diff --git a/ext/extconf.rb b/ext/extconf.rb
index 766381e..1d804ff 100644
--- a/ext/extconf.rb
+++ b/ext/extconf.rb
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # encoding: UTF-8
 require 'mkmf'
 
+# 1.9-only
+have_func('rb_thread_blocking_region')
+
 # borrowed from mysqlplus
 # http://github.com/oldmoe/mysqlplus/blob/master/ext/extconf.rb
 dirs = ENV['PATH'].split(':') + %w[
diff --git a/ext/mysql2_ext.c b/ext/mysql2_ext.c
index 1dd2635..ab49067 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2_ext.c
+++ b/ext/mysql2_ext.c
@@ -1,54 +1,73 @@
 #include "mysql2_ext.h"
 
+static VALUE nogvl_connect(void *ptr)
+{
+  struct nogvl_connect_args *args = ptr;
+  MYSQL *client;
+
+  client = mysql_real_connect(args->mysql, args->host,
+                              args->user, args->passwd,
+                              args->db, args->port, args->unix_socket,
+                              args->client_flag);
+
+  return client ? Qtrue : Qfalse;
+}
+
 /* Mysql2::Client */
 static VALUE rb_mysql_client_new(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE klass) {
-  MYSQL * client;
+  struct nogvl_connect_args args = {
+    .host = "localhost",
+    .user = NULL,
+    .passwd = NULL,
+    .db = NULL,
+    .port = 3306,
+    .unix_socket = NULL,
+    .client_flag = 0
+  };
   VALUE obj, opts;
   VALUE rb_host, rb_socket, rb_port, rb_database,
         rb_username, rb_password, rb_reconnect,
         rb_connect_timeout;
   VALUE rb_ssl_client_key, rb_ssl_client_cert, rb_ssl_ca_cert,
         rb_ssl_ca_path, rb_ssl_cipher;
-  char *host = "localhost", *socket = NULL, *username = NULL,
-       *password = NULL, *database = NULL;
   char *ssl_client_key = NULL, *ssl_client_cert = NULL, *ssl_ca_cert = NULL,
        *ssl_ca_path = NULL, *ssl_cipher = NULL;
-  unsigned int port = 3306, connect_timeout = 0;
+  unsigned int connect_timeout = 0;
   my_bool reconnect = 1;
 
-  obj = Data_Make_Struct(klass, MYSQL, NULL, rb_mysql_client_free, client);
+  obj = Data_Make_Struct(klass, MYSQL, NULL, rb_mysql_client_free, args.mysql);
 
   if (rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "01", &opts) == 1) {
     Check_Type(opts, T_HASH);
 
     if ((rb_host = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_host)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_host, T_STRING);
-      host = RSTRING_PTR(rb_host);
+      args.host = RSTRING_PTR(rb_host);
     }
 
     if ((rb_socket = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_socket)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_socket, T_STRING);
-      socket = RSTRING_PTR(rb_socket);
+      args.unix_socket = RSTRING_PTR(rb_socket);
     }
 
     if ((rb_port = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_port)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_port, T_FIXNUM);
-      port = FIX2INT(rb_port);
+      args.port = FIX2INT(rb_port);
     }
 
     if ((rb_username = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_username)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_username, T_STRING);
-      username = RSTRING_PTR(rb_username);
+      args.user = RSTRING_PTR(rb_username);
     }
 
     if ((rb_password = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_password)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_password, T_STRING);
-      password = RSTRING_PTR(rb_password);
+      args.passwd = RSTRING_PTR(rb_password);
     }
 
     if ((rb_database = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_database)) != Qnil) {
       Check_Type(rb_database, T_STRING);
-      database = RSTRING_PTR(rb_database);
+      args.db = RSTRING_PTR(rb_database);
     }
 
     if ((rb_reconnect = rb_hash_aref(opts, sym_reconnect)) != Qnil) {
@@ -87,37 +106,37 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_client_new(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE klass) {
     }
   }
 
-  if (!mysql_init(client)) {
+  if (!mysql_init(args.mysql)) {
     // TODO: warning - not enough memory?
-    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(client));
+    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(args.mysql));
     return Qnil;
   }
 
   // set default reconnect behavior
-  if (mysql_options(client, MYSQL_OPT_RECONNECT, &reconnect) != 0) {
+  if (mysql_options(args.mysql, MYSQL_OPT_RECONNECT, &reconnect) != 0) {
     // TODO: warning - unable to set reconnect behavior
-    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(client));
+    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(args.mysql));
   }
 
   // set default connection timeout behavior
-  if (connect_timeout != 0 && mysql_options(client, MYSQL_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT, &connect_timeout) != 0) {
+  if (connect_timeout != 0 && mysql_options(args.mysql, MYSQL_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT, &connect_timeout) != 0) {
     // TODO: warning - unable to set connection timeout
-    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(client));
+    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(args.mysql));
   }
 
   // force the encoding to utf8
-  if (mysql_options(client, MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME, "utf8") != 0) {
+  if (mysql_options(args.mysql, MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME, "utf8") != 0) {
     // TODO: warning - unable to set charset
-    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(client));
+    rb_warn("%s\n", mysql_error(args.mysql));
   }
 
   if (ssl_ca_cert != NULL || ssl_client_key != NULL) {
-    mysql_ssl_set(client, ssl_client_key, ssl_client_cert, ssl_ca_cert, ssl_ca_path, ssl_cipher);
+    mysql_ssl_set(args.mysql, ssl_client_key, ssl_client_cert, ssl_ca_cert, ssl_ca_path, ssl_cipher);
   }
 
-  if (mysql_real_connect(client, host, username, password, database, port, socket, 0) == NULL) {
+  if (rb_thread_blocking_region(nogvl_connect, &args, RUBY_UBF_IO, 0) == Qfalse) {
     // unable to connect
-    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(client));
+    rb_raise(cMysql2Error, "%s", mysql_error(args.mysql));
     return Qnil;
   }
 
diff --git a/ext/mysql2_ext.h b/ext/mysql2_ext.h
index c373327..e5ca91f 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2_ext.h
+++ b/ext/mysql2_ext.h
@@ -57,4 +57,44 @@ static VALUE rb_mysql_result_to_obj(MYSQL_RES * res);
 static VALUE rb_mysql_result_fetch_row(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self);
 static VALUE rb_mysql_result_each(int argc, VALUE * argv, VALUE self);
 void rb_mysql_result_free(void * wrapper);
-void rb_mysql_result_mark(void * wrapper);
\ No newline at end of file
+void rb_mysql_result_mark(void * wrapper);
+
+/*
+ * used to pass all arguments to mysql_real_connect while inside
+ * rb_thread_blocking_region
+ */
+struct nogvl_connect_args {
+    MYSQL *mysql;
+    const char *host;
+    const char *user;
+    const char *passwd;
+    const char *db;
+    unsigned int port;
+    const char *unix_socket;
+    unsigned long client_flag;
+};
+
+/*
+ * 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
+ * presence of threads.
+ */
+#ifndef HAVE_RB_THREAD_BLOCKING_REGION
+#  include <rubysig.h>
+#  define RUBY_UBF_IO ((rb_unblock_function_t *)-1)
+typedef void rb_unblock_function_t(void *);
+typedef VALUE rb_blocking_function_t(void *);
+static VALUE
+rb_thread_blocking_region(
+	rb_blocking_function_t *func, void *data1,
+	rb_unblock_function_t *ubf, void *data2)
+{
+	VALUE rv;
+
+	TRAP_BEG;
+	rv = func(data1);
+	TRAP_END;
+
+	return rv;
+}
+#endif /* ! HAVE_RB_THREAD_BLOCKING_REGION */
\ No newline at end of file