, Willingham offers something radical and unique—a book about improving your brain that layers rigorous science upon a moral center of kindness and empathy. The Tailored Brain is for people who want to think better and be good doing it. It’s also hilarious.”―Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes

“We all want to know what neuroscience can teach us about changing our minds to make us better people—for ourselves and our world. But that research often lacks clarity, and the literature of wellness and self-improvement is full of woo and nonsense. Luckily, we have Emily Willingham. She’s an ace, and The Tailored Brain turns a cacophony of information into actionable, life-changing music.”―Adam Rogers, author of Full Spectrum

“Willingham is one of the smartest science journalists working today. In The Tailored Brain, she skillfully identifies evidence-based ways to lift our moods and sharpen our minds and calls out dodgy marketing claims about brain health. The Tailored Brain also explores how storytelling hones our empathy skills, eases mental burdens, and points us toward creative problem-solving. A must-read for anyone interested in brains and cognition.”―Christie Aschwanden, author of Good to Go

“Willingham invites you to connect your brain with hers, and what an amazing and profitable connection it is! She makes the science of the brain engaging, accessible, and relevant, from stress and anxiety to cognition, emotions, and so much more. With thoughtful, evidence-based action plans for optimizing your own mind-body connection, this is a timely and much-needed book.”

 ―Dr. Jen Gunter, author of The Menopause Manifesto

PRAISE FOR PHALLACY

"If you like did-you-know books, and your tastes run a little outré, then PHALLACY is worth a look...Ms. Willingham has written an amusing book, willing to tackle pressing issues." -The Wall Street Journal

"... the opening chapters of Emily Willingham's Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis were superb. ... The latter chapters are also interesting, but in a different way: Willingham presents a whole smorgasbord of fun animal facts. On every page, readers will encounter unexpected trivia: our world is a fascinating place, and evolution has produced an incredible array of different body morphs and behaviors. -The American Biology Teacher

"Amid all the awe--exploding sperm packages, prehensile penises, pheromone war--Willingham makes a big point --entertainingly, smartly, and expertly." -Wired, on their list of best science books of Winter 2020

"This is a book that successfully fulfills the role expected of a modern enlightenment book, which is to provide an antidote to illusions and prejudices by presenting diversity." -Hiromitsu Yoshikawa, Nikkei

"Willingham takes readers on a historical, evolutionary and often hilarious tour of the penises of the planet. 'Nothing gets clicks like a story about dicks,' she writes. 'Even if it's about a penis that's 1.5 millimeters long and millions of years old.' Along the way, she puts the human penis into much-needed perspective." -Science News

"... a thorough stroll through this portion of the biological world ... [Willingham] says human genitals aren't the most important organs when it comes to copulation. Rather, she writes, it's the human mind that 'deserves to be re-centered as the most fundamental element of our sexual behaviors.'--New York Post

"This is a hilarious tour through a menagerie of dicks, and a ferocious guide to not being a dick yourself."--Ed Yong, New York Times Bestselling Author of I Contain Multitudes

"PHALLACY is both smart and smart-ass, serious and startling--and it will make you reconsider your ideas about sexual balance of power in ways both satisfying and important."--Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author of The New York Times Bestselling Author of The Poison Squad

"Exuberantly witty and scathingly subversive, Willingham's PHALLACY takes a long-overdue look at the myriad ways that putting the penis, and maleness in general, at center stage have skewed many fields of scientific inquiry, from the study of evolution to Freud's fulminations on psychoanalysis. An important and timely book." --Steve Silberman, New York Times Bestselling Author of NeuroTribes

"Emily Willingham's wonderful book is both a hilarious tour of many bizarre natural wonders and a ferocious corrective for many toxic cultural myths. I lost track of how often I laughed, and how much I learned."--Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes

"PHALLACY is Dr. Emily Willingham's detailed, insightful, and funny cross-species biography of the penis. It's an entertaining romp that is as much about evolution as it is about emotion and egos. It shines a light on how we became so penis-centric and the resulting repercussions for science, society, and sex." --Jen Gunter, MD, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Vagina Bible

"PHALLACY plunges readers into the wild and wacky world of animal genitalia while exploring the social and cultural significance of penises as symbols of power and identity."--Smithsonian Magazine 

Willingham is a first-rate science journalist, with a gift for making the most difficult concepts understandable. She's also rip-roaringly funny—especially in her footnotes, which alone are worth the price of the book. -Stephen Snyder, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy

PRAISE FOR THE INFORMED PARENT

"Clear, comprehensive, and resolutely evidence-based, The Informed Parent is a fabulous resource for science-minded parents. Haelle and Willingham have tirelessly compiled the evidence on so many questions that cause parents to worry and wonder, and with all of this science at their fingertips, they'll be able to make confident and informed choices for their families. From pre-conception to preschool, you'll find yourself returning to this book again and again."

--Alice Callahan, PhD, author of The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year 

"The Informed Parent is a beacon of science-based sanity for new parents caught in a blizzard of dubious child rearing advice. Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham are sure-handed guides, distilling the most up-to-date, reliable research into sensible advice that neither patronizes nor terrorizes. Circumcision? Television? Nipple confusion? Relax, Tara and Emily have got you covered."

--Dan Fagin, Director of the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at NYU, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation 

“In The Informed Parent, Emily Willingham and Tara Haelle, two widely respected science writers (and parents), explore key questions about child health, beginning with fetal development and continuing into toddlerhood. The result is engaging, conversational, deeply researched, and smart, a book that should be considered a necessary resource for all 21st century parents.”

--Deborah Blum, Director of the Knight Science Journalism Program, MIT, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection

"Finally! An amazing, informed, evidence-based tour through the most common questions and concerns of parenthood that I can recommend without hesitation. A must for any science minded new parent, or for anyone who thinks Google doesn’t replace expertly curated information."

--Yoni Freedhoff, MD, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, University of Ottawa and creator of the Weighty Matters blog

"Parents in the internet age have to navigate their way through a maze of confusing information and misinformation. Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham are the perfect guides to what's fact and fiction when it comes to the science of parenting."

--Seth Mnookin, Associate Director of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and author of The Panic Virus

"Science-based. Judgment free. A perfect guide for evidence-based parenting!"

--Ari Brown, MD, pediatrician and author of Baby 411 book series

"In The Informed Parent, journalists Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham manage to answer everything a parent could possibly be worried about during pregnancy, birth, infancy, and toddlerhood. What makes this book different from every other book on this subject (and there are many) is that the authors take on not only the science of what concerns us, but encourage us to think along with them—giving us the tools to answer other questions in the future. It was like reading the answer sheet before the test."

--Paul Offit, MD, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

"With The Informed Parent, Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham have gifted today’s neurotic parents with fuel - and ultimately antidote - for their obsessive researching. Unlike most parenting books, the authors never preach, condone or praise. Instead, they report the science on all possible parenting controversies in a lay-friendly (and often pithy) style, allowing the reader to come to her/his own conclusions. Well-written, impeccably researched, and brilliantly suited for millennial parents, The Informed Parent should be on the top of everyone’s baby shower list."

--Suzanne Barston, the "Fearless Formula Feeder" and author of Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and Why It Shouldn't

“Is it confirmation bias to say that anyone who decides to look at scientific facts instead of hectoring parents is doing the world a service? If so, consider my opinion biased: This book will help a lot of folks!”

--Lenore Skenazy, founder of the book, blog and movement Free-Range Kids

"As a mom, I can confidently say that The Informed Parent will be a lifesaver for all moms and dads going through the anxiety and excitement of raising a young child. From autism to organic food, the authors demystify modern parents’ most prevalent fears for the first four years, and effectively arm them with a critical thinking cap for years to come. If you’re tired of the mommy (and daddy) wars, or simply need help separating the credible wheat from the misinformation chaff on the internet, look no further."

       --Kavin Senapathy, science advocate and author of The Fear Babe

“Accessible and informative…For anyone headed into parenthood, this is a must-read, as it answers so many questions new parents are bound to ask.”

--Kirkus Reviews

"The book shines with clear explanations of the reasoning behind common hospital practices such as labor induction, vitamin K shots, and taking Apgar scores, including up-to-date summaries of the sometimes overwhelming-data surrounding giving birth and infant care choices. Subjects of controversy, such as allergies and sleep training, receive in-depth, scientifically minded treatment."

--Publishers Weekly