Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

By Mary Roach
288 pp. W.W. Norton, 2008 $24.95

Reviewed by Jessalynn Strauss

In Bonk Mary Roach explores the vast and uncharted waters of the field of sex research. Written in a highly accessible style that appeals to even those who don’t consider themselves “science people,” Bonk follows in the tradition of Roach’s previous books on cadaver research (Stiff) and the scientific study of the afterlife (Spook).

For anyone not named Dr. Ruth, descriptions of clitoral stimulation research, sex machines and Pyrex butt-plugs might pose, well, a stiff challenge. But Roach rises to the occasion with the trademark humor that has made her a widely popular and easily readable science writer. (In fact, Roach tells us Pyrex plays a major role in the modern manufacture of sex toys – I may never look at my bakeware the same again.)

To be clear, Bonk is not a book about sex. It is a book about sex research, its history and modern-day incarnation, and the trials and tribulations of those who seek to make their living in this field. Life is not easy for these individuals whose scientific interests lie not just in the human sexual anatomy but in the performance of the act of sexual intercourse. Roach explains, “Even when a researcher carefully explains a sex-related project—it’s purpose and value—people may still suspect he or she is a perv.”

This extensively researched and well-written book begins by chronicling the history of modern sex research from its beginnings in the early part of the 20th century through more recognizable names such as Alfred Kinsey and Masters & Johnson. Roach also digs a little deeper into early precursors to modern sex research, including the research of a great-great-niece of Napoleon Bonaparte, Princess Marie Bonaparte, who conducted research on women’s anatomy in order to better understand her own sexual difficulties. (Roach suggests that the homosexual tendencies of Marie’s husband, Prince George of Greece, may have been more to blame than Marie’s anatomy.)

Perhaps most impressive about Bonk is the degree to which Roach threw herself into research for the book, sometimes literally. Her research took her to Egypt and Taiwan to speak with leading names in the field of sex research, but mere travel pales in comparison to Roach’s decision to participate in several of the sex research studies she discusses. Her fearless, no-holds-barred approach to this research allows her to paint the most complete picture of the contemporary science of sex.

More importantly, Roach’s choice to address an often-maligned segment of scientific research reminds us how much the scope of our knowledge is dictated by what is deemed “appropriate” and “important.” Her portrait of Egyptian sex researcher Ahmed Shafik, who is undaunted by the conservative nature of his subject population and the resistance he encounters publishing his controversial results, reminds us of the importance of research for the sake of knowledge itself.