Patterns of Human Growth

Bogin presents a good, up-to-date overview of human growth that may interest clinicians, anthropologists and human biologists. This work emphasizes a life history perspective, using life stages (e.g. adolescence) as organizing themes. It is also sensitive to the interplay of human growth with sociocultural factors, such as the role of socioeconomic status in growth in a range of societies. Certain contexts in which the study of growth is situated--in comparison with living apes, in light of the human fossil record, in cross-cultural perspective--may appeal to some readers' tastes more than others, but together underpin an admirable synthesis. A few wrinkles could be ironed out, such as a bias toward championing the importance of adolescence; also, some oversimplifications (e.g. the author's statement that hormones are proteins) are too oversimplified. The well-chosen perspectives, clear exposition and extensive list of references cited make this volume suitable to many readers interested in the study of human growth.