I loved the zebras, the cheetahs, the fruit flies, the octopi and the rest. But The Nature of Sex climaxed with a species Id never heard of before, bonobos, which the narrator also called by their Latin/scientific name Pan paniscus. I knew Pan as classical Greek mythologys horned and horny god of the wild, so maybe I shouldnt have been surprised. But when the bonobos started swinging onto my screen, well what can I say? Today, Ive got a whole books worth of stuff to say, but back then, I couldnt utter a word. Imagine looking into an evolutionary funhouse mirror and seeing a side of yourself youve never seen before, shocking yet deeply familiar. Who are these vibrant, joyful creatures that look so much like me, only hairier? I wondered. And whats with all the sex? They werent just going at it for procreation. They were engaging in sex for recreation and interpersonal communication, very much like humans, but without the pretense, hypocrisy and shame. I got very excited, but no, I still didnt want to have sex with them. I wanted to have sex like them (at least occasionally), in that playful yet deeply meaningful way of theirs I started calling the Bonobo Way. But would it keep our sex life out of the dreaded sinkhole? Only time would tell.
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About Susan Block, The Bonobo Way
Susan Block, The Bonobo Way.