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Adventures in the Orgasmatron: The Invention of Sex
One of The Economist’s 2011 Books of the Year
A Boston Globe Best Nonfiction Book of 2011
Well before the 1960s, a sexual revolution was under way in America, led by expatriated European thinkers who saw a vast country ripe for liberation. In Adventures in the Orgasmatron, Christopher Turner tells the revolution’s story—an illuminating, thrilling, often bizarre story of sex and science, ecstasy and repression.
Central to the narrative is the orgone box—a tall, slender construction of wood, metal, and steel wool. A person who sat in the box, it was thought, could elevate his or her “orgastic potential.” The box was the invention of Wilhelm Reich, an outrider psychoanalyst who faced a federal ban on the orgone box, an FBI investigation, a fraught encounter with Einstein, and bouts of paranoia.
In Turner’s vivid account, Reich’s efforts anticipated those of Alfred Kinsey, Herbert Marcuse, and other prominent thinkers—efforts that brought about a transformation of Western views of sexuality in ways even the thinkers themselves could not have imagined.
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First published June 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 8, 2012
Firstly, let's get rid of the worst part of this book - the title. It must have been invented by someone at the publishers because it has little to do with the book's contents and will mislead many readers who want to read a dispassionate biography of Wilhelm Reich.
I think there are times in history when the right person is there to make things better and because of the misguided brain becomes the wrong person in history. Wilhelm Reich will always be remembered for his orgone theory or his rather paranoid fantasies of his later years instead of his groundbreaking work in the area of modern sexuality, for without him we may not have seen free clinics, sexual liberation and the rather misguided Marcuse (joke).It is a sad indictment of the possession of his character
I started this book with a great deal of trepidation and some of my misgivings were confirmed in the first couple of chapters as the author jumped around a lot between the young and older Reich. However, once he gets into stride this is a fabulous biography of Reich, where the judgements come from his older colleagues and not the author,and demonstrates how out of touch they were with the social movements of the 1920's in Vienna and the rise of fascism in Germany.
Reich's personal gifts to the world have been mystified by the spirit of the 1960's and for many people they only see the orgasmatron as his only output. I hope, when you read this book, you may change your mind because Reich made the biggest mistake of all in a person's life and that was to believe in the logical outcomes of your theories in extremis. It is a lesson to us all.
I think there are times in history when the right person is there to make things better and because of the misguided brain becomes the wrong person in history. Wilhelm Reich will always be remembered for his orgone theory or his rather paranoid fantasies of his later years instead of his groundbreaking work in the area of modern sexuality, for without him we may not have seen free clinics, sexual liberation and the rather misguided Marcuse (joke).It is a sad indictment of the possession of his character
I started this book with a great deal of trepidation and some of my misgivings were confirmed in the first couple of chapters as the author jumped around a lot between the young and older Reich. However, once he gets into stride this is a fabulous biography of Reich, where the judgements come from his older colleagues and not the author,and demonstrates how out of touch they were with the social movements of the 1920's in Vienna and the rise of fascism in Germany.
Reich's personal gifts to the world have been mystified by the spirit of the 1960's and for many people they only see the orgasmatron as his only output. I hope, when you read this book, you may change your mind because Reich made the biggest mistake of all in a person's life and that was to believe in the logical outcomes of your theories in extremis. It is a lesson to us all.
December 23, 2011
I would like to point out that the British version of this book is titled "Adventures in the Orgasmatron: Wilhelm Reich and the Invention of Sex." This is a biography of Wilhelm Reich. I don't know where the American publishers got " How the Sexual Revolution Came to America," but it doesn't take a psychologist to figure out that kicker will sell more copies. A great biography that covers Reich's life: Training with Freud:Sane; "discovering" Orgone orgasm energy that can cure cancer/Losing It; building "cloudbusters to shoot down spacemen/Insane.
April 8, 2012
This is quite a good book, but unfortunately, I have been unable to focus on it. (My lack of focus is partly the result being overwhelmed at and exhausted by a new job.)
"Adventures" is essentially a detailed account of Wilhelm Reich's life. Turner (the author) provides a lot of cultural and historical background to put Reich's life in the context of his times. Consequently, the book reads as much like a history book as it does like a biography. (In particular, I loved reading Turner's fascinating account of the devastating fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.)
Turner has interviewed some of Reich's friends and family, and he quotes extensively from these interviews. That gives the book a very personal touch.
Now the book is due back at my local library, so the odds are that I won't ever finish it. But for anyone interested in Reich's life, his influence on psychology, or his ideas, this is a great way to get the "big picture."
I have a sense that I'm losing this tome just when I was about to get into the most interesting material: namely, Reich's move to the U.S. and his controversial claims about his orgone box; his other weird inventions; and his persecution by the U.S. government and his eventual incarceration. All these topics are covered in the second half of the book. I have only made it about half way through.
I believe that Reich has had a powerful influence on the way we think today. In particular, his theory that the orgasm is essential to good mental health seems to have been adopted wholesale by our culture. His theory that children should be raised in complete freedom has, however, been rejected.
He was, and still is, a controversial figure. It seems that, even now, there are those who acclaim him as a genius, and those who deride him as a crazy man. There's probably some truth to both claims.
"Adventures" is essentially a detailed account of Wilhelm Reich's life. Turner (the author) provides a lot of cultural and historical background to put Reich's life in the context of his times. Consequently, the book reads as much like a history book as it does like a biography. (In particular, I loved reading Turner's fascinating account of the devastating fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.)
Turner has interviewed some of Reich's friends and family, and he quotes extensively from these interviews. That gives the book a very personal touch.
Now the book is due back at my local library, so the odds are that I won't ever finish it. But for anyone interested in Reich's life, his influence on psychology, or his ideas, this is a great way to get the "big picture."
I have a sense that I'm losing this tome just when I was about to get into the most interesting material: namely, Reich's move to the U.S. and his controversial claims about his orgone box; his other weird inventions; and his persecution by the U.S. government and his eventual incarceration. All these topics are covered in the second half of the book. I have only made it about half way through.
I believe that Reich has had a powerful influence on the way we think today. In particular, his theory that the orgasm is essential to good mental health seems to have been adopted wholesale by our culture. His theory that children should be raised in complete freedom has, however, been rejected.
He was, and still is, a controversial figure. It seems that, even now, there are those who acclaim him as a genius, and those who deride him as a crazy man. There's probably some truth to both claims.
September 30, 2014
This is a book with two distinct parts, simply called "Europe" and "America". And the the book is built that way, having Wilhelm Reich's biography as a reference. "Europe", the shorter first part provides a good background for the freudian circle, and interwar cultural atmosphere from which Reich emerged. And then we get the mature Reich, that drifts away from Freud, goes to America and becomes one of the most intriguing, controversial, influential and forgotten (thanks to this book, not for long) figures of the XX century.
Very well written, always captivating and relevant. Turner did a thorough research that included interviews with the living remaining reichians and former reichians. This is a fundamental work to help us understand how we got to what Zizek refers to: this culture that produces individuals that feel guilty if they are not enjoying themselves. The less sexy title could be, "How we got from orgastic potency to mandatory enjoyment".
Very well written, always captivating and relevant. Turner did a thorough research that included interviews with the living remaining reichians and former reichians. This is a fundamental work to help us understand how we got to what Zizek refers to: this culture that produces individuals that feel guilty if they are not enjoying themselves. The less sexy title could be, "How we got from orgastic potency to mandatory enjoyment".
April 22, 2020
біографія «винахідника оргазму» Вільгельма Райха - це 600 сторінок суцільного інтелектуального задоволення. Стиль автора видається мені блискучим для написання історій окремих людей у контексті епохи. У певному сенсі ця книга нагадувала мені серіал і всі персонажі видавалися ніби знайомими із сусідньої вулиці. Практичний путівник по психоаналізу, який показує, як все було насправді (how crazy the inventors of psychoanalysis were). Книга відкрила мені очі на психологію і її методи по-новому.
Тезово, що Ви знайдете у книзі: Життя у Галичині на заході Автрійськоі імперії - Перша світова війна - Фрейд - повоєнна голодна Європа - червоний Відень - психоаналіз - експерементальна психологія - секс і витоки сексуальної свободи - Берлін - Вавилон/Берлін - комуністичний Берлін - нацисти - сексуальні експерименти над дітьми - СРСР - Сталін - секс - Норвегія - втеча - внутрішні чвари у школі психоаналізу - Анна Фрейд - коханки - Лондон - втеча до США - винахід органної енергії - філософія оргазму і маркетинг - Рузвельт і Рокфеллери - НЛО - знову НЛО - секс - контрацепція - анархізм - маккартизм в Штатах - гоніння за комуністами 50-х - ФБР - Гувер - суд - тюрма - ядерна бомба - холодна війна - порнографія - сексуальна революція ...
Одним словом, біографія Вільгельма Райха і його ідеї вартують цілого серіалу (думаю одного фільму буде замало). Моментами книгу було читати огидно через власне ідеї Райха і його сподвижників. Він мені видався людиною-хаосом, до кінця для себе я не зрозуміла, чи він був генієм чи психічнохворим шизофреником і параноїком.
Підсумовуючи, книга Крістофера Тернера однозначно варта уваги, вона розширює кругозір і дозволяє підглянути у кузню психоаналізу зблизька.
Єдина заувага - хотілося би ілюстрацій, фото. Я читала книгу з телефоном, щоб постійно шукати фото Райха, його колег, дружин чи навіть органної камери 😏
Тезово, що Ви знайдете у книзі: Життя у Галичині на заході Автрійськоі імперії - Перша світова війна - Фрейд - повоєнна голодна Європа - червоний Відень - психоаналіз - експерементальна психологія - секс і витоки сексуальної свободи - Берлін - Вавилон/Берлін - комуністичний Берлін - нацисти - сексуальні експерименти над дітьми - СРСР - Сталін - секс - Норвегія - втеча - внутрішні чвари у школі психоаналізу - Анна Фрейд - коханки - Лондон - втеча до США - винахід органної енергії - філософія оргазму і маркетинг - Рузвельт і Рокфеллери - НЛО - знову НЛО - секс - контрацепція - анархізм - маккартизм в Штатах - гоніння за комуністами 50-х - ФБР - Гувер - суд - тюрма - ядерна бомба - холодна війна - порнографія - сексуальна революція ...
Одним словом, біографія Вільгельма Райха і його ідеї вартують цілого серіалу (думаю одного фільму буде замало). Моментами книгу було читати огидно через власне ідеї Райха і його сподвижників. Він мені видався людиною-хаосом, до кінця для себе я не зрозуміла, чи він був генієм чи психічнохворим шизофреником і параноїком.
Підсумовуючи, книга Крістофера Тернера однозначно варта уваги, вона розширює кругозір і дозволяє підглянути у кузню психоаналізу зблизька.
Єдина заувага - хотілося би ілюстрацій, фото. Я читала книгу з телефоном, щоб постійно шукати фото Райха, його колег, дружин чи навіть органної камери 😏
March 27, 2015
An absolutely wonderful book about a psychologist who became more and more leftfield (though he wasn't left wing) as time went on. Wilhelm Reich was disowned first by Freud, then other psychologists, then the scientific establishment. He died in prison in I think 1959. He wrote influential books such as Character Analysis, and The Cult of the Orgasm. Unfortunately he then started marketing his Orgone Accumulator machines, which had no scientific basis in fact -- none that could be measured. Unsurprisingly he fell foul of the FDA, was put on trial, and ended up in prison... The book organises a complex story into a very absorbing narrative. Wilhelm Reich had an impact on popular culture -- his story encompasses Freud and the development of psychology, the McCarthy era in the USA, aliens and UFOs, the development of the pill, and the sexual revolution of the 60s, and the debate between believers in repression (Freud) and sexual freedom (Reich). It's fascinating to see someone who analyses other people's neuroses himself tragically become a very wacky paranoid schizophrenic. Highly recommended. Some wonderful anecdotes -- one early Viennese female believer in sexual freedom had a dog named Climax....
June 25, 2012
Well, it isn't a true history about the sexual revolution and its journey from Europe to America. It's about the "Father of the Orgasm", Wilhelm Reich, and how he was the person that got the ball rolling on the sexual revolution in general, not just in America. It deals with a lot of principles and outdated techniques used to measure and treat sexual dysfunction and lack of sexual stimulation. I can't really say that I loved it; it's kind of a slow read. It is very interesting to see how this man's theories affected the cultural climate of American history, though.
November 25, 2014
Absolutely misnamed. The book was a biography of Wilhelm Reich and an interesting one, at that. The book goes into Reich's philosophy of sexual repression as being the cause of society's ills and individual happiness. It shows his membership in the Communist Party of Germany and his subsequent expulsion. He came to America and was already going off the rails. He spent the latter part of his life trying to protect the world from UFOs and aliens.
March 28, 2012
started off super slow but then picked up speed as soon as Reich started going off the rails (of course!). Interesting references to my other reading/research into motivators (Freud) and marketing (again Freud).
November 1, 2011
It's always fascinating to read about how crazy the founders of psychoanalysis were!
January 17, 2012
Its a good read. Amazed a man like Reich with his mental demons
had that much influence on the culture. Its packed with alot of
tibits about what was going on in the world.
had that much influence on the culture. Its packed with alot of
tibits about what was going on in the world.
July 11, 2023
Don’t be put off by the silly title. “Orgasmatron” was an inside joke in Woody Allen’s 1973 film “Sleeper”. And no, Wilhelm Reich did not invent sex (as far as I know). But title aside, this is a wonderful book. I’ve just finished reading it for the second time.
There were at least two Wilhelm Reichs. The first was Freud’s brilliant student and possible successor, who developed an interest in Marxism, leading to his becoming estranged from the psychoanalytic movement. That Wilhelm Reich, who ceased to exist in the mid-1930s, is of enormous historical significance. He attempted to reconcile the ideas of two 19th-century German Jews — Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud — with some success.
And not only in theory: Reich led the creation of a large social movement in Germany before the advent of the Nazi regime, which campaigned for sexual freedom, especially for teenagers. Its demand that rooms be set aside for teens to use for sex proved enormously — and unsurprisingly — popular. But the stodgy Communist leadership was not happy at all. Reich soon found himself outside the Freudian and Communist movements by the mid-1930s, just as he’d completed his masterpiece, The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
At this point, the second Wilhelm Reich appeared on the scene — the “discoverer” of the energy source throughout the cosmos, which he called “orgones”. He eventually battled aliens from distant planets and controlled the weather with his “cloud-buster” gun, and so on. Oddly, this latter Reich is the one who so profoundly influenced a whole generation of American intellectuals, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer. This latter Reich, who was almost certainly mentally ill, is the one most people know, and explains the book’s title. Reading the second half of Reich’s life — he died in a US federal prison — is sad and tragic.
The first part of Reich’s life, however, remains relevant in a world where sexual repression has not gone away, and where fascists continue to weaponise it. A revitalised Left needs to take on board many of Reich’s insights in order to survive — and grow — in that world.
There were at least two Wilhelm Reichs. The first was Freud’s brilliant student and possible successor, who developed an interest in Marxism, leading to his becoming estranged from the psychoanalytic movement. That Wilhelm Reich, who ceased to exist in the mid-1930s, is of enormous historical significance. He attempted to reconcile the ideas of two 19th-century German Jews — Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud — with some success.
And not only in theory: Reich led the creation of a large social movement in Germany before the advent of the Nazi regime, which campaigned for sexual freedom, especially for teenagers. Its demand that rooms be set aside for teens to use for sex proved enormously — and unsurprisingly — popular. But the stodgy Communist leadership was not happy at all. Reich soon found himself outside the Freudian and Communist movements by the mid-1930s, just as he’d completed his masterpiece, The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
At this point, the second Wilhelm Reich appeared on the scene — the “discoverer” of the energy source throughout the cosmos, which he called “orgones”. He eventually battled aliens from distant planets and controlled the weather with his “cloud-buster” gun, and so on. Oddly, this latter Reich is the one who so profoundly influenced a whole generation of American intellectuals, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer. This latter Reich, who was almost certainly mentally ill, is the one most people know, and explains the book’s title. Reading the second half of Reich’s life — he died in a US federal prison — is sad and tragic.
The first part of Reich’s life, however, remains relevant in a world where sexual repression has not gone away, and where fascists continue to weaponise it. A revitalised Left needs to take on board many of Reich’s insights in order to survive — and grow — in that world.
June 27, 2019
I am interested in Reich particularly because of his relationship to A.S. Neill and it was a pleasure to find Christopher Turner starting this well-researched and clearly-written account of the psychologist starting off with an interview with Zoë Readhead, the current director of Neill's school.
The connections that Turner makes with other famous figures in the history of the twentieth-century are mind-boggling. Reich is hard to love, but it is equally hard not to feel that the central premise about sexuality has become a major part of the sea-change in attitudes in our times.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a look at Reich that will allow you to go beyond the half dozen tales that have entered the popular culture. It is readable, informative and thought-provoking.
The connections that Turner makes with other famous figures in the history of the twentieth-century are mind-boggling. Reich is hard to love, but it is equally hard not to feel that the central premise about sexuality has become a major part of the sea-change in attitudes in our times.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a look at Reich that will allow you to go beyond the half dozen tales that have entered the popular culture. It is readable, informative and thought-provoking.
November 6, 2023
I love this book. I came to it after reading Olivia Laing's Everybody. Laing acknowledges her debt to Turner, but once you read this, it's clear just how much she draws on this earlier work. The writing is always humane but doesn't shy away from the complexities of Reich and his work, and it leaves space for us to try to draw our own conclusions about him. Really fascinating. I'm glad I took the time to read more about Reich.
April 11, 2023
An interesting slice through the history of psychology
If you want proof that all psychiatrists are crazy look no further. Reich was a brilliant analyst who went crazy and it’s not always easy to watch. The people around him both for and against are also crazy but then isn’t everyone? A well researched and interesting cut through the 20th century.
If you want proof that all psychiatrists are crazy look no further. Reich was a brilliant analyst who went crazy and it’s not always easy to watch. The people around him both for and against are also crazy but then isn’t everyone? A well researched and interesting cut through the 20th century.
March 30, 2021
Interesting and detailed biography of Wilhelm Reich
February 2, 2023
What an amazing story. Over decades and continents, Reich’s story comes to life through this book. A great read.
April 22, 2023
I knew nothing about this and what a wild ride!
This book was such a fun read. I kept thinking, wait, this real? It has everything you want in a fun, informative read.
This book was such a fun read. I kept thinking, wait, this real? It has everything you want in a fun, informative read.
November 24, 2020
Please dispense with the cringeworthy title. This book is a biography of Wilhelm Reich, and a very good one at that.
May 15, 2012
Fascinating bio/history of onetime Freud heir-apparent/Jung colleague Dr. Wilhelm Reich, discoverer of Orgone energy, inventor of the Orgone Box; Philosoper of Sex and the Orgasm; friend of underground libertines, enemy of the State. An incredible- and incredibly strange- life.
P.S.- there is no such thing as Orgone energy. A brilliant con or the delusions of a schizophrenic? You decide.
P.S.- there is no such thing as Orgone energy. A brilliant con or the delusions of a schizophrenic? You decide.
November 20, 2015
This is, more or less, a history of Wilhelm Reich and sort of as a series of sidenotes about the sexual revolution as a historical event that has some sort of implicit argument and the thing is it is really interesting but the title is somewhat misleading?
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews