“The Female Brain” is a comprehensive new look at the hormonal roller coaster that rules women’s lives down to the cellular level, “a user’s guide to new research about the female brain and the neurobehavioral systems that make us women,” offers a trove of information, as well as some stunning insights. Though referenced like a work of research, Brizendine’s writing style is fully accessible. Brizendine provides a fascinating look at the life cycle of the female brain from birth (”baby girls will connect emotionally in ways that baby boys don’t”) to birthing (”Motherhood changes you because it literally alters a woman’s brain-structurally, functionally, and in many ways, irreversibly”) to menopause (when “the female brain is nowhere near ready to retire”) and beyond. At the same time, Brizendine is not above reviewing the basics: “We may think we’re a lot more sophisticated than Fred or Wilma Flintstone, but our basic mental outlook and equipment are the same.” This book will be of interest to anyone who wonders why men and women are so different–and will be particularly useful for women and parents of girls. The dad’s of teen girls have been buying the book for all their male friends and brothers–to help them understand “what has happened to my little girl!”