Seksiä museossa: Merkillinen urani New Yorkin rohkeimmassa museossa

by Sarah Forbes, Tero Valkonen (translator)

New Yorkin seksimuseo on maailman suurimpia. Kun vastavalmistunut antropologi Sarah Forbes tulee valituksi seksimuseon kuraattoriksi, alkaa taival, joka muuttaa nuoren naisen elämän. Hänen huoneensa on täynnä porno-vhs-nauhoja, ja pian hän huomaa, että työsarkaan kuuluu mitä ihmeellisempiä esineitä ja kysymyksiä. Kuinka esimerkiksi pitää huolta siitä, etteivät museonkävijät testaa näyttelyesineitä? Tätä ei todellakaan koulussa opetettu.

Työn mukana seuraa sen maine. Tulee ero poikaystävästä ja identiteettikriisi: Kuka voisi olla vilpittömästi kiinnostunut tällaisessa työssä olevasta naisesta?

Seksiä museossa on riemukas ihmisyyden kiellettyjen alueiden kuvaus. Se pitää kehdata lukea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, History, Sexuality, Adult, Biography Memoir

271 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

I am not a porn star and I'm not Dr. Ruth, but for the past decade I served as the Curator of the Museum of Sex, honing a technique of making sex smart, educational and socially responsible.

With a Masters in Anthropology, with a focus on gender and sexuality, I offer a unique and singular perspective within the field of sex. My background emphasizes the cross-cultural historical perspective of sex and the exploration of the tremendous variety and diversity that currently exists in the sexual landscape. I have had the unique pleasure of being an "Indiana Jones" of sex for the last decade.

In the nearly 20 exhibitions and multiple online installations I have curated, I have served as an interpreter of the academic and often dry information found in dusty libraries, translating it for the general public and making it entertaining as well as accessible. While the position of "Curator" conjures images of an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair, I am a young female, whose heritage spans Mexico to Eastern Europe. The diversity of my own background and experiences makes me a particularly unique voice in the saturated terrain of sex. I am a self-possessed young woman, a wife and a mother, who is both an expert and authority for a new generation.

Each day I pinch myself that I have had the opportunity to educate so many about the most fascinating and taboo of topics. I hope through my first book and memoir, "Sex in the Museum: My Unlikely Career At New York's Most Provocative Museum" (St. Martins, April 2016), readers will experience the surreal journey right along with me.

I currently live in NYC with my husband, two children and our crazy, but beautiful Shiba Inu, She-ra "Princess of Power."

Reviews

[Jay Pruitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my typical fare. But it was somewhat interesting. The book was written by the curator of the Museum of Sex / NYC. Mostly a discussion of how MoSex came about, where the "artifacts" were collected, etc. What you learn is that porn is a very, very old pastime. Artifacts and info from Cleopatra's sex toys, Kama Sutra, sex dungeons, carved ivory dildos from the 1700s, Fanny Hill (x-rated novel from the 1800s), erotic paintings by Picasso, anti-masturbation devices, anti-sex foods by the likes of Kellogg and Graham (of cracker fame), etc.. Newer devices and artifacts include sex machines, thrill-hammer chair, panda porn, cocktail dress made of 1,200 condoms, a device to measure the strength of female orgasms, strip polka, lap juicer, nipple tassels, etc. I'm so confused...

[Marsmannix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be grouchy. the material worth reading in this book, about the museum, is scanty and is embedded within the breathless self-centered narrative of the author.

Why include the sub-plot about her hunt for a husband in NYC?

a big MEH

[Lori Wilen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one good thing about this book, it was short. Had it been any longer it would have remained unfinished. It was simple enough to read but it was boring. I don't think I would want to visit this museum and it sounded like the author was on a great big ego trip from start to finish. At least the acknowledgements were sincere and she clearly is in love with her husband..I wondered about that too. Not a book I will be recommending but was happy to finish it.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and enlightening memoir. Well written and highly informative even if you think you know all there is to know I guarantee you will be surprised by at least a few of the facts found in these pages. I grew up in an age where talk shows were more than just celebrity gossip and tests for paternity, so I was probably 16 the first time I saw a chubby man waddle onto a tv stage to proclaim he was leaving his wife because he found a woman willing to change his diapers and breast feed him. I suppose I am saying that to make it clear that I have not led a sheltered life and I am quite aware that for any repulsive thing you can think of somewhere there is a person who is as turned on by it as you are disgusted by it. Yet I had never heard these rumors about Cleopatra, nor did I know there were animals that participate in necrophilia. I've learned a multitude of new words such as sploshing and merkin and am now aware of which creature has a penis on it's head! Aside from the informative and entertaining aspects of the history of sex the author also shares with us a bit of her own life, which was quite interesting as well. Although this is not usually the type of book I reach for I must say it was quite well done. 5 of 5 stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex in the Museum is easy to read, thought provoking and funny, but also warm and touching.
I never even thought about what a curator does and this book certainly explained that. I can only imagine how many difficult situations Sarah must have lived through when she was introduced to a new person and her profession was announced.
The book leaves you wanting to go to the Museum and play with some of the displays. Enjoy!

[La Petite Américaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Automatic 5 stars because I know this author. :)

I'll write a real review when I'm done reading, but this much I know: memoirs about working at sex museums are awesome. Period.

[Blaise Kyrios · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it wasn't very well written. It jumped around a lot. The animal sex chapter was fascinating though.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly enjoyable and informative! It was hard to put down. It primarily tells the story of how the author came to work at (then curate) the museum of sex in NYC; however, along the way you learn things and she drops tidbits. Reading this book was akin to meeting someone who is just plain interesting - - so much that you’re happy to listen and listen without intending to speak. My only wish is that it included more references throughout. I wanted to follow up on some of the content.

[Lindsey Caldwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

sooo 2016

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Sarah was a little hesitant to take the job at the Museum of Sex (“MoSex”), she soon developed a real passion for the job and was instrumental in the development of many landmark exhibits. While the book contained some pretty extreme content, the author’s narration was always matter-of-fact, never judgmental, and very respectful. And whoo-boy, did I learn a lot of new terms
("merkin") and, well, preferences ("furries"). (If curious, Google them--but not at work.) At times it was a real eye-opener. Keep in mind that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans of Mary Roach (especially “Bonk”) may appreciate Forbes’ sense of humor and way of presenting lots of intriguing facts. And I’ll bet you've never seen the words “walrus” and “masturbating” used in the same sentence.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital galley.

[Cindy Bale Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect, but it had me at the title of the first chapter: "Please Don't Touch, Lick, Stroke, or Mount the Exhibits". Part memoir, part anthropological examination of sex throughout the world, "Sex in the Museum" puts a young, lively, contemplative and female voice to the exhibition of sex in a contemporary museum with topics chosen from the human and animal kingdoms. My only disappointment after reading the Kindle edition of "Sex in the Museum: My Unlikely Career at New York's Most Provocative Museum" by Sarah Forbes is that there were no photos at the end. I learned a lot from this book.

[victor harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads more like the diary of a love-struck teenager seeking romance and a lifelong partner than an account of the museum. Some interesting entries on the exhibits and content in the museum but not a very coherent delivery as it is too often interrupted by her juvenile rambling. Maybe a 1.5 at best.

[Halley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read in a similar style to Mary Roach. Forbes kept me laughing, interested, and wanting more for the entire book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if a Jane Austen heroine wound up working at a sex museum while searching for love in New York? Pretty much, this.

[Amona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense but entertaining at times. I'm glad she maintained an optimistic view in addition to sharing bits and pieces about her personal life.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. I listened to this book on Audible, so the narrator became a factor. Though I finally got used to her, I found the narrator to be overly perky and pseudo-dramatic, which may have brought my enjoyment of the book down some. I loved the parts about the Museum of Sex (MOSEX). The accounts of the exhibits Forbes curated were fascinating, and I found myself wishing that I could have visited the museum more than a few times. I learned a lot just by listening to the variety of exhibits they featured over the decade this memoir spans. However, the book also attempts to cover Forbes’s personal life during the same period, which I found extremely dull and unnecessary. The storytelling for those portions was immature and has been done so many times: think Sex in the City, Bridgett Jones’s Diary... I just didn’t care whether she found her own personal Mr. Big. Come for the nonfiction, get dragged along for the personal stuff.

[Markku Kesti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paikoin hyvinkin kiinnostavaa luettavaa siitä kuinka nuori parikymppinen hieman plus tyttö valmistuu kulttuuriantropologian laitokselta ja jatkotutkimusaihetta miettiessään päätyy hakemaan töihin seksimuseoon ja päätyy lopulta paitsi museon kuraattoriksi ja naiseksi joka kiinnostaa mediaa. Sisältää museon ja näyttelyiden historian lisäksi myös Sarahin oman elämän tarinaa aina vähän noloihin unelmahäihin. (Jos amerikanirlantilainen mies ja meksikolaisjuutalainen newyorkilaisnainen menevät naimisiin Marokossa kun se on niin ihanan romanttinen paikka ja hääväellä on sinne kätevän lyhyt lentomatka, niin onhan se noloa?)

Kirjassa on puutteensa (!!!), mutta sehän kuuluu asiaan kun aiheena on seksi, eikö.

[Shanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting title for a book as provactive and as educational as the museum it discusses. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Museum of Sex before, and this book is a perfect companion, and a reminder that I must visit again. Forbes ties her job and academic learning with her personal life and relationships, and does so brilliantly. I was worried that this book would verge on smut as a way of engaging readers, but it was nothing of the sort. The pure interest and enthusiasm which drew Sarah Forbes into her job as the curator of the museum, draws readers into the narrative. This is a must read for everyone.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book five stars for the bits about the museum - the science, the anthropology, etc. But about a quarter of the book is a memoir of the author's love life (which, as she admits, is not nearly as interesting as you might expect from the "curator of sex"). I give those bits two stars, as they bored me to death, and I ended up skipping them as I got closer to the end. Averaging it out, four stars seems fair.

I'd recommend this book to fans of Mary Roach. While the author isn't nearly as irreverent as Mary Roach, the discussions of sex found in this book are reminiscent of Bonk.

[Aliza Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Forbes does a fantastic job of laying out the realities of her desires to those of her work. She has a way with fantastic story telling, weaving her personal and professional life and giving very frank and educated look into the changing world of sex in the last decade. It's rare to find an academic like Forbes who can write to the mass audience, but Forbes is funny and direct. The book is short read. I felt at some points the lessons in sex became a boring research paper but suddenly changed to an aspect about her personal life, giving me whiplash. Otherwise her stories are romantic, heartbreaking and painful.

[Jessie Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a glimpse into the inner workings of the Museum of Sex (and, by extension, the depth and breadth of human sexuality), absolutely fascinating. As a memoir, less so. The information about Forbes' personal life seemed like it was mostly there to tether the history of MoSex to the events of an individual life. The exploration of her romantic relationships, the death of her loved ones, and her pregnancies are all pretty surface-level. I was much more interested in what was going on with the museum than with her (although she seems like a charming person!). Still, a good light, fun read for those of us who nerd out over stuff like the history of BDSM.

[Lukasz H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like Sex in the Museum but, alas, I can only do so halfway. This book weakly weaves two parallel stories together into it’s pages. One, being the far more interesting of the two, tells the tale of sex, kink, burlesque, the history & reinvention of the NYC sex museum, and the wacky & wild peeps the author met throughout her career. The second, gives the mildly disinteresting story of the author’s dating life in NYC as she informs her lovers of her very sex everything adjacent profession. This half of the book may have worked as its own chapter, maybe. In the end this portion read like, as C. Bradshaw once said, ‘a closet full of clothes, with nothing to wear.’

Recommended: yes, it’s a true half interesting book.

[Caitlyn Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Super informative and educational. I never would have thought about looking into the career of a museum curator especially for one of the most unique museums in the United States. The little factoids and stories were very enlightening and eye opening about the world in which we inhabit and how we’re so connected through sex and sexuality. The only issue I had with the book was how the author would touch on her personal life. I don’t typically mind this at all in an autobiography, however, the timeline jumped around in relation to her work at the museum, so it made things a little confusing.

[H. Givens · Rating 2 out of 5]

The parts about the museum exhibits were interesting, but there was a lot of personal stuff that wasn't interesting. I don't know the author, so it's not relevant to me, and she doesn't go into enough detail that I could get invested. So, not enough work memoir and also not enough personal memoir. I'm not sure who the audience was supposed to be. I'd think this was perfect for me as a museum professional, sex historian, and workplace-memoir enthusiast, but there wasn't enough for me to get my teeth into. She seemed to expect the reader to be scandalized; maybe some other audiences would be.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enlightening & eye-opening! Much of this read like fiction - Ms. Forbes has had a life that could well be translated into fiction or something like chick lit or romantic comedies. How she stumbled into this job is the perfect example.
It went deep without getting raunchy - I was worried about the 'taste' factor, but I needn't have worried as it was all very tasteful and even restrained.

[Jeff Rosendahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Reading about the exhibits she curated is interesting, but each one seems very similar. She includes parts of her own story in between museum exhibits, but those really aren't interesting enough to stand on their own, so it seems like filler between the parts of the real story. And for a book about the sex museum, it's really pretty dry and boring.

[Shachar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars / 5 Stars

This book was actually so interesting, it talked more about the history of sex than anything and it was so interesting to see this topic from an anthropological point of view. It was really fascinating to read.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Sarah's parallel stories of learning to become a curator in the Museum of Sex and navigate dating, marriage, and babies. This explains some fascinating expositions at the museum and next time I am in NYC I want to check it out.

[Willy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining story of the history of the NYC Museum of Sex and how the author became part of the museum. Definitely something different than a regular book and title can make ppl blush, but it's a good story about the museum. Instresting enough to be curious about visiting museum.

[jennijohanna. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mielenkiintoinen, erilainen. Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland) mainittu.