Why are female brains better at empathasing? How are male brains designed to analyse systems? And what really makes men and women different? Men and women have always seemed to think in entirely different ways, from conversation and communication to games and gadgets. But are these differences created by society, or do our minds come ready-wired one way or another, with female brains tending towards interaction and male towards organisation? And could this mean that autism - rather than being a mental anomaly - is in fact simply an extreme male brain? Simon Baron-Cohen explores list-making, lying and two decades of research in a ground-breaking examination of how our brains can be male or female but always completely fascinating. 'This is no Mars/Venus whimsy, but the conclusion fron twenty years of experiment.' Evening Standard 'A devastating contribution to teh gender debate.' Mail on Sunday 'A fascinating, thought-provoking book.' Observer