Bonk by Mary Roach

Published by W.W. Norton, 2008  **

This was by far Roach’s most disappointing book.  For one, I can’t say that I learned anything, not even cocktail party novelty knowledge.  I felt that any humor Roach had to offer was relegated to the footnotes.  It seemed like this was a device for her to extol pioneering sexual scientists Kinsey and Masters and Johnson and their groundbreaking research.  One would think it would be somewhat naughty and blush-worthy, but really it’s more about electrodes, penetrating measuring devices, ultrasounds, and other clinical testing scenarios.  There’s a chapter about inseminating pigs, rats in polyester pants, and other unappealing topics that “help” resolve performance or fertility issues or understanding the human body’s reaction to getting it on.

So if you’re hoping for something racy and funny and full of informational tidbits, I recommend reading any of Roach’s other books.  Mind you, I am not shy whatsoever about The Act of Bonk, but this is so far opposite of sexy.  And if you’re like me, you’ll find you’re concentrating more on the physiology of bonking than what you’re actually doing, and you may be a little grossed out about what’s actually going on down there.

I was introduced to Roach with the enjoyable Stiff long before I started reviewing (4 stars) and I loved Packing for Mars, but Spook not as much (but certainly better than this one).