Bonk

The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

By: Mary Roach

Narrated by: Sandra Burr

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2008 Mary Roach (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Sandra Burr's enjoyment of Roach's descriptions and wry comments is obvious, making this a pleasure to hear." (Library Journal)

Funny and disturbing!

Probably one of the funniest and most disturbing books I've ever read. Some of the research she describes is beyond absurd. Some of the technology and techniques are fascinating. I don't think I learned all that much, but I had such a good time doing it. Some things can cause some visceral reactions, particularly for men, so be warned

Not quite as good as "Stiff", but mildly engaging

Bonk was an interesting exploration of the history of sex research. It wasn't quite as well organized as Stiff, and it's not quite as comprehensive as I would have wanted. Whereas Stiff has reams of information about cadavers going back hundreds and thousands of years, Bonk is almost entirely focused on the last century.

The author's tone irritated me quite a bit; she was reverent in Stiff, while still having a baseline of humor to get through difficult material. In this book, she's just out-and-out insulting to the many people mentioned, with many cheap jokes at their expense. For a book that's written to help us overcome to squeamishness of sex, this is juvenile and dissappointing. I also was unhappy at the many times she left things undescribed - once again, in a book written help us overcome the squeamish, she squeams out of quite a few topics/situations.

The book also very female-centric, probably a good two thirds of it focuses on women. This is probably because the author is female, and the few times she subjects herself to sex research, of course she can only describe it from a female point of view. But even when discussing Kinsey's research, she still talks more about his study of Female Sexuality.

The reader is also very meh; she tries, but just doesn't quite get the author's tone.

Overall, I would say if you're interested in this, read Stiff first, see if you like Mary Roach, and if you do, read this. If you don't like her, I don't think this will convert you. A tepid recommendation. And for the love of god, make sure that your phone autopauses if your headphones fall out. The last thing you need is everyone at work hearing a completely out of context line on fetishes or whatnot.

Fascinating Study with Many Good Laughs

Mary Roach dives into the taboo world of sex research and provides thoughtful education on many questions people are too afraid to ask. Best of all, Roach’s humor allows for a steady, enjoyable pace that makes the reader wonder “what’s next” without distracting from the learning experience.

read like a textbook!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Time well spent if you can stay awake. Well written and witty but read like a textbook. At first I wondered if I was listening to a computer generated reading of the book- to bad because the author attempts to make a point about the problems of scientifically studying sex, but the monotone loses all the small jokes and made me feel like I was in a science class instead of listening to research on an interesting subject.

Science can be sexy!

A playful overview of the science of sex. I loved listening to Roach's many foot notes and asides. She even participated in some of the studies herself! What a fascinating way to bring listeners and readers into the world of sex research.

Bonk

What a kick! We are given details on studies, by professionals, who are trying to discover what makes us tick at the most intimate level...our sexuality. The writing is done with humor, without being ribald, and one does come away illuminated. The amazing part; the lengths to which "they" go in the discovery process.

You will laugh, cringe and learn something

"You will laugh, cringe and learn something!" This book is a respectful and highly interesting look at what sex researchers do; past and present.

I cringed at how little we used to know and how long the misinformation went on.

I was impressed to learn from more than one study in this book that regular masturbation can help with a myriad of health sexual concerns.

I laughed at footnotes are filled dry humor and sarcasm that lightens those few dry moments.

I feel I need to mention that it wasn't till midway through the book that I realized why Roach spends so long in the beginning describing the the challenges of just being a sex researcher.

As I read I saw that these people are harshly judged and have to work very hard to legitimize their work, which IS important to human health.

Final thoughts: I would recommend this audiobook over the book as I found it easier to take in the information with all the footnotes more easily. I gave it 4 instead of 5 because of the few drier chapters.

Highly entertaining!

What did you love best about Bonk?

Such a well researched topic and made even more interesting through her storytelling.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mary herself and how she's not afraid to become a guinea pig to see the inside of the story.

Have you listened to any of Sandra Burr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Science and sex, strange bedfellows.

Middling Mary Roach Book

I've listened to many Mary Roach books. This one is fine. The narration is very good. The content is a lot of summaries of studies. I would recommend you check out Working Stiff or Gulp before this.

Interesting, but incomplete

An informative and sometimes amusing exploration of human sexuality. Somewhat imbalanced, however. She spends a huge amount on penile implants, but other aspects of human sexuality are barely touched upon.