Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of Williams Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How To Love

Written by Thomas Maier

Narrated by Dorie Barton

Beginning in the 1950s, William Masters and Virginia Johnson convinced hundreds of people to shed their clothes and copulate—in the name of science. For more than 40 years, the pair served as the nation's top experts on love, sex, and intimacy. In this eye-opening work, critically acclaimed biographer Thomas Maier presents an unprecedented look at the research team of Masters and Johnson, their pioneering studies of intimacy, and their lasting impact on the love lives of men and women. Masters of Sex offers a titillating portrait of the team's real-life story of love, work, and fame against the backdrop of an American sexual revolution they inspired.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phoenix Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781614673163

Thomas Maier

Thomas Maier is an award-winning author, journalist, and television producer. His book Masters of Sex was the basis for the Emmy-winning Showtime drama that ran for four seasons. His other books include When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the Kennedys; The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings; Dr. Spock: An American Life (named a "“Notable Book of the Year" by the New York Times); and Newhouse: All the Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It (winner of the Frank Luther Mott Award as Best Media Book of the Year presented by the National Honor Society in Journalism and Mass Communication). He has worked as an investigative reporter for Newsday for over thirty years.

Reviews for Masters of Sex

[Dani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written account of 2 researchers that were well ahead of their time. I learned about masters and johnson in a college human sexuality course and was curious about their story. I also watched the series (which never should have been cancelled imo) and it is pretty faithful to this book which it's based on. I would like to have heard a bit more about their personal relationship but perhaps I've just been used to seeing that on the series. I did not expect their story to be so sad..It's actually quite sad that though they helped so many people achieve intimacy, they were never really in love themselves. Also sad that they were ostracized by the medical community and most everyone else and that they ended up broke despite becoming famous. And that Virginia was something of a slave to masters, never realizing her own goals due to Bill's demands. At least they accomplished a lot by pioneering the field of human sexuality.