Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Up front, I confess to a few moments of squirming in my seat...not from embarrassment...simply cringing at a few mental images from when, as she puts it, "urology approaches high comedy."

Beyond those brief moments, however, the book is a hoot. Whether covering female orgasms, male erectile

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dysfunction, or even her own participation in studies, she simply gets down to the science of it, leavening everything with an immense amount of humor that takes it away from dull facts and figures into frank discussion of what's really going on. Yet, for all her humor, there isn't an ounce of voyeurism or smuttiness, making it comfortable, and appropriate, for a wide audience.

Definitely recommended and don't skip the footnotes!

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This review refers to an Advance Reading Copy and may not reflect the final published edition.

Bonk: the Curious Coupling of Science and Sex is author Mary Roach's latest meandering exploration of the weird world of scientific research. Within its pages, Roach pokes, prods and penetrates the often

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bizarre and hilariously funny aspects of sex research. In a new twist, she gets first-hand observations not previously possible in Stiff or Spook - those of the research subject.

Mary Roach writes in her familiar style: quick, witty, and never meeting a tangent she didn't like. Considering the subject, the jokes are rampant. While amusing, the asides and footnotes occasionally have a stultifying effect on the narrative. I sometimes found myself losing interest in the subject. Fortunately, Roach changes tack frequently enough that another, more interesting subject is always on the horizon.

Speaking of subjects, they are plentiful: male and female arousal, erections, orgasms, vibrators, and that sexual equivalent of body-building, the Kegel exercise. But, the most interesting subject is Roach herself, who takes a turn being observed by researchers and brings her (very understanding) husband along for the ride.

Roach wanders from subject to subject in a rather free-floating way, so consider yourself advised that there is no "point" to this work. As in other works, her approach is journalistic: she reports some new things learned about sex research, then throws in an editorial wink-and-a-smile. However, one does regret she didn't follow up with the same final page as in Stiff: "How to Donate Your Body to Science."

NOTE: A very great "Thank You!" to W.W. Norton and LibraryThing for the opportunity to review this book.

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Review haiku:

If we could all just
Admit that sex is funny
It all gets better

Gee, what can one say about a book like this? I guess you've got to admire anyone who goes to the lengths that Mary Roach does to acquire her research. I read very little non-fiction, but I must say that I enjoy Roach's writing. She knows how to add enough humor to keep the reader interested,

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although I thought this book could've been a little more condensed than it was. I was ready to be done with it about 3/4 of the way through, although I kept going until the end, just to say I read it all. My favorite parts included:

p. 172-173 (Dr. Foreman's kegal video for strengthening the pelvic floor musculature for men (i.e "Tighten! Tighten! Tighten!" vs. "Titan! Titan! Titan!"))

p. 210 (Mary's description of images that stay with you for the rest of your life (i.e. man in blue smock walking across factory floor w/ armload of chocolate-brown dildos)

p. 252 (Alfred Kinsey's quote about cheese crumbs & male vs. female rats during copulation)

In context, I thought all of these were hysterical! And yes, the footnotes are quite engaging as well. I read "Stiff" on audio, and though I enjoyed it, I think the actual book version is the better way to go in order to fully enjoy all the footnotes, etc. I recently just picked up a copy of "Spooked" at a library sale, so now I'm anxious to read that as well.

I tried to get my book club to read this as a selection a couple months ago, but it was outvoted by another selection. LOL! I do think it would make for an interesting group discussion!

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In Bonk, Roach describes the evolution of sex research and the sometimes brave scientists who willing put themselves in very awkward situations time and again for the betterment of humanity. Well maybe humanity is going a little too far, but they sure are helping making lives a bit more enjoyable.

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I was surprised at how thoroughly researched this book really is, covering not only the pioneering works of Robert Latou Dickenson (arguably the 1st serious scientific sex researcher), and Alfred Kinsey and his contemporaries, but also addressing modern day research into the complicated sex drive of women, men’s ED issues, the sexual experiences of the physically handicapped, and even the research of truly brave scientist in Egypt trying to address sexual concerns in a conservative Muslim country. All wrapped in a fun, witty, disarming package thanks to Roach’s somewhat sarcastic and cynical approach to the subject matter. I’ll concede that some might find her approach tiresome, but I’m not one of those people. Roach had me laughing from the first pages right up to the end. I also love that she herself (and her husband) stepped up to the plate on more then one occasion to be a subject in a study. Granted this was to get around some of the Human research restrictions placed on science of this nature. It still takes guts to be placed in such awkward positions and still have the wit and charm to pass it off as naturally as she does.

I’d imagined this book going one of two ways. Either it was going to be a brief history on the trivialities of sex, the porn industry, and the likes of Cosmo sexual surveys. Or it was going to be series of embarrassing encounters with no real substance. Happily it is neither of those. Bonk is a serious history of sex research and the obstacles researchers face, delivered in a humorous and fun way, with it’s fair share of embarrassing moments. The only more through presentation of the past, present, and future of sex research can be found at the Kinsey Institute (also the largest private collection of pornographic material available to the public that is. I’m so proud of IU.)

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Bonk: the Curious Coupling of Sex and Science by Mary Roach

I received an early review copy of this book and was interested to note that it was a highly sought after book. I was one of 20 lucky library thing reviewers to receive it. I thought perhaps it might be because I live in Bloomington,

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Indiana the location of the Kinsey Institute and one of Mary Roach’s subjects in the early chapters of her book.

Whatever the cause, I was thrilled to get the chance to read this fascinating look at how sex research is done and how scientists throughout the ages have viewed sex. What makes it imminently readable is that Roach has the perfect sense of humor and quite literally inserts herself into the science whenever she can. If research about sex seems awkward then it is so much easier to write about and read about when we picture this woman boldly going where no one has gone before, into the sex lab with microphone and notebook, ready to take pictures, make notes and even in a few circumstances participate in the research in order to see it and understand it in action.

Although I enjoyed every chapter, especially her footnotes, most notable was the chapter on MRI’s and coital imaging in which she got her husband to join her in the MRI machine. I also loved the story about the career of Middle Eastern doctor and sex researcher Ahmed Shafik who researches sex undercover. If you think finding subjects for sex research in the west is difficult, imagine trying to do it in a Muslim country.

This book is laugh out loud funny, captivating and very relevant to most of our lives and relationships.

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I enjoyed reading Mary Roach's earlier book, “Stiff”, which was an entertaining and informative romp through the history of scientists' uses of cadavers. Granted, it was informative in the way that trivia questions are – fun to discuss over cocktails, but not really helpful to know. Still, it

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is interesting to pause and think about aspects of life – or death – that usually are beyond our concern. So, I was intrigued by “Bonk”; I expected Mary Roach would easily rise to the challenge.

She never quite got it up. Sure, it was informative. But after reading about one too many sex experiments involving primates, the thrill was gone. Since the subject became dull rather quickly, Roach filled the text with too many jokes – and some of them fell flat. (Some of them were downright nasty, such as the footnote in chapter 9 about a young boy being killed in an MRI machine. What could possibly be funny about that?) After a while, the forced humor and repetition of sex talk reminded me of 5th grade locker room conversation.

She also tried to make the story interesting by giving the reader portraits of the scientists involved in the research. The caricatures were either too silly or too scary; for the latter, she had to repeatedly make an effort to defend them as real scientists, not voyeurs. Adding these characters to the locker room talk and lame humor hardly made for an entertaining read.

You can only try to be funny about body parts for so long, before the reader just starts wishing Roach would hurry up and finish. The stories that could have been interesting, such as when she relates her own involvement in some of the more tame experiments, are about as titillating as a cold shower. Worse than that, the book doesn't seem to go anywhere. The reader is up to the eyeballs in scientists and genitals, but there seems to be no point to the story, except to say that there have been some scientists that have been interested in genitals. Well, isn't that a thrilling thesis?

In the end, I was reminded of something that Raymond Chandler wrote, comparing alcohol to love: “The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you take the girl's clothes off.” In “Bonk”, the preface – entitled 'foreplay', of course – draws you in. You'll read a chapter or two, but then you'll wish you'd said, “Not tonight, dear; I have a headache.” It's just routine – and if the author isn't going to try to make it interesting and new, then the reader might as well just roll over and get some sleep. At least you'll still respect yourself in the morning.

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THIS REVIEW IS OF THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION

Book Description

Like all of Roach’s books, Bonk takes a sideways scientific look at a broad topic. (In previous books, she’s tackled cadavers, the afterlife and space travel.) This time out, Roach is exploring “The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.”

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With her boundless curiosity, willingness to ask the “hard” questions (pun intended) and trademark snarkiness, Roach is the perfect person to explore sex research … even going so far as to participate in a few experiments herself. From discussing the work of sex researcher pioneers Master and Johnson to visiting a pig insemination farm to observing a degloving surgery (you don’t want to know) to touring a sex toys manufacturing plant, Roach travels the world interviewing and exploring the work of sex researchers past and present.

My Thoughts

I just adore Mary Roach and will follow her anywhere her witty and curious mind takes her. I love her sense of humor and how she isn’t afraid to ask questions that might make others blush. I love how she inserts herself into her books by sharing anecdotes about her experiences while researching the book. More than anything, I love how I learn stuff I never knew while being thoroughly entertained. Whenever someone says “I don’t enjoy non-fiction writing,” I always ask them “Have you read Mary Roach yet?”

With sex being such a “taboo” topic, this book might not appeal to everyone. If frank talk about sex, sex organs, orgasms, penises, vaginas and so forth make you uncomfortable, this book is not for you. Although the material isn’t presented in a gratuitous or tasteless manner, it IS a book about sex.

And speaking of sex, I don’t think you walk away from this book without thinking long and hard (again, pun intended!) about your own sexual experiences and reactions. To be honest, I felt like a little experimentation was in order after reading the book. (Mr. Jenners cheers!) After all, many women confess to not really being in touch with their clitoris—a critical element in achieving orgasm in women. And I must confess that I may not be as in touch with my clitoris as I could be. (How’s that for too much information?)

About the Narration: Sandra Burr was the perfect narrator for this book. She has a wonderful voice that was easy on the ears and injected the perfect amount of snark and humor to best serve Roach’s writing. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book on audio (though I wouldn’t recommend listening to it where others could listen in as I’m sure you’d raise some eyebrows!), and I’d seek out Burr as a narrator of other books. Here’s hoping she narrates Roach’s next book as that would definitely push me to listen to it on audio versus reading it in print form.

Recommended for: Roach fans, readers seeking scientific writing that is leavened with a sense of humor, people interested in learning more about human sexuality and sex research

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I really dug Ms. Roach's first book, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and had fun with her second book, Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife. But I found this one a little more put-downable. I read it over several months in various-sized chunks. Some of the chapters made me wrinkle my

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nose and go "ewww" and I did a little skipping here and there since I wasn't all that interested in learning about people doing what sounds like tortuous things to their penis. I don't need that. And some of the people she interviews are... a bit nutty. I did learn some stuff though, a good deal of it pretty interesting and also it's stuff that people never talk about (like the bit about what happens to rape victims). I also learned that humans are the only ones shy about sex. Chimpanzees will calmly stare you in the face as they are flogging their carrot. That might be a bit off-putting. So, all-in-all, I'd say this book was a mixed bag. But this is probably my only review to include the phrase "flogging their carrot." For now.

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Fascinating, funny and bizarre by turns, this is a book with a rather scattered approach. We are informed on subjects as apparently unconnected as the use of porn films in research and pig breeding, in probably as much detail as you could possibly want,.

All along the way as Roach gleefully parades

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for our amusement and enlightenment the peculiar things otherwise perfectly respectable scientists get up to in the name of figuring out how It works, there are footnotes, tangents and asides aplenty to point out the ridiculousness of some aspects of human sexuality. From time to time these can be a little too much of a good thing and the flippancy can grate here and there, but on the whole this was a fascinating, er, ride... Maybe I should rephrase that? Never mind.

I don't really recommend reading this on the train, particularly if you have the edition with the doodles and diagrams on the cover (I got a number of bemused looks, particularly in the funny parts), but I do recommend you read it. If only so you can join me in wondering why the long-suffering Ed hasn't begun answering every question from his spouse with a reflexive 'No, and you can't make me!!!'

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I really wanted to like Bonk. Mary Roach seems joyous in her celebration of the science of sex. It's clear she's spent (and thoroughly enjoyed) her time researching the subject, unfortunately the book never really comes together. Mary Roach's 'signature wit' comes of more as juvenile as she seems

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lost in her perspective on her subject. Is Bonk a personal essay about her journey through the world of sex research? A portrait of the history of sex and the science surrounding it? Roach never settles in with a clear perspective on her subject and ends up getting lost in the telling.

I'm not a huge fan of footnotes, I respect when they are used well but despise when they are used as long tangents for a broken narrative. In Bonk Roach uses long footnotes on almost every other page and uses them to add 'witty commentary' to some of her points. Most of the footnotes should have been integrated into the main text as they often feel orphaned from it.

The most telling chapter of this book is when Roach goes to Cairo to get insight into sex research in Egypt. Her trip, the results and the chapter are a complete let down and yet Roach tries to salvage it at the end with a chest thumping cry of how important people dedicating their lives to sexual discourse are. It's at this point you can see that Roach is 'rounding third' in her book and realizes she doesn't have the goods to bring it all home.

It's a real shame. This book could and should have been better. Mary Roach is a fine writer, an obvious research nut and the subject is one that is anything but unengaging. Unfortunately it's yet another book where the editor let the author run free. Some real hard nosed editing, some real focus, a re-arrangement of the footnotes and a clarity of perspective and you've got a fine book. But what's in this pages isn't worth picking this book up in hardcover. It's really a casual mass-market paperback read (or even a used one at that).

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This is a fascinating look at a subject, which we all seem to enjoy, but know very little about. Mary Roach is an excellent journalist, in that she does exhaustive research and checks all of her facts before reporting them. This book goes into the history of sex research and discusses the

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difficulties experienced by early researchers and the current problems that today's scientists are having. The academic community at large seems to think that sex as a subject of study is unimportant and one would only study it if they were depraved and weird. Mary Roach finds the scientists on the outskirts of history, and brings their discoveries to light. She also is able to take science writing, which has a tendency to be dry a little bit boring and spice it up with interesting anecdotes and fun facts. What amazes me the most however, is not that there is a science of sex, but how little we still know about such an important subject to everyone.

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Light holiday reading on the beach. Giggle-tastic. Passes Bechdel quite happily as so many of the scientists Roach works with are women.

Mary Roach's new book, Bonk, falls into a category I like to refer to as cocktail party science journalism. This is an odd branch of science journalism which emphasizes witticism rather than wisdom and the curious rather than curiosity, a fact that is signaled by the subtitle: "The Curious Coupling

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of Science and Sex." There is nothing wrong or inferior about this form of science journalism. It's like a light hearted afternoon tour through a museum. Sometimes you just want to spend the day with a charming and loquacious friend who knows the oddest things. That would be Mary Roach in spades. She's the sort of person you'd like to sit next to at a dinner party...provided you don't blush easily.

Bonk takes the reader on a tour through the quiet academic realms of research into human sexuality, medicine and the more raucous world of sex..um..toys. All along the way she keeps up a steady stream of comic patter to distract us from our inclination to grow uncomfortable with the subject matter. Whether she is attending an exhibition of sex devices at a museum, performing a bit of physical shtick while climbing on a desk to peek through a transom, or conning her husband into participating in a research study, she manages to defuse the tension and keep a "touchy" subject safe. Along the way, you just might learn a thing or two.

Bonk is frequently graphic, but never salacious. However, your mileage may vary. There is plenty there to discomfit all manner of people. I believe it was Kenneth Tynan who once said that, "Decadence is anything which makes a person who believes himself to be sexually sophisticated wince." By that definition, many people would consider Bonk to be a decadent book, because if you don't wince at least once while reading it I would be greatly surprised. But it would be a pity to avoid this book because the subject makes you uncomfortable. Be daring! Give it a try.

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Mary Roach is great. I loved Stiff, so when I saw Bonk at my library I couldn't wait to start it! Fun, informative, and mostly lighthearted, even though Sex is a serious subject. Loved it!

After getting over the giggles and settled down to read this seriously, I found this book educational, interesting and jaw-dropping. If I'd recorded the soundtrack of me reading this it would be full of giggles, gasps, oh my gods and ewws. Anyone listening would assume I was Bonking, instead of

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reading about it.

Mary Roach fully immerses herself in her research, even taking part in some studies to experience the experiments for herself. I feel for her husband. Being married to her can mean finding yourself chatting to a strange man watching you having sex with your mad wife inside an MRI machine.

Her witty commentary on the history of sex research shows the people behind the white coats weren't all perverts and had a genuine scientific curiosity about sex, the most taboo subject in the world no matter time or place you live in. The negative effect this had on both their careers and their personal lives was sometimes staggering.

However, some of the experiments on animals...err...well, they were uncomfortable to read. Roach only reported on the humane ones but even those -I was questioning where the line between science and bestiality is, if there is one. I'm sorry, researchers but there was a gigantic EWW! moment involving a female primate. It was too weird.

Being female I was most interested in the female chapters than the male which tended to drag for me although penis re-attachment surgery was most...enlightening. *coughs to hide smile*

Certain statistics, anecdotes and trivia (e.g. items removed from naughty places that can't be explained without embarrassment) were spread throughout the book, many of which were in the footnotes so whatever you do, pay attention to those even if you, like some, don't particularly like Roach's writing. Her sense of humour won't be to everyone's taste, for me it's more hit than miss but I can understand why some see it as forced, trying too hard to evoke a laugh from her audience.

In an ideal world I'd want to give this to teenagers as part of their sex education. Anyone who might assume this is just some smutty perverted book just by looking at the cover, is wrong. Neither is it dry and boring, there will be no Zzzz's whilst reading this. If anything I'd warn people: You must have a strong stomach. There are graphic descriptions of surgical procedures that will have you involuntarily crossing your legs in sympathy.

So if you want to read about how men get erections, why some women orgasm and others don't then this book is for you. Have fun and try not to puke.

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Sex is a lot of fun. To quote Maud Lebowski, "it can be a natural, zesty enterprise." It is also, to far too many of the world's population, a source of taboo, shame, and fear. Because of this, surprisingly little is known about what makes the human nether regions tick. Researchers who try to study

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sex cannot get funding unless they are being funded by a drug company to cure a specific ailment, and even then funding agencies are squeamish.

Mary Roach delves into the small world of sex research, interviewing several of the scientists who have managed to set up labs to study sex. Why we do it, what happens when we do it, and why it sometimes goes horribly wrong and how to fix it when it does. She also reviews the euphemism heavy sex studies from the Victorian era up into the 60's and 70's when anyone wanting to understand more about sex was labeled a pervert, a deviant, a pornographer, or some combination thereof, and she does so with disarming humor and wit. In several instances, she even becomes a participant in the various sex studies along with her reluctant but good, giving, and game husband and gives a firsthand account of what it is like to have sex in a laboratory and how it is completely unlike having sex at home.

I learned a lot from this book, and had a very difficult time putting it down. I highly recommend that anyone should check their inhibitions at the door and pick up a copy.

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While the book provides insight into the crazy world of sex research, the author's style is odd and disengaging. The book never reaches any real climax, which was dissapointing and ironic.

Hilarious, with its heart in the right place. Definitely interesting.

Bonk is Mary Roach's earlier book, "Stiff" but about sex instead of death.

Like Stiff, it is mainly a collection of anecdotes that revolve around sex rather than being an examination of the subject. Lots of funny asides and all, but it isn't ever really deep.

I got this book because I enjoyed Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers so much. In that book, I thought Roach was brilliant at making science interesting and absolutely hilarious while still managing to treat her subjects with a sort of dignity. A fine line that I was amazed she could

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walk so well. And when I saw that she had a book out about sex, well, how could I resist?

But I still haven't quite decided whether I should've resisted this one or not. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely fascinating. And again, often hilarious, while treating the subjects with dignity. But, ohmigod, there was a lot of stuff in here that I would have gone through my entire life perfectly content not knowing. The first chapter or two, which were mainly about Kinsey and his compatriots, almost made me put the book down. And chapters six, seven, and eight would, I think, make almost every man I know cringe and cross his legs at a minimum, or, more likely, drop the book as if it were on fire and run screaming from the room.

I'll list the mildest of the chapter titles here...you can look up the others if you like.

What's Going On in There? The Diverting World of Coital Imaging
The Immaculate Orgasm: Who Needs Genitals?
Monkey Do: The Secret Sway of Hormones
"Persons Studied In Pairs": The Lab That Uncovered Great Sex

My favorite quote from the book is: "Sex is far more than the sum of its moving parts."

All in all, I think I'd say this one was a pretty interesting book, but it's most definitely not for everyone.

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I judge how engaged I am in a book by how often I interrupt my partner to read passages aloud to him, and by how often I giggle to myself. This is not a scholarly work in the sense of an academic tome, but it is well written and well researched for all that. Written in a plain speaking, accessible

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style, this is a look at sex from many different angles. The book is more than merely titillating - it's educational. Case in point: I now know how to put a condom on a penis with a catheter, and I know how women respond more to porn - of any type - than men, who respond only to porn that appeals to their sexuality and proclivities. Recommended.

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There's a lot of interesting arcana in this book, all presented in a highly readable, engaging way that kept me reading well past the time to do the dishes, mow the lawn, and so on. This book, though, is not the equal for me of Roach's earlier book [Stiff]. Its principal shortcoming is the author's

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one-note flippancy; this is funny for a while, and may work well enough if one dips in and out over the course of several days. But that sort of humour does not stand up for a sustained read. If we're adults sufficiently interested to read a full-length book about sex, could we not also be adult enough not to snigger through the whole thing?

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Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, turns her eye and wit to the history of sex research. She examines the history, controversy, and amusing anecdotes that surround the study of sex, excitement, orgasm, and desire. Unlike studies using cadavers, studies of human

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sexuality have been around for less than a century (with a couple of rather amusing exceptions). Like cadaver studies, there are regulations, taboos, and difficulties connected to the field. One of the most glaring problems is finding volunteers!

Overall, this is an excellently researched book. Roach reviewed and researched studies in the field, examined current studies, and even volunteered for some studies that didn't allow visitors. Reading the works cited page is one of the funniest things I've done in a long time, and that was after reading about how she had to convince her husband to have sex with her in an MRI so she could get information about an ongoing study.

The topics include examining how arousal differs from men and women (the section considering the differences between how each views porn was fascinating), showing how the exact function and actions of all the fun parts actually work (this history of this is amazing), and describing the equipment used to figure out all this information. The book is informative and a useful read for anyone interested in the field, anyone looking to understand (scientifically) how to improve their sex lives, and anyone who is interested in the history of medical research. Her style parallels her style in Stiff. However, there she used a great deal of gallows humor. In this book, she uses a great deal of raunch humor, which gets a tad bit old after a few chapters. She also greatly overuses footnotes, which distracts from reading (and the reason this book didn't get ranked a 5 star).

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