diff --git a/ext/mysql2_ext.c b/ext/mysql2_ext.c
index ab49067..3c95092 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2_ext.c
+++ b/ext/mysql2_ext.c
@@ -1,5 +1,27 @@
 #include "mysql2_ext.h"
 
+/*
+ * non-blocking mysql_*() functions that we won't be wrapping since
+ * they do not appear to hit the network nor issue any interruptible
+ * or blocking system calls.
+ *
+ * - mysql_affected_rows()
+ * - mysql_error()
+ * - mysql_fetch_fields()
+ * - mysql_fetch_lengths() - calls cli_fetch_lengths or emb_fetch_lengths
+ * - mysql_field_count()
+ * - mysql_get_client_info()
+ * - mysql_get_client_version()
+ * - mysql_get_server_info()
+ * - mysql_get_server_version()
+ * - mysql_insert_id()
+ * - mysql_num_fields()
+ * - mysql_num_rows()
+ * - mysql_options()
+ * - mysql_real_escape_string()
+ * - mysql_ssl_set()
+ */
+
 static VALUE nogvl_connect(void *ptr)
 {
   struct nogvl_connect_args *args = ptr;
@@ -106,6 +128,11 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_client_new(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE klass) {
     }
   }
 
+  /*
+   * FIXME: mysql_init may initialize the embedded server and read
+   * /etc/services off disk (always blocking), so in those unlikely
+   * cases we should make this release the GVL
+   */
   if (!mysql_init(args.mysql)) {
     // TODO: warning - not enough memory?
     rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(args.mysql));
@@ -151,37 +178,58 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_client_init(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self) {
 void rb_mysql_client_free(void * client) {
   MYSQL * c = client;
   if (c) {
+    /*
+     * FIXME: this may send a "QUIT" message to the server and thus block
+     * on the socket write)
+     */
     mysql_close(client);
   }
 }
 
+/*
+ * mysql_send_query is unlikely to block since most queries are small
+ * enough to fit in a socket buffer, but sometimes large UPDATE and
+ * INSERTs will cause the process to block
+ */
+static VALUE nogvl_send_query(void *ptr)
+{
+  struct nogvl_send_query_args *args = ptr;
+  int rv;
+  const char *sql = RSTRING_PTR(args->sql);
+  long sql_len = RSTRING_LEN(args->sql);
+
+  rv = mysql_send_query(args->mysql, sql, sql_len);
+
+  return rv == 0 ? Qtrue : Qfalse;
+}
+
 static VALUE rb_mysql_client_query(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self) {
-  MYSQL * client;
+  struct nogvl_send_query_args args;
   MYSQL_RES * result;
   fd_set fdset;
   int fd, retval;
   int async = 0;
-  VALUE sql, opts;
+  VALUE opts;
   VALUE rb_async;
 
-  if (rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "11", &sql, &opts) == 2) {
+  if (rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "11", &args.sql, &opts) == 2) {
     if ((rb_async = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_async)) != Qnil) {
       async = rb_async == Qtrue ? 1 : 0;
     }
   }
 
-  Check_Type(sql, T_STRING);
+  Check_Type(args.sql, T_STRING);
 
-  GetMysql2Client(self, client);
-  if (mysql_send_query(client, RSTRING_PTR(sql), RSTRING_LEN(sql)) != 0) {
-    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(client));
+  GetMysql2Client(self, args.mysql);
+  if (rb_thread_blocking_region(nogvl_send_query, &args, RUBY_UBF_IO, 0) == Qfalse) {
+    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(args.mysql));
     return Qnil;
   }
 
   if (!async) {
     // the below code is largely from do_mysql
     // http://github.com/datamapper/do
-    fd = client->net.fd;
+    fd = args.mysql->net.fd;
     for(;;) {
       FD_ZERO(&fdset);
       FD_SET(fd, &fdset);
@@ -250,17 +298,37 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_client_socket(VALUE self) {
   return INT2NUM(client->net.fd);
 }
 
+/*
+ * even though we did rb_thread_select before calling this, a large
+ * response can overflow the socket buffers and cause us to eventually
+ * block while calling mysql_read_query_result
+ */
+static VALUE nogvl_read_query_result(void *ptr)
+{
+  MYSQL * client = ptr;
+  my_bool res = mysql_read_query_result(client);
+
+  return res == 0 ? Qtrue : Qfalse;
+}
+
+/* mysql_store_result may (unlikely) read rows off the socket */
+static VALUE nogvl_store_result(void *ptr)
+{
+  MYSQL * client = ptr;
+  return (VALUE)mysql_store_result(client);
+}
+
 static VALUE rb_mysql_client_async_result(VALUE self) {
   MYSQL * client;
   MYSQL_RES * result;
   GetMysql2Client(self, client);
 
-  if (mysql_read_query_result(client) != 0) {
+  if (rb_thread_blocking_region(nogvl_read_query_result, client, RUBY_UBF_IO, 0) == Qfalse) {
     rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(client));
     return Qnil;
   }
 
-  result = mysql_store_result(client);
+  result = (MYSQL_RES *)rb_thread_blocking_region(nogvl_store_result, client, RUBY_UBF_IO, 0);
   if (result == NULL) {
     if (mysql_field_count(client) != 0) {
       rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(client));
@@ -302,6 +370,7 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_result_to_obj(MYSQL_RES * r) {
 void rb_mysql_result_free(void * wrapper) {
   mysql2_result_wrapper * w = wrapper;
   if (w && w->resultFreed != 1) {
+    /* FIXME: this may call flush_use_result, which can hit the socket */
     mysql_free_result(w->result);
     w->resultFreed = 1;
   }
@@ -315,6 +384,18 @@ void rb_mysql_result_mark(void * wrapper) {
     }
 }
 
+/*
+ * for small results, this won't hit the network, but there's no
+ * reliable way for us to tell this so we'll always release the GVL
+ * to be safe
+ */
+static VALUE nogvl_fetch_row(void *ptr)
+{
+  MYSQL_RES *result = ptr;
+
+  return (VALUE)mysql_fetch_row(result);
+}
+
 static VALUE rb_mysql_result_fetch_row(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self) {
   VALUE rowHash, opts, block;
   mysql2_result_wrapper * wrapper;
@@ -322,6 +403,7 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_result_fetch_row(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self) {
   MYSQL_FIELD * fields = NULL;
   unsigned int i = 0, symbolizeKeys = 0;
   unsigned long * fieldLengths;
+  void * ptr;
 
   GetMysql2Result(self, wrapper);
 
@@ -332,7 +414,8 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_result_fetch_row(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self) {
     }
   }
 
-  row = mysql_fetch_row(wrapper->result);
+  ptr = wrapper->result;
+  row = (MYSQL_ROW)rb_thread_blocking_region(nogvl_fetch_row, ptr, RUBY_UBF_IO, 0);
   if (row == NULL) {
     return Qnil;
   }
diff --git a/ext/mysql2_ext.h b/ext/mysql2_ext.h
index e5ca91f..f117181 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2_ext.h
+++ b/ext/mysql2_ext.h
@@ -74,6 +74,15 @@ struct nogvl_connect_args {
     unsigned long client_flag;
 };
 
+/*
+ * used to pass all arguments to mysql_send_query while inside
+ * rb_thread_blocking_region
+ */
+struct nogvl_send_query_args {
+    MYSQL *mysql;
+    VALUE sql;
+};
+
 /*
  * partial emulation of the 1.9 rb_thread_blocking_region under 1.8,
  * this is enough for dealing with blocking I/O functions in the