Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Name: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Rating: 4.018348693847656 (109 reviews)

Mary Roach

Apr 2009 · W. W. Norton & Company

109 reviews

Ebook

321

Pages

Eligible

83% price drop on Oct 13

Switch to the audiobook

About this ebook

In this New York Times Bestseller, the author of Stiff "takes the reader on a wide-ranging tour . . . into human sexual life and practice, ranging from laboratories to brothels" ( Chicago Tribune).

"Rich in dexterous innuendo, laugh‐out‐loud humor and illuminating fact. Compulsively readable." — Los Angeles Times

In Bonk, the bestselling author of Stiff turns her outrageous curiosity and insight on the most alluring scientific subject of all: sex. Can a person think herself to orgasm? Why doesn't Viagra help women—or, for that matter, pandas? Can a dead man get an erection? Is vaginal orgasm a myth?

Mary 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 make the bedroom a more satisfying place.

"Roach ferrets out basic truths and endless absurd details amid mountains of dry science on her chosen subject . . . . It's a wonderful read, sprinkled with facts you can quote to amaze your friends." — San Francisco Chronicle

"A light-hearted cabaret of a book by a writer who genuinely seems to be enjoying herself—in more ways than one." — New Scientist

In this New York Times Bestseller, the author of Stiff "takes the reader on a wide-ranging tour . . . into human sexual life and practice, ranging from laboratories to brothels" ( Chicago Tribune). "Rich in dexterous innuendo, laugh‐out‐loud humor and illuminating fact. Compulsively readable." —...

Ratings and reviews

109 reviews

Kody Lyons

January 27, 2016

Bonk often reads like a conversation one would have at a bar with a PHD student who is excited about sexual research; light, informational, and comical. The style of Mary Roach's prose and angle on the topic engage the reader in a way her source materials do not even attempt. The reason this book received only 4 stars from me is because a few chapters of the book read less like a conversation with a friend, and more like a forced presentation of research. An entire chapter goes over Mary's disappointing and uneventful trip to Egypt and sheds little to no light on the topic of sexuality, the chapter could, and I believe should have been reduced to a page or two. That being said the book as a whole is a good resource for those who are interested in human sexuality but don't have the time to do the research themselves.

5 people found this review helpful

A Google user

March 2, 2011

If you have found talking about sex with people, than you need to see the lighter side of things. Mary Roach's "Bonk" dives into the physiology of sex, and how (no matter what you say) it's all around us. A must read for those who need to have a good laugh, wihtout looking down someones trousers.

A Google user

August 31, 2011

Just got to love the book. Certainly not a must read because most of the information is not very useful. Society, sex, and science ...... this books gives it to you! Chapter 2 - Dating the Penis-Camera Can a Woman Find happiness with a Machine? Some of the early researchers, what did they really do? Artificial insemination what is that like. The book explores in depth these things. After reading some of the comments I changed my mind of from 4 starts to 5 stars.

About the author

Mary Roach is the author of seven best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in California.

Mary Roach is the author of seven best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in California.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Flag as inappropriate