2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge #2

The Big Redhead Book by Erin La Rosa

Publication Date: August 22, 2017

Summary from Goodreads:

Confession:

I came across this book a few months ago, when I was looking for books that had main characters with red hair. I had no idea that there was a nonfiction book about my hair color and I was intrigued enough that I knew I had to get my hands on it. And I wasn’t disappointed. This was truly a very interesting book, especially the science part of it. I actually learned quite a bit from it.

The book goes into many aspects of people with red hair. You can find the genetics, the myths and cultural stereotypes as well as some basic beauty tips. It was a very comprehensive study of what it means to be a redhead.

I especially really enjoyed the genetics aspect of the book. I had always known that red hair was a recessive gene, but I didn’t know that that gene has a mutation that makes the hair red. It also doesn’t skip generations. You really have to have the right combination of genes to get the elusive red hair. I now know that there was only a 25% chance that my two dark haired brunette parents could produce a female redhead. It was probably even a smaller chance that they would produce a redheaded boy, but they did that too! Redhead males are apparently rarer than the girls. I am also part of the exclusive club of blue eyed redheads (only .17%) Which I was surprised at as well. (My brother’s were brown) Neither of us have children with red hair, although I think if I had had more than one child, I might have had a better success rate. My husband’s family does have red hair in their ancestry, so the recessive gene is probably there.

The rest of the book was also interesting. Especially the cultural aspects of red hair and how redheads are portrayed on screens and in books. We have the reputation of being hot headed (I’m not by the way) and really good in bed (I’m not saying anything here). Red headed males are often portrayed as bullies, but there has been a few lately with more leading man roles. I was also deeply disappointed to find out that many of the redheads on screen are not true redheads. ( I knew in my heart they probably weren’t but I really wanted to see someone like me in the movies, you know!?)

The book on the whole was well written and very accessible, and also amusing. I liked that the author had a very tongue in cheek sense of humor, especially when talking about how soulless we are and how maybe we might be vampires. She does a nice job of capturing the red head mystique and how to react when someone makes assumptions about you because of your hair. The small part about red haired children and bullies was very well done.

If you are a redhead, or if you are close to one, or especially if you have a kid with red hair, this is a book that you should read. I wished there had been a book like this when I was a teenager, especially the beauty tips. I think it would have made my life a little bit easier.