RSS
Home
Masters & Johnson's marriage and St. Louis research are topics of a new book
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
It all started when a gynecologist by the name of William H. Masters hired Virgina E. Johnson as a research assistant in 1957. Little did the world realize -- in time, the dynamic duo would become the nation’s top sex-perts, marry and co-author books that explained the secrets of orgasm, sexual dysfunction and the emotional fulfillment. Now there’s a book out about the couple who conducted their studies at Washington University in St. Louis and changed the way generations viewed sex during a time when it was taboo to openly discuss sexual practices.
"Masters of Sex", written by critically acclaimed biographer and reporter Thomas Maier, gives us a glimpse into Masters and Johnson’s history and relationship. (While the couple had a very unique relationship, they apparently dealt with a lot of the same problems we all deal with.) I haven’t read the book yet, there’s a lot of great buzz surrounding the work.
Unfortunately, the couple divorced in the 1990’s and their research relationship ended as well but not before they could pioneer the concept of sex therapy for couples, research impotence, and make some predictions regarding how AIDS would affect heterosexual couples. According to the St. Louis post, Masters remarried a childhood sweetheart and died in 2001. Johnson still lives in St. Louis. They both have stars on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
According to Maier, the research for this book began more than 15 years ago when he interviewed Masters for an article he was writing. He wondered about the couple’s marriage, later delving into Master’s unpublished autobiography and interviewing Johnson as well as some of their research subjects.
Want to meet Thomas Maier? He’ll be at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue) at 7 p.m. on Thursday night. For more information, call 314-367-6731. If you don’t have time to stop by the book store, you can buy the book on Amazon.
