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| Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Roach
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.43
You Save: $11.52 (46%)
New (49) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $13.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 2203
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0393064646
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.6
EAN: 9780393064643
ASIN: 0393064646
Publication Date: April 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Best Selling Author of Stiff April 20, 2008
14 out of 35 found this review helpful
When Bonk arrived and I saw that it was by the "best-selling author of STIFF", I got kind of worried. The subtitle "The Curious Coupling of Science of Science and Sex" had suggested that this was a treatment of, well, science and sex. But one written by the best-selling author of STIFF? I considered the implications and thought about sending back the book.
But I didn't.
As it turns out, Stiff is not about what you might think it is. In fact, it deals with "The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers". Relieved by this finding and thinking therefore that the book I had just purchased was not simply smut, I waded into Bonk.
It begins, "Albert R. Shadle was the world's foremost expert on the sexuality of small woodland creatures".
OK...
From here Roach moves deftly and with much humor through the work of well known investigators such as Kinsey and Masters and Johnson, as well as a host of less well known and sometimes seemingly prurient practitioners such as Robert Latou Dickinson, Giles Brindley.
[..]Is it possible that there is actually a sex researcher by this name? Apparently so - a fact uncovered by the author's relentless research.
Eventually though, the book bonks (this is also a terminology to describe what happens to an endurance athlete expending too much energy and hitting the wall). Ultimately the exploration of material more and more bizarre and over the top just becomes too much.
For instance, the author travels to Taiwan to observe a penile implant operation.
When complete, and clearly in the interest of science, Roach asks Dr. Hsu (the surgeon) "May I squeeze it?" He answers, "Mary, you have traveled a long way. You can do whatever you want".
I guess this should have been expected given that it's written by the "best selling author of STIFF".
 Shopkeep, how much for that vaginal photoplethysmograph in the window? July 12, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
"Not everyone gets their (masturbation study) funding from research grants. Some masturbation professionals get their funding from the sales of Vibrating Port-A-Pussies and Mr. Fred Jelly Dongs." - Mary Roach in BONK
"To get inside a lubricated vagina, a penis needs to be hard enough to push against the opening with one to two pounds of force. That is approximately the amount of force required to open a swinging kitchen door." - Mary Roach in BONK
Mary Roach is the author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, the enormously instructive and entertaining book on the uses to which human cadavers are put. As far as I'm concerned, instructive AND entertaining is about as good as it gets. With BONK, Roach has outdone herself with a read that I couldn't put down.
Science pursues sex because, after all, it's what makes the world turn. Roach first establishes the history of the science, which pretty much reached mainstream acceptance with researchers Alfred Kinsey and then William Masters and Virginia Johnson. (An excellent film about the former, starring Liam Neeson, is 2004's Kinsey.)
The meat of the book, so to speak, is the wide array of sexual behavior and physiologic functions which scientists have investigated, and which include: the sure sign of female orgasm, the location of the fabled G Spot, female orgasm as a function of clitoral-urethral separation distance, the link between female sexual pleasure and fertility, the validity of the vaginal "upsuck" concept, the validity of the penis-cervix interlock theory, cures for erectile dysfunction, the historical legal implications of male "potency", societal perspectives on masturbation, testicular transplants, penile implants, penis restoration post amputation, the physiology and structure of the clitoris, the internal mechanics of penile erection, orgasm's effect on overall physical health, the value of orgasm as exercise, the role of electroejaculation in people with spinal cord injuries, vaginal lubrication as an indicator of female sexual arousal, the nature of arousal in men vs. women, the physiologic trigger of male ejaculation, the role of hormones on the female libido, the existence of human sex-pheromones, and the qualitative measurement of sex. Juicy stuff, this.
The author's special talent, whether it be in STIFF or BONK, is her serious - but not too serious - approach to the subject matter. At any time, the reader may expect Mary to look up from her notes, cock an eyebrow, and deliver some wryly humorous aside. This is perhaps best seen in the footnotes to the text, as in the one connected to the above quote concerning the amount of penile force required for vaginal entry:
"We have three Houston researchers to thank for this statistic. In 1985, the trio attached a pressure gauge to the tip of a penis-shaped Plexiglas rod and penetrated a small group of female volunteers. It seems to me that if they wanted to approximate the surface friction that exists in real intercourse, slippery-smooth Plexiglas was a poor stand-in for penis skin. Though I suppose that when you're doing an experiment that involves penetrating coeds in your lab, surface friction is less of a concern than, say, human subjects review board friction."
As windows on otherwise esoteric or eccentric subject matter, Mary's books are without peer as reading experiences.
Finally, in case you're wondering, a photoplethysmograph is a device used to measure the amount of lubricant vaginal walls exude during sexual stimulation. As a matter of fact, I have one right here for inclusion in Mom's Christmas basket.
The funniest science book I've ever read April 10, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
Here's to Ed! Author Mary Roach's husband Ed must be the world's most agreeable husband, seeing as he agreed to have sex with his wife in a 20-inch-diameter MRI tube. While she takes notes. And an observing doctor makes chit-chat.
I actually laughed out loud while reading this book. Often. At the rec center where I work out, I kept getting the giggles while pedaling on the stationary bike. I took off the book jacket with the giant word "Bonk" on the cover (and the tiny, um, "bonking" ladybugs) so it wouldn't be obvious what I was reading.
I learned a great deal. For example, did you know that Victorian gynecologists treated women without looking at them? Or that using most homemade sex machines of that era was "like dating a corn dog"? Or some people thought that witches collected penises and put them in boxes, where they moved around on their own and ate oats and corn?
Mostly I learned that I need to get Mary Roach's other books. She's a gem.
Here's the chapter list:
1. The Sausage, the Porcupine, and the Agreeable Mrs. G: Highlights from the pioneers of human sexual response
2. Dating the Penis-Camera: Can a woman find happiness with a machine?
3. The Princess and Her Pea: The woman who moved her clitoris, and other ruminations on intercourse orgasms
4. The Upsuck Chronicles: Does orgasm boost fertility, and what do pigs know about it?
5. What's Going On in There?: The diverting world of coital imaging
6. The Taiwanese Fix and the Penile Pricking Ring: Creative approaches to impotence
7. The Testicle Pushers: If two are good, would three be better?
8. Re-Member Me: Transplants, implants and other penises of last resort
9. The Lady's Boner: Is the clitoris a tiny penis?
10. The Prescription-Strength Vibrator: Masturbating for health
11. The Immaculate Orgasm: Who needs genitals?
12. Mind Over Vagina: Women are complicated
13. What Would Allah Say?: The strange, brave career of Ahmed Shafik
14. Monkey Do: The secret sway of hormones
15. "Persons Studied in Pairs:" The lab that uncovered great sex
It's sex-ay (science) time! April 7, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
Kegels and paraclitoridiennes and Thrillhammers, oh my!
Popular science writer Mary Roach is no stranger to the business of taboo-busting; her previous works, STIFF: THE CURIOUS LIVES OF HUMAN CADAVERS and SPOOK: SCIENCE TACKLES THE AFTERLIFE are books one might hesitate to discuss in polite company. (The biology of "human soup" isn't exactly acceptable dinner conversation, now, is it?) Lucky for us, Mary Roach* is a curious and intrepid soul who's more than willing tread where many of us would rather not - and then pen a witty, sarcastically humorous account of her journey.
BONK: THE CURIOUS COUPLING OF SCIENCE AND SEX is Ms. Roach's latest foray into the dark nooks and crannies of the scientific community's attic. Starting with the 1800s, the author details the history of scientific inquiries into human and animal sexuality. In its infancy, sexual research was awkward and, at times, nonsensical; as understanding of human biology increased, the field of sexual science evolved. Nowhere is this more evident than in science's treatment of women and gender; whereas scientists once argued whether women could even have orgasms, they now quibble over the most efficient means of getting the ladyfolk there. Just as the development of sexual knowledge reflects the progression of science and the embrace of the scientific method, so too does it correspond to women's liberation and gender equality. Thus, a history of sex studies is a history of science and social movements.
All is not meta with Ms. Roach, however. In fact, her delight seems to be in the details. While her discussion does focus on some overarching topics and themes - including the history of research into and knowledge of sexuality; female and male anatomy and psychology, including the similarities and differences between the genders; the physiology of sex, and how one goes about documenting it; and technology's impact on sexuality - BONK is full of meandering tangents and interesting side notes. Though the asterisks are many, don't skip a one. While a few are a bit extraneous even for me, some of the juiciest tidbits are in the side notes.**
BONK is a popular science book that's suitable for both lay people and professionals alike. The science in BONK is presented in such a way that it's accessible and engaging, yet it isn't watered down, either. Ms. Roach has an engaging writing style and a biting sense of humor, making this a "science of sex" book quite unlike any other. At times sardonic, macabre and morbid, she just has a way of skewering sacred cows - she'll show you precisely how the hot dog is made before cajoling you into taking a bite.**** Like many gourmet dishes, Ms. Roach's brand of humor may not please every palate - but this doesn't make it any less of a delicacy.
While I enjoyed the book immensely, I do have to offer a caveat. If you're sensitive to images of animal suffering (more specifically, vivisection and factory farming), read BONK with caution. As with any "history of science" book, BONK contains scenes of gratuitous violence against animals. For example, one early study the author describes involved the decapitation of a female dog - while mating (!) - in order to study the mobility of the male's semen. It's pretty gruesome stuff, and while Ms. Roach is for the most part appropriately horrified, some of the more modern abuses are left unquestioned.
* Even the woman's name tickles my fancy. "Mary Roach." Roach clip, anyone?
** For example, I bet you didn't know that perforated postal stamps are a low-tech way to determine whether a man is medically (as opposed to psychologically) impotent. Just wrap a roll around the package in question, and ship it off for overnight delivery. If the stamps are torn upon morning pickup, said package is in working (physical) order.***
*** The USPS both knows of and endorses the practice, FYI.
**** Much in the same manner she cajoled her husband into bonking in an MRI machine in the name of science. Or so one might assume.*****
***** Pants off to you, Ed!
Quirky, Banally Funny, Not Life Changing April 14, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
ARE YOU IN THE MOOD FOR IT?
In her new book, Bonk: The Curious Couple of Science and Sex, Mary Roach approaches the subject of sex research with the same wit and curiosity present in her previous books- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, on the science of death, and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, a look at what happens after we die.
In Bonk, Roach describes the evolution of sex research: from studies by Alfred Kinsey and the lesser-known Robert Latou Dickenson, to the Egyptian doctor Ahmed Shafik, who dressed rats in polyester pants.
The 1920s were a curious decade for sex research. During that era, Dickenson, a Brooklyn-based gynecologist, became the first to take a laboratory-based approach to examining what happens physiologically when people have sex. Dickenson used test tubes to see what happened inside a woman during sexual intercourse and debunked theories that the penis locked on to the cervix during intercourse.
Dickenson later inspired Kinsey to conduct his famous experiments.
A history of scientific research is not that interesting, even if it involves the racy subject of sex. In Bonk, Roach has tried to infuse a dull subject with wit and humor. I agree with the reviewers that have commented Roach's banality gets old quick, but I don't know what other intriguing approach Roach could have taken to this topic. I concluded that as bored as I was with the post-modernist, sarcastic writing, it's probably the only approach Roach could have employed to write a book on sex research that you- presumably not a scientist and not a Cosmo or Playboy devotee-would have read.
Part of the problem is that this genre may be getting old. In the last decade I've read books that have dug up the quirky history of everything imaginable-the writing of the Oxford-English dictionary, orchid growing, bibliophilia, and china (as in china vases, not the country). It's clever, and at the time, I was happy to learn something about otherwise unknown idiosyncratic subjects, but this type of reading doesn't really satiate innate curiosity. You probably haven't read about sex research, because, well, let's face it, you probably don't care. I read history to learn about the present-the "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it"-type of approach. Knowing that someone stuck polyester pants on a rat back in the day doesn't really tell me anything about my life now. It's interesting in a navel-gazing sort of a way, but not that fulfilling.
If you are in the mood for history, I think a People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn is probably the most interesting history book I've read. But it's serious. When I was a kid I read the Guiness Book of World Records and learned that Napoleon's small sex organs were kept in a glass jar after his death. They are now "in the hands of" a private collector who paid around $10,000 dollars for them. That's interesting right? You'll get the same sort of information from Bonk. Decide for yourself whether or not you're "in the mood" for it.
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