Bonk

Title: Bonk - The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Author: Mary Roach

Pages: 319

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Mary Roach has previously written the non-fiction books, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" and "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife." Now Roach turns her mind towards the science of sex. The book explores the study of sexual physiology - what is happening, why it is happening and how can it happen better. Her research takes her to brothels, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, MRI centers and the labs of numerous sexologists. As the book jacket suggests, Roach tackles the questions such as: "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... pandas?

My Review: Sex is about as taboo a subject as an author can explore. What makes this book work is the honesty and openness that Roach exudes as she digs into this topic. I'll be honest, I'm probably fairly naive about sex in the world in general, and this book was eye-opening in many ways. The book is not dirty or vulgar, but it is often hilarious and sometimes disgusting and disturbing. Alison can attest, the book is often very funny and had me laughing more often than most.

Disclaimer: Obviously, this book is about sex - from a scientific angle. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it (as I've recommended Alison to read it), but you've probably got to have an open mind. As you can imagine, the language in the book fits the subject matter and may cause some discomfort...

From the Book: There are so many quotes that I could have included from this book, but I'm doing my best to keep this blog a family blog...

(p. 91) Anne Marie's beauty and style belie a down-and-dirty education in the particulars of practical AI (artificial insemination). She has miked a boar of his prodigious ejaculate--over two hundred milliliters (a cup), as compared to a man's three milliliters--and she has done it with her hand. For, unlike stallions and bulls, boars don't cotton to artificial vaginas. (in part, because their penis, like their tail, is corkscrewed.) AI techs must squeeze the organ in their hand--hard and without letup--for the entire duration of the ejaculation: from five to fifteen minutes. "You should see the size of their hands," she says, of the men and women who regular ejaculate boars."