Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex And Science

by Mary Roach

The study of sexual physiology-what happens, and why, and how to make it happen better-has been a paying career or a diverting sideline for scientists as far-ranging as Leonardo da Vinci, James Watson and Napoleon Bonaparte's great grand-niece Marie. The research has taken place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centres, pig farms, sex toy R&D labs and Alfred Kinsey's attic. Mary Roach devoted the past two years to stepping behind those doors.

The result is Bonk: everything you wanted to know but couldn't imagine that someone in a white lab coat had studied. Can a person think herself to orgasm? Can a dead man get an erection? Can Kegeling cure erectile dysfunction? Can Broadway musicals cause it? Is vaginal orgasm a myth? If you can transplant a face, then why not a penis? What happens if you surgically relocate your clitoris? Why doesn't Viagra help women-or, for that matter, pandas? Does orgasm boost fertility? Cure hiccups? Do the earlobes swell during sex?

Few things are as fundamental to human happiness than satisfying sex. Yet the funding for research, always elusive, has dwindled sharply. Bonk is both an ode to a fascinating and vital pursuit and a reminder that there is still much to learn. Sexual arousal and orgasm are two of the most complex, delightful, utterly amazing scientific phenomena on earth. Sexology, as Roach approaches it, is right up there too.

• ISBN10: 1847672264
• ISBN13: 9781847672261
• Publish Date: 5 June 2008 (first published 7 April 2008)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 July 2012
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Canongate Books
• Edition: Main
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 333
• Language: English

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

My favorite Mary Roach yet.* Turns out we know even less about sex than we do about death and ghosts.

*Well, tied with Stiff, at least. And good thing that title was already taken, because I’m not sure she could have overcome the temptation.

“My first book was about human cadavers, and people assumed that I’m obsessed with death. Now that I have written books about both sex and death, God only knows what the word on the street is.”

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Bonk is a look into the history and study of sexual physiology. Mary Roach takes an interesting and humorous look into the world of sex research, exploring the weird methods used and the evolution of the field of study. Mary Roach has a unique style that has turned her into a household name. From a book about cadavers (Stiff), to more recently a look into the digestive track (Gulp).

This is my first Mary Roach book and I was immediately drawn to her writing style. I have never read her before, but I have heard so many good things. It was a toss-up between starting with Bonk or Stiff, but I am happy to finally have a chance to experience her writing. The blend of humour while teaching about science makes her an author I need to read more from. She has a style that I have always been interested in adopting for my blog; a balance between teaching and entertaining. Sadly my blog has been nothing but book reviews lately but I hope this will change in the near future.

I remember reading Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us by Jesse Bering a few years ago and found it completely fascinating. I wanted to learn more about the research side of sex but never read anything since then. While Perv looks at the psychological study of sex, Bonk focuses more on the physiological. There are so many topics to cover on the topic, so my biggest problem with Bonk is the fact that it was a very ‘broad-strokes’ approach to the topic. Although this is a good starting point to understand the science.

I was a little horrified with all the setbacks that happened in the study of sex. Whether they are religious or cultural reasons, there has been a lot of times research falls years behind just to save face. This topic alone would be an interesting one to explore, not just about sex but research in general. I am sure there are many times where science suffers due to public opinion. I wonder if there is a book that covers this topic (if you know of one let me know).

I am glad to have finally read Mary Roach and Bonk, I have discovered a new favourite author and a topic I need to learn more about. The more non-fiction I read, the more I wonder why I had an aversion towards it for so long. It was a non-fiction book that got me into reading and I am pretty much a non-fiction writer. I have so much to learn and I plan to learn more; hopefully this will reflect on my blog in the future. If you have an interest in reading about the research of sex both physiologically and psychologically, I recommend both Bonk and Perv.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/non-fiction/bonk-the-curious-coupling-of-science-and-sex-by-mary-roach/

[ibeforem]

I don’t read more than a few non-fiction books a year, but this was recommended to us by my husband’s coworker, so I agreed to give it a listen. It was quite entertaining! The book isn’t about sex as much as it is about sex research, discussing the works of well-known researchers such as Kinsey and Masters and Johnson as well as lesser known researchers. One chapter discussed Dr. Ahmed Shafik, a researcher living in Cairo. It was interesting to see what he must to do get his research done in a country where even talking about sex on TV is still taboo. I also thought the information on how sexual stimulation and orgasm can help patients that have MS or are paralyzed was quite fascinating. Roach has a great sense of humor, making this an enjoyable read. I plan to check out her other two books, Stiff (about cadavers) and Spook (about ghosts).

[Eve1972]

I really liked this book, it is chucked full of info about the difficulties of learning about human sexuality and fun little tidbits all told with a great sense of humor that makes it an enjoyable read. I especially loved the funny little footnotes that Miz Roach added throughout, many of them making me literally laugh out loud. This was the first book I have read by this author, but already have her other books waiting in my cart at Amazon!