Choice 评论

Sociologist Almeling (Yale) has written an engrossing and revealing account of how bodily goods are redefined as commodities, assigned an economic value, and marketed as products. Although the sale of human organs is illegal, sperm donors and egg donors are paid for their gametes. The author addresses this seeming inconsistency by drawing on sociological theories to examine how socially constructed definitions of biology and gender shape the market for bodily goods. While sperm and eggs contribute equally to the formation of a zygote, they are not assigned equal values as saleable commodities, nor are donors viewed similarly. The culturally determined gender expectations that lead to the definition of a sperm donor as performing a job, and an egg donor as giving a gift, are partly responsible for the marked differences in the experiences of the men and women who are chosen to donate. From her interviews with donors and recipients as well as with physicians and staffs of egg agencies and sperm banks, Almeling explores gamete donation from the perspectives of people who have experienced various parts of the process. A fascinating window into a part of modern technology that is well known, but not well understood. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. C. Apt South Carolina State University