review: bonk by mary roach

there's nothing like curling up with a blanket, a cup of tea and your cuddly pet rabbit and reading about penis transplants and prescription vibrators.

bonk: the curious coupling of science and sex is the latest offering from science writer mary roach, who previously tackled the interactions between science and death and science and the afterlife. i'll read pretty much anything she writes, because she's extremely funny and shares my morbid fascinations and patterns of obsession, and her books are highly entertaining without sacrificing interesting, factual information.

that said... ok, bonk is not my favorite of her three pop science books. (that honor goes to stiff. it is a fantastic, gross, thoughtful, awesome book.) bonk is interesting, and at times i actually laughed out loud while reading, but it sometimes drags. i think there were three chapters devoted to erectile dysfunction, and there were a number of sexual topics i would have liked to see covered in more depth that weren't covered in much detail. and i pretty much enjoyed the earlier chapters, which discussed the scientists of the past and the sometimes ridiculous, sometimes daring, sometimes totally innovative ways they were forced to go about studying human sexual habits. i also thought it was pretty awesome that roach did not just write about these experiments- on a few occasions, she actually participated (and enlisted her husband, as well).

i'd recommend bonk to those who have enjoyed roach's previous works, but i would not recommend it as an introduction. if you're the type of person who would enjoy reading about all of the things that could potentially happen to your body after you die, in great and graphic detail (i am! wait, that might not be something to be proud of) then i would recommend starting with stiff. (if that sounds awful but you want to read about weird genital surgery, go ahead and pick up bonk. you definitely won't go wrong.)

conclusion: bonk had moments of brilliance but honestly i kind of thought the footnotes were the best part.