Praise for The Missing Myth

“You don't need to agree with Gilles Herrada's conclusions to enjoy and learn from this extraordinary book. The thoughtful and measured use of knowledge—ranging from classical texts to genetic studies —provides an exciting model for how to conduct the trans-disciplinary scholarship needed to do justice to this complex and contested topic.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management,
Claremont Graduate University
Author of Flow and Creativity

“Herrada’s breathtaking survey of the history and science of homosexuality tackles nothing less than the meaning of homosexuality, its persecution, and its growing social acceptance in Western societies. It’s a Herculean task that he achieves with erudition, intellect, and heart. His review of recent scientific research on the biology of homosexuality and the ethology of primate sexuality is informed and balanced. By not adopting the reflexive anti-science phobia of most queer scholars, he is able to offer a compelling reinterpretation of this scientific work and integrate it into a broad cultural valorization of gay existence.”

Vernon A. Rosario, MD, PhD
Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science,
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Editor of Science and Homosexualities

“Herrada offers us a deeply articulate and comprehensive text, written with equal parts care and passion. Moreover, he achieves what he sets out to do: to reframe the discussion of same-sex sexuality and relationships in a way that redeems the full humanity of a group so often reduced and diminished. Along the way, he presents a wide array of novel and compelling arguments concerning the origins and importance of same-sex relations in the successful evolution of the human species. This book deserves to be read widely by academics, mental health professionals, and by all those with a humanistic sensibility, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

Mark Forman, PhD
Clinical Director of Life Design Center, West Los Angeles, CA.
Author of A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy

“As Gilles Herrada observes, despite a century and half of scientific, historical, and culture research, and the dramatic emergence of lesbian and gay identities, the central questions surrounding the origins, purpose, and meaning of homosexuality remain unanswered. By adopting a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that integrates science, history, and philosophy, Herrada achieves a breakthrough in thinking about homosexuality with the potential to reinvigorate LGBT studies and deepen our understanding of LBGT people.”
Will Roscoe, PhD
 Scholar, anthropologist, and activist
Author of Changing Ones and Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love

“‘Modern homosexuality,’ according to Gilles Herrada's fascinating book, ‘exists in body and mind but has no soul.’ Thus begins the challenge of a deep and subtle meditation on the meaning of LGBTQ lives and identities and communities. You do not have to agree with Dr. Herrada’s analysis in whole to appreciate the scholarship, policy nuances, and multidisciplinary integration invested in this very intriguing effort at renewing the collective heart and soul of the gay movement in our time.”

Gilbert Herdt, PhD
 Professor and Director of Human Sexuality Studies at the California Institute for Integral Studies
Founder of the Department of Sexuality and National Sexuality Resource Center,
San Francisco State University
Author of The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guinea

“In masterly fashion, Gilles Herrada takes on the courageous task of integrating the major discourses on homosexuality, weaving together scientific and historical evidence from diverse areas of the literature with professional curiosity and personal perspective as he deftly builds a theoretical case for what is missing in regard to our present discourse and experiencing of same-sex love—a powerful resource that is sure to ignite discussion and controversy.”

Vivienne Cass, PhD
Clinical psychologist and sexual therapist
Adjunct Associate Professor, Curtin University, Western Australia
 Author of Theory of Homosexual Identity Formation

“More than a little lip-service is paid to interdisciplinary research within the ivory tower, but Herrada embraces this approach and in doing so takes on the Herculean task of addressing big picture topics like: What does it mean to be homosexual? The resulting perspectives will challenge scholars across many entrenched academic borders.”

Paul Vasey, PhD
 Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge
Editor of Homosexual Behaviour in Animals: An Evolutionary Perspective

“In a time of fast-changing cultural norms around the issue of homosexuality, Herrada provides an erudite, informative, trans-disciplinary guide to this delicate subject. His comprehensive yet readable book is a courageous attempt to imagine an authentic new vision of homosexuality, one deeply informed but unencumbered by the painful and poignant historical context ofthis important topic. Amidst the ongoing struggle for rights and freedoms long denied and richly deserved, Herrada is a voice above the clamor, and his impressive work reaches out to the frontiers of our knowledge of the homosexual experience, working at the borders of this personal and cultural identity, building the structures that will help determine not just what it means today, but what it should and could mean in a more enlightened future.”
                                                                       
                                                                                                                        Carter Phipps
                                                                                                            Author of Evolutionaries

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