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 and James Watson. The research has taken place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centers, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, and Alfred Kinsey's attic. Mary Roach, "the funniest science writer in the country" (Burkhard Bilger of The New Yorker), devoted the past two years to stepping behind those doors. Can a person think herself to orgasm? Can a dead man get an erection? Is vaginal orgasm a myth? Why doesn't Viagra help women-or, for that matter, pandas? In Bonk, Roach shows us how and why sexual arousal and orgasm, two of the most complex, delightful, and amazing scientific phenomena on earth, can be so hard to achieve and what science is doing to slowly make the bedroom a more satisfying place.
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).
