David Reuben

David Robert Reuben (born David Rubin

Early life and education Reuben was born in 1933 in Chicago. He entered the University of Chicago at the age of 15 and later transferred to the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. in 1957. He received psychiatric training at Cook County Hospital. He shifted from medical practice to full‑time writing by the mid‑1970s.

Works

During his clinical practice, Reuben also worked with patients with sexual dysfunctions. Praised for its witty, candid approach, it topped The New York Times bestseller list for 55 consecutive weeks. It was "among the top 20 all‑time best sellers of the 20th century in the United States". The book also inspired a film by Woody Allen, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972).

Reuben issued a major revision in 1999 to address changing laws on contraception and abortion, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and shifting social attitudes toward LGBT identities. Martin Miller, looking back on the updated 1999 edition for the Los Angeles Times, praised Reuben's "breezy, tongue‑in‑cheek Q‑and‑A form" while noting that fresh medical material on AIDS and abortion kept the book "still sex‑education's locomotive," In 1978 Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Nutrition was published. In 1982, Dr. David Reuben's Mental First‑Aid Manual was published. Reviewer T. H. Woon found the manual "thought‑provoking" and potentially helpful to both doctors and laypeople.

Personal life Reuben is married to Barbara, and they have five children.