54 pages 1 hour read

John Colapinto

As Nature Made Him

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2000

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

What outcome does Colapinto suggest in the debate between the “nature” and “nurture” approaches to gender and sexuality? How does he build this conclusion? Draw in at least four specific examples from across the text to demonstrate the complexities of his argument.

2.

What is the role of testimony, or telling, in As Nature Made Him? You may choose to include references to the field of psychiatry, to the role of friendship and family, and/or to the field of medical research.

3.

Why does Colapinto so precisely reproduce descriptions of medical procedures and debates in his text? What is the relationship between those descriptions and his overarching discussion of identity development?