Curator of Sex

Sarah Forbes was in graduate school when she stumbled upon a museum dedicated to . . . sex. The anthropology student hesitated when her boyfriend suggested she apply for a job, but apply she did, and it wasn’t long before a part-time position at New York’s MUSEUM OF SEX lead to a gig as the museum's curator. That was over twelve years ago. Now Sarah―a married mother of two―proudly sports her title as Curator of Sex.

In SEX IN THE MUSEUM, Sarah invites readers to travel from suburban garages where men and women build sex machines, to factories that make sex toys, to labyrinthine archives of erotica collectors. Escorting us in to the hidden world of sex, illuminating the never-talked-about communities and eccentricities of our sexual subcultures, and telling her own personal story of a decade at The Museum of Sex, Sarah asks readers to grapple with the same questions she did: when it comes to sex, what is good, bad, deviant, normal? Do such terms even apply? If everyone has sexual secrets, is it possible to really know another person and be known by them? And importantly, in our hyper-sexualized world, is it still possible to fall in love?

Reviews:

“Animals make Sarah Forbes feel safe when it comes to talking openly about sex and she assumes her role alongside the birds and the bees with instinctual ease. Fabulously informative and remarkably personal, Sex in the Museum takes us on a rare journey behind the curatorial scenes of one of the most important museums of sex in the world. And like the bee to the flower, Sarah explores every aspect of the awe-inspiring nature of sex unabashedly.” –Betony Vernon, designer and author of The Boudoir Bible

"Sarah Forbes's memoir is as racy, funny, informative, and soulful as the Museum of Sex itself. After reading it, I craved a cigarette." --Michael Musto, Out.com

"Sex in the Museum is the perfect read for those of us who never dreamed that Curator of Sex is an actual job. Part detective story, part sex-ed, and wholly entertaining, this delicious memoir is much more than a one-night stand. I couldn’t put it down." --Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of Friendkeeping

"Sex in the Museum describes [Sarah Forbes's] anthropological adventures with wit, insight, and sanity. Unless you’re very jaded indeed, you’ll find something to delight and surprise on just about every page.” --Geoff Nicholson, author of Sex Collectors

"Both intimate and funny, Forbes’s memoir reminds us how much we have to learn about such an important, fascinating part of our lives." --Damon Brown, entrepreneur and author of Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture

"Isn't it every girl's dream to become a curator at the Museum of Sex? Sarah Forbes rose to the challenge, and this wildly entertaining account of her adventures in "MoSex" offers a fascinating insight into one of America's most extraordinary institutions. Hilarious and informative, filled with tidbits about erotic history and modern fetishes, it is required reading for anyone interested in the ever-shifting politics of human sexuality."--Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon's Privates: 2500 Years of History Unzipped

"Unpretentious and genuinely inquisitive...[Forbes's] crisp, chatty prose style nicely buffers the shock value of her material ... A provocative chronicle steeped in eyebrow-raising details and personal honesty." --Kirkus