No Two Alike website (Judith Rich Harris)

Last updated: 5/18/15

Also by Judith Rich Harris:
The Nurture Assumption NO TWO ALIKE
by Judith Rich Harris
(W. W. Norton, February 2006)

Library Journal 2006 Best Sci-Tech Book, psychology

[No Two Alike][in Korean, Dongnyok Science])

[No Two Alike][in Chinese, Business Weekly Publications, Taiwan])

Other editions:
Brazil, Germany, Israel, Korea, Netherlands, Taiwan
NEW: Spain

author profile other writings by Judith Rich Harris

Personality development and the child's environments
Edge - Serpentine Gallery, October 13, 2007
Switching the parents around
British Psychological Society Research Digest, September 30 2007
Do pals matter more than parents?
The Sunday Times [UK], August 8, 2007
Why home doesn't matter
Prospect, May 2007
Interview on ABC Radio [Australia]

Parental selection: A third selection process
in the evolution of human hairlessness and skin color.
Winner of the 2006 David Horrobin Prize.
10 Questions for Judith Rich Harris
The Idea of Zero Parental Influence

Quotes

"Why do identical twins who grow up together differ in personality? . . . Reading this book is akin to working your way through a mystery novel -- complete with periodic references to Sherlock Holmes. . . . Harris's writing is highly entertaining, which will help readers stick with her through the elaboration of a fairly complex theory." -- Publishers Weekly, 2/06

"The controversial author of The Nurture Assumption (1998) -- in which it was argued that peer relations, not nature or nurture, were the driving force in child development -- continues her exploration of what makes us the way we are. This time Harris offers a "scientific detective story" aimed at uncovering the secret of human individuality. Armed with new psychological theories and cutting-edge, high-tech tools, Harris takes a multidisciplinary approach to answering the nagging question of why identical twins raised in the same household often differ, sometimes dramatically, in personality? Harris delivers an answer (and, yes, it's sure to be controversial), but it's the quest itself that will prove most fascinating for general readers, who will marvel at the step-by-step accumulation of facts, as the author marshals her argument by adeptly juggling a wide array of tools, from new theories of evolutionary psychology to behavioral genetics and linguistics." --David Pitt, in Booklist, 1/1/06.

"As she did in The Nurture Assumption (1998), independent scholar Harris makes waves again with a new theory of personality to explain why no two people are alike. Based on behavioral genetics and evolutionary and social psychology, and fitted into a modular theory of how the brain works, . . . she posits three distinct systems as the molders of personality. One is a relationship system that allows babies to distinguish family from strangers and throughout life allows us to build a "mental rolodex" of information on discrete individuals. The second is a socialization system. Sure, parents count, she says, but what turns us into social beings is what happens in school and at play, as we become members of a group . . . Third is a status system by which we acquire self-knowledge by measuring how we stand up against rivals . . . These dynamics play out against a hefty genetic contribution that makes individuals more or less aggressive, shy, anxious, attractive and so on. There's a lot to be said in favor of these systems (and genes), and Harris lays out telling points in their defense -- while also laying out some of the leading lights of personality psychology for their sins of omission and commission." -- Kirkus Reviews, 12/15/05.

"With neither a doctorate nor a university behind her, Harris more than compensates with intelligence, dogged research, lively writing, a love of mystery, and droll humor. She wrestles bulging files of research data into shape, in the process taking down some champions of the old order, including Freud . . . . Harris makes behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology enjoyable and accessible to general readers as well as scholars. Essential for general and academic libraries." --E. James Lieberman, M.D., in Library Journal.

BOOK REVIEWS new = added to this page since May 1, 2015

Date	Publication	Reviewer
5/11/15 NEW	EL MUNDO [Spain]	Luis Quevedo [in Spanish]
2/3/15 NEW	EL MUNDO [Spain]	Arcadi Espada [in Spanish]
2/27/06-2/21/15	AMAZON.COM	29 customer reviews
6/09	SOCIALNET [Germany]	Hilde von Balluseck [in German]
2/18/09	TOO MANY BOOKS	Thornshar
1/20/09	CLAUDIO SANTANA	Claudio Santana [in Portuguese]
12/08	PSYKOLOG NYT [Denmark]	Erling Koefoed-Nielsen [in Danish] [PDF]
11/08	GALILEO [Israel]	Yoram Kirsh [in Hebrew]
10/22/08	HAARETZ [Israel]	Amia Lieblich [in Hebrew]
10/05/08	RYviewpoint
9/24/08	MAARIV [Israel]	Carmit Sapir [in Hebrew]
9/08	INFANT & CHILD DEVELOPMENT	Angelica Ronald [PDF]
5/25/08	ANNETTE K NIELSEN [Denmark]	Annette K Nielsen [in Danish]
6/30/06-4/22/08	AMAZON.CA [Canada]	3 customer reviews
4/1/08	ETC	Martin H. Levinson
2/08	BIOLOGIST	Rehana Jawadwala
1/15/08	EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY	Farnaz Kaighobadi & Todd K. Shackelford [PDF]
6/30/06-10/11/07	AMAZON.CO.UK	4 customer reviews
10/07	THE PSYCHOLOGIST [UK]	Mike Anderson [PDF]
8/30/07	DEUTSCHLANDRADIO [Germany]	Arno Orzessek [in German]
6/30/07	SCIENCE NEWS
6/29/07	THE CHALLENGE DIVIDEND	Bob Gilbreath
6/22/07	CHOSUN ILBO [South Korea]	[in Korean]
6/22/07	HANKOOK ILBO [South Korea]	[in Korean]
6/22/07	SEGYE ILBO [South Korea]	[in Korean]
6/22/07	MUNHWA ILBO [South Korea]	[in Korean]
6/22/07	MAEIL BUSINESS [South Korea]	[in Korean]
5/15/07	PANCRIT	Chris Hibbert
4/07	MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW	Jim Sullivan
3/21/07	PsycCRITIQUES	Joan Chiao
Winter/07	BRAIN, CHILD	Stephanie Wilkinson
12/25/06	SOLUTION-FOCUSED MANAGEMENT	Coert Visser [in Dutch]
11/06	MAGILL BOOK REVIEWS	Carl L. Bankston III
10/06	HUMAN GIVENS JOURNAL [UK]	Denise Winn
10/06	TWIN RESEARCH & HUMAN GENETICS	Irene Rebollo [PDF]
9/27/06	COQUITLAM LIBRARY [Canada]	Vicki Donoghue
8-9/06	POLICY REVIEW	Amy Wax
7/12/06	PERSPECTIVIST CONNECTIONS	Andrew
7/06	NATURE GENETICS	Dorret Boomsma [PDF]
6/25/06	SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY
6/16/06	POPULAR SCIENCE	Martin O'Brien
6/10/06	THINKING MEAT	Mary Hrovat
6-7/06	SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND	Jonathan Beard
4/27/06	IDEAS	David Friedman
4/22/06	KANSAS CITY STAR CENTREDAILY [PA]	K.C. Shankland
4/19/06	MAJORITYRIGHTS.COM	Matt Nuenke
4/13/06	GENE EXPRESSION	agnostic
4/12/06	WILLAMETTE WEEK	Karla Starr
3/30/06	CBC NEWS VIEWPOINT [Canada]	Stephen Strauss
3/30/06	ENLIGHTENED CAVEMAN	Chris Wilson
3/11/06	SCIENCE NEWS
3/8/06	METAPSYCHOLOGY	John D. Mullen
3/5/06	ABOVE TOP SECRET	soficrow
3/5/06	NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW	William Saletan
3-4/06	PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
2/14/06	NEW YORK SUN	Peter Pettus
2/06	PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
2/1/06	LIBRARY JOURNAL	E. James Lieberman
1/1/06	BOOKLIST	David Pitt
12/15/05	KIRKUS REVIEWS

OTHER COMMENTARY

. new = added to this page since January 1, 2015

6/29/09	PSYCH CONTROVERSIES	essay
4/16/09	SUITE101 [Germany]	quotes [in German]
1/31/09	SECULAR RIGHT	discussion
10/3/08	SOURCES OF INSIGHT	discussion in book review
4/16/08	TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT	discussion in book review
4/15/08	WASHINGTON POST	quotes in column
3/9/08	WPROST [Poland]	interview [in Polish]
Spring/08	FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY	psychology course required reading [PDF]
2/08	BIRTH ORDER BOOK OF LOVE	discussion in book by Cane
12/10/07	TOMPETERS!	discussion
12/07	J. of ADOLESCENT RESEARCH	discussion in article
11/19/07	THE INDEPENDENT [UK]	quotes & discussion
10/10/07	SLATE	discussion about column
10/07	EVIL GENES	discussion in book by Oakley
10/07	OPRAH MAGAZINE	quotes
10/07	PERSONALITY: WHAT MAKES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE	discussion in book by Nettle
9/30/07	BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC. RESEARCH DIGEST	article by Harris
8/24/07	ZOOMINFO	excerpts from review
8/20/07	PROSPECT Blog [UK]	links to essay by Harris & commentaries
8/9/07	THE TIMES [London]	critique by Byron
8/9/07	THE TIMES [London]	essay by Harris
8/5/07	NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW	minireview
7/16/07	NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL	quote
7/15/07	INDIAN EXPRESS	quote
6/22/07	NEWSWEEK	quote
5/16/07	DONALD CLARK PLAN B	mini-review
5/07	PROSPECT [UK]	essay by Harris
5/07	PROSPECT [UK]	response by Livingstone
4/29/07	THE TIMES [London]	column
4/27/07	THE TELEGRAPH [UK]	opinions
4/26/07	THE TELEGRAPH [UK]	opinions
4/26/07	IONA INSTITUTE FOR RELIGION & SOCIETY [Ireland]	discussion
4/26/07	UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL [UPI]	news brief
4/25/07	THE TIMES [London]	column
4/15/07	THE OBSERVER [UK]	article
4/1/07	NEW YORK TIMES	letter by Harris
4/07	EXPLAINING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR	discussion in book by Elster
3/07	GO PUT YOUR STRENGTHS TO WORK	discussion in book by Buckingham
2/15/07	KRONDOBLOG	mini-review
1/19/07	REALITY-BASED COMMUNITY	essay on birth order
9/10/06	SABAH [Turkey]	quotes [in Turkish]
6/25/06	FACTS [Switzerland]	cover story [in German]
6/16-21/06	NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE	discussion by Lowry, Derbyshire, Greenberg, Podhoretz
6/20/06	GENE EXPRESSION	discussion of Nat'l Review Online discussion
5/27/06	ÉPOCA [Brazil]	interview [in Portuguese]
5/13/06	FINANCIAL TIMES [UK]	article
5/13/06	DIE STANDARD [Austria]	interview [in German]
5/11/06	SLATE	discussion in article
5/10/06	PsycCRITIQUES	discussion in review of book by Appiah
5/06	POOR CHARLIE'S ALMANACK 2nd edition	discussion in book by Munger
4/13/06	GENE EXPRESSION	response to review
3/25/06	NEW SCIENTIST [UK]	comment on interview
3/19/06	BOSTON GLOBE	mention in book review
3/9/06	MEDICAL HYPOTHESES	article by Harris
2/25/06	NEW SCIENTIST [UK]	interview
2/17/06	NEW YORK SUN	letter
1/25/06	GENE EXPRESSION	interview

BROADCASTS

Date	Program
5/8/07	AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING / LIFE MATTERS	radio interview [audio]
4/1/07	TV GLOBO / NOVOS OLHARES [Brazil]	interview: online video
12/6/06	PSYCHJOURNEY AUDIO BOOK CLUB	interview [audio]

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No Two Alike

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