Another king has children who call him both father and mother. A hero turns into a eunuch and wears female apparel. A princess has to turn into a man before she can avenge her humiliation. Widows of a king make love to conceive his child. These are some of the tales that this unique book examines. 'The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore' is a compilation of traditional Hindu stories with a common thread: sexual transformation and gender metamorphosis.

"Only a writer who is intimately familiar with the many thousands of Hindu legends could compile this book. Devdutt Pattanaik not only quotes the legends themselves, but also offers his own extensive commentary to place the stories in proper context. Hindu ideas of divine androgyny offer a basis for greater acceptance of gender diversity in the future."
-Walter L. Williams, PhD, Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies, University of Southern California

"An ideal text for courses on gender and queer studies; students will love it ... Retells all my very favorite stories of sexual ambiguity in a readable, easily accessible way. No heavy doeses of theory get in the way of the stories ... a light dusting of queer theory brings the book into line with other, more ponderous works."
-Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, Author, 'Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook, Translated from the Sanskrit; the Rig Veda: An Anthology; and Women, Androgynes, and other Mythical Beasts

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