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The Lost Art of Sleep
Non fiction - an illuminating exploration of sleep with appearances by Florence Nightingale, Aristotle, Plato, the author and his family: wife Jenny, son Benny and twins Clare and Jake.
From the blurb - Bed is the most dangerous place on earth. More people die there than anywhere else. Maybe that's why each passing generation spends less time in bed than the one before.
The arrival of baby twins sent Michael McGirr in search of an ancient practice for which bed is the ideal setting. It's called sleep.
From the blurb - Bed is the most dangerous place on earth. More people die there than anywhere else. Maybe that's why each passing generation spends less time in bed than the one before.
The arrival of baby twins sent Michael McGirr in search of an ancient practice for which bed is the ideal setting. It's called sleep.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
25 people are currently reading
824 people want to read
About the author
Michael McGirr
20 books16 followersMichael McGirr is the author of Things You Get for Free and The Lost Art of Sleep. His book Bypass: The Story of a Road has been a popular Year 12 English text in Victoria. He has reviewed over 900 books for the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is currently dean of faith at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 23, 2017
Amazing! I loved this book.
First, I want to state that I won an ARC in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This book is not a how-to book, it isn't a book on how-to-get-to-sleep. It is like part-memoir and part collection of essays about sleep-related topics, including the 5 stages of sleep, beds, some sleep disorders, famous people who had interesting relationships with sleep, sleep medications, and sleep in literature. I loved this book, and there were several instances when I laughed out loud. I loved this book so much, and I appreciated the references/recommendations or such at the end for further reading. "Snooze" is a great book to read, but I'm not sure it will bore you to sleep on a restless night; you might stay up just to keep reading! (I know I did....).
First, I want to state that I won an ARC in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This book is not a how-to book, it isn't a book on how-to-get-to-sleep. It is like part-memoir and part collection of essays about sleep-related topics, including the 5 stages of sleep, beds, some sleep disorders, famous people who had interesting relationships with sleep, sleep medications, and sleep in literature. I loved this book, and there were several instances when I laughed out loud. I loved this book so much, and I appreciated the references/recommendations or such at the end for further reading. "Snooze" is a great book to read, but I'm not sure it will bore you to sleep on a restless night; you might stay up just to keep reading! (I know I did....).
November 24, 2017
‘Amid the stories of famous sleepers and famous insomniacs, McGirr has interspersed personal tales, where he captures a young household very much in need of sleep…A lovely readable tone, highly recommended!’
Louise Swinn, Triple R
‘McGirr is an inspired synthesiser, serious in intent even while riotous in execution. You could call The Lost Art of Sleep volume three of a complex autobiography (with Things You Get for Free and Bypass). But if the central character embodies the quandaries, the delight of the writing lies in the world around him.’
Morag Fraser, Eureka Street
‘Although this book is about insomnia and sleep, it will not send the reader off to sleep… It is a happy book. It is a compendium of anecdote about living with small, sleepless children and of moving house.’
ArtsHub
‘An eyes-wide-open look at the penumbral world of sleep, where we spend so much of our time without quite knowing why…Lively…A good book to curl up with while pondering the mysteries of Morpheus.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘With Snooze, Michael McGirr has, pardon the pun, produced a wake-up call about the fascinating yet little known history and science of sleep. A delightful read, Snooze takes on the one activity we spend the most time doing, yet still manages to surprise. It’s one bedtime read that won’t put you to sleep.’
Edward Humes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Door to Door and Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash
‘A delightful eye-opener. [McGirr's] loving account of life with his family—including the years of sleep deprivation he and his wife dealt with when raising young children — gives Snooze: The Lost Art of Sleep its big heart...The book’s prose can be both enjoyably fanciful (“A horse at sleep is a statue of itself”) and soberly poetic...Its blend of memoir, science history, mythological lore and cultural commentary is a constant delight.’
Seattle Times
‘Readers have McGirr’s tossing and turning to thank for a dynamic, multifaceted book that serves as an entertaining, philosophical lullaby for the deprived.’
Shelf Awareness
‘This revised and expanded edition offers a broader base of experience to share with readers…It reads like chapters of a one-sided conversation with an amiable, liberal-minded man-of-the-world, who thinks fondly of the almost unattainable—the undisturbed night of blissful sleep.’
Otago Daily Times
‘A former priest examines the way shut-eye—or lack there of it—affects us on and off the pillow. If you’re among the flock who count sheep most nights, these pages reassure.’
O, The Oprah Magazine
‘McGirr is a good writer who is able to share information in an entertaining way…His anecdotes will make you out laugh out loud. If you haven’t read any books by him before, seek them out.’
Good Reading
‘An exploration of and reassurance for our overloaded century. McGirr’s journey through this “profound form of absence” is spirited, sympathetic and commendably non-soporific.’
NZ Listener
‘Michael McGirr takes the serious subject of sleep and whimsically reflects on its mysteries; at the same time amusing us with stories from the past and present…A wise and witty book.’
Toowoomba Chronicle
Louise Swinn, Triple R
‘McGirr is an inspired synthesiser, serious in intent even while riotous in execution. You could call The Lost Art of Sleep volume three of a complex autobiography (with Things You Get for Free and Bypass). But if the central character embodies the quandaries, the delight of the writing lies in the world around him.’
Morag Fraser, Eureka Street
‘Although this book is about insomnia and sleep, it will not send the reader off to sleep… It is a happy book. It is a compendium of anecdote about living with small, sleepless children and of moving house.’
ArtsHub
‘An eyes-wide-open look at the penumbral world of sleep, where we spend so much of our time without quite knowing why…Lively…A good book to curl up with while pondering the mysteries of Morpheus.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘With Snooze, Michael McGirr has, pardon the pun, produced a wake-up call about the fascinating yet little known history and science of sleep. A delightful read, Snooze takes on the one activity we spend the most time doing, yet still manages to surprise. It’s one bedtime read that won’t put you to sleep.’
Edward Humes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Door to Door and Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash
‘A delightful eye-opener. [McGirr's] loving account of life with his family—including the years of sleep deprivation he and his wife dealt with when raising young children — gives Snooze: The Lost Art of Sleep its big heart...The book’s prose can be both enjoyably fanciful (“A horse at sleep is a statue of itself”) and soberly poetic...Its blend of memoir, science history, mythological lore and cultural commentary is a constant delight.’
Seattle Times
‘Readers have McGirr’s tossing and turning to thank for a dynamic, multifaceted book that serves as an entertaining, philosophical lullaby for the deprived.’
Shelf Awareness
‘This revised and expanded edition offers a broader base of experience to share with readers…It reads like chapters of a one-sided conversation with an amiable, liberal-minded man-of-the-world, who thinks fondly of the almost unattainable—the undisturbed night of blissful sleep.’
Otago Daily Times
‘A former priest examines the way shut-eye—or lack there of it—affects us on and off the pillow. If you’re among the flock who count sheep most nights, these pages reassure.’
O, The Oprah Magazine
‘McGirr is a good writer who is able to share information in an entertaining way…His anecdotes will make you out laugh out loud. If you haven’t read any books by him before, seek them out.’
Good Reading
‘An exploration of and reassurance for our overloaded century. McGirr’s journey through this “profound form of absence” is spirited, sympathetic and commendably non-soporific.’
NZ Listener
‘Michael McGirr takes the serious subject of sleep and whimsically reflects on its mysteries; at the same time amusing us with stories from the past and present…A wise and witty book.’
Toowoomba Chronicle
January 8, 2021
McGirr has written a wickedly witty, insightful book about the humble act of sleeping; somehow managing to span the breadth of human history effortlessly and more importantly, relevantly. The book is split up into alternating accounts from the 'present' and a prominent figure of the past, which cover a 24-hour time period.
Notable figures of the past include: Aristotle, Thomas Edison, Homer, Plato, Florence Nightingale, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Don Quixote and many more.
This book is excellent--lovingly written and humorous, whilst also being very informative. I was introduced to many new insights into not only sleep and its importance to the body, but of the many interesting characters throughout history that approached the subject.
Here's an example of the kind of wit laced everywhere in the book:
or...
McGirr covers subjects wide and varied, from his anecdotes about sleep apnoea through to how Florence Nightingale invented the pie chart; why 'sleep tight' had originated from restoration era England through to reasons why Z-class drugs can be dangerous. All of it is insightful and interesting.
An example of his prose under "3.30 am 2007", which discussed sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, and the 'Z-class' drugs to help those who suffer from it:
And so it goes.
His style of writing is very accessible and this book could easily be read in one sitting. I would recommend it to parents, workaholics, and those who sleep too much; it could provide some much needed insight into something we do for a third of our lives!
Notable figures of the past include: Aristotle, Thomas Edison, Homer, Plato, Florence Nightingale, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Don Quixote and many more.
This book is excellent--lovingly written and humorous, whilst also being very informative. I was introduced to many new insights into not only sleep and its importance to the body, but of the many interesting characters throughout history that approached the subject.
Here's an example of the kind of wit laced everywhere in the book:
... It's a mystery how Aristotle knew that animals had dreams but it turns out that he was probably right: more recent studies have shown that most large mammals, and other species as well, have REM sleep, so in all likelihood they dream. The also snore, dogs especially. Aristotle held that the cat curled up in front of the heater is an unworthy receptacle for divine revelation. There are owners who would beg to differ. There's no point asking dogs about their dreams because sleeping dogs lie.
or...
People with jutting jaws are more likely to have open throats and hence be less susceptible to snoring and sleep apnoea. Chris Worsnop points out that superheroes such as Superman and Batman are often drawn with strong jutting jaws, a feature which, since the time we lived in caves, has been seen as attractive to women. The reason women may be attracted to jutting jaws may have nothing to do with jutting biceps or jutting anything else; it simply makes it less likely they will have to put up with snoring.
McGirr covers subjects wide and varied, from his anecdotes about sleep apnoea through to how Florence Nightingale invented the pie chart; why 'sleep tight' had originated from restoration era England through to reasons why Z-class drugs can be dangerous. All of it is insightful and interesting.
An example of his prose under "3.30 am 2007", which discussed sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, and the 'Z-class' drugs to help those who suffer from it:
When Geraldine Moses started hearing stories about Z-class drugs such as zolpidem, she initially dismissed them. The reports were too outlandish. Besides, there were plenty of people who loved these drugs and were grateful to them. But the stories just kept coming, each one as improbable as the one before it. Most of them concerned what are known as parasomnias, the name given to things people do when they are asleep which they should only do when awake. Sleepwalking, sleeptalking, sleepdriving, sleepironing, sleepcleaning, sleepsex, sleepcooking and sleepeating are all parasomnias. So is sleepcarwashing. So, unfortunately, are verious forms of sleepviolence, including violence to oneself.
Here's a sample. A man got in his car and drove 500 kilometres from Innisfail to Cooktown where he had a cup of tea with friends in the middle of the night. When the friends rang the next day to check he got home safely, he had no recollection whatsoever of having made the trip. Another man, who slept in the nude, found himself in his car at a service station about to fill up with petrol. He then realised he had forgotten his wallet. He had forgotten his wallet because he had forgotten his clothes.
These stories aren't really funny. A woman needed half her leg amputated after she slipped and broke the leg as she was cleaning her bath while she was still asleep. Not even the pain of a broken bone woke her and the angle at which she fell cut off circulation to the leg, killing the limb. When she finally awoke, she was close to multi-organ collapse. ...
And so it goes.
His style of writing is very accessible and this book could easily be read in one sitting. I would recommend it to parents, workaholics, and those who sleep too much; it could provide some much needed insight into something we do for a third of our lives!
July 22, 2020
This is probably the worst book I've read in the last five years.
It's not a science book, it's not a pop-science book, it's not journalism, it's not philosophy.
McGirr is a pastor (well, former pastor), and this entire book is written like a sermon. General musings, random nonsequiturs, and plenty of anecdotes that kind of sound cute but almost certainly didn't happen.
Most of the "topics" covered only tangentially relate to sleep, and barely last a few pages. He spends a few pages talking about how a lot of people in the world drink coffee, for example. No real insights here, he just notices that a lot of people drink coffee. This has to do with sleep because a lot of people drink coffee after they are done sleeping. Did you know Balzac drank coffee? It's mentioned, briefly, and then never brought up again.
The majority of this book is about his personal life and how he has kids. The kids make it hard for him to sleep, you see. That's how it relates to sleep!
The best things I can say about this book are that it is short, and it never gets *too* preachy. He does have an entire chapter about how young people look at their phones too much, though. How does that relate to sleep? Well, he assumes that young people probably look at their phones in bed too.
It's not a science book, it's not a pop-science book, it's not journalism, it's not philosophy.
McGirr is a pastor (well, former pastor), and this entire book is written like a sermon. General musings, random nonsequiturs, and plenty of anecdotes that kind of sound cute but almost certainly didn't happen.
Most of the "topics" covered only tangentially relate to sleep, and barely last a few pages. He spends a few pages talking about how a lot of people in the world drink coffee, for example. No real insights here, he just notices that a lot of people drink coffee. This has to do with sleep because a lot of people drink coffee after they are done sleeping. Did you know Balzac drank coffee? It's mentioned, briefly, and then never brought up again.
The majority of this book is about his personal life and how he has kids. The kids make it hard for him to sleep, you see. That's how it relates to sleep!
The best things I can say about this book are that it is short, and it never gets *too* preachy. He does have an entire chapter about how young people look at their phones too much, though. How does that relate to sleep? Well, he assumes that young people probably look at their phones in bed too.
October 19, 2014
An absolute delight. Michael McGirr takes the reader on a joy ride through the wisdom of the great western thinkers, from biblical times to himself. Along the way you will meet the likes of Homer, Plato and Socrates, Shakespeare, Dickens, Edison, and many others giving their views on sleep, sleeplessness and dreams. In the midst of his whimsical but often profound musings, McGirr shares with the reader many wonderful moments he had with his wife and three children. They are lucky to have had such a wise and deep-thinking husband and father, who in an earlier part of his life was a Jesuit priest. In this book he reveals himself to be a very worthwhile interpreter of western philosophy, literature and history, providing his readers with a treatise on the value of sleep. Highly recommended.
October 25, 2017
Not what I expected. This is a less a single cohesive book about sleep than a collection of essays nominally on the subject of sleep but so heavy on memoir and anecdote that the reader may come away having learned more about the author than about the title subject.
September 6, 2017
A fascinating and insightful collection of essays and thoughts on sleep, why we do it and so much more.
I absolutely loved this book!
SNOOZE: The Lost Art of Sleep is a great read and so very different from anything I've ever read on the subject. While it's billed as non-fiction, it is not dry or text book-y at all; it's not a how-to sleep hygiene book, either. One might call it part memoir, part essays on sleep-related topics, part survey in western civilization, and part pop psychology intermingled with a little hard science. In fact, SNOOZE is a bit like FREAKANOMICS, Sleep edition (if there were one) or Malcolm Gladwell meets Bill Bryson...on sleep.
Here's a sampling of topics: Sleep disorders, beds (making those beds), staying in bed, medications designed to help induce sleep (and side-effects), philosophy, the demise of sleep in our fragmented world, famous people and their quirks (Flo Nightingale, Charles Dickens, Homer, Plato, Thomas Edison, Shakespeare, etc.), even the effect of war/PTSD on sleep.
There were some laugh out loud moments as McGirr, a former Jesuit priest talks about his sermons, life as a priest, then parenting...not just *a* child, but a toddler and *then* a set of twins. Not to worry, the narrative does *not* get bogged down with parenting asides; SNOOZE is very focused writing (and reading) which might at times get a *teensy* bit off topic, but is always funneled back to the sleep issue at hand.
I found McGirr witty and delightful and kind of think this would make a great audio book read by the author.
Truly a fun--but insightful and intelligent read.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com
Thanks to Pegasus Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
I absolutely loved this book!
SNOOZE: The Lost Art of Sleep is a great read and so very different from anything I've ever read on the subject. While it's billed as non-fiction, it is not dry or text book-y at all; it's not a how-to sleep hygiene book, either. One might call it part memoir, part essays on sleep-related topics, part survey in western civilization, and part pop psychology intermingled with a little hard science. In fact, SNOOZE is a bit like FREAKANOMICS, Sleep edition (if there were one) or Malcolm Gladwell meets Bill Bryson...on sleep.
Here's a sampling of topics: Sleep disorders, beds (making those beds), staying in bed, medications designed to help induce sleep (and side-effects), philosophy, the demise of sleep in our fragmented world, famous people and their quirks (Flo Nightingale, Charles Dickens, Homer, Plato, Thomas Edison, Shakespeare, etc.), even the effect of war/PTSD on sleep.
There were some laugh out loud moments as McGirr, a former Jesuit priest talks about his sermons, life as a priest, then parenting...not just *a* child, but a toddler and *then* a set of twins. Not to worry, the narrative does *not* get bogged down with parenting asides; SNOOZE is very focused writing (and reading) which might at times get a *teensy* bit off topic, but is always funneled back to the sleep issue at hand.
I found McGirr witty and delightful and kind of think this would make a great audio book read by the author.
Truly a fun--but insightful and intelligent read.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com
Thanks to Pegasus Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
May 16, 2018
A 2017 staff favorite recommended by Susie. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...
July 13, 2017
First, I received a copy thanks to a Text giveaway. And I'm so glad I did. This was a really entertaining read - essentially a riff on the topic of sleep, covering philosophical and literary thought, the application of different approaches over the ages, and the author's own experience as someone for whom the desire for sleep is clearly a really important driver.
Just a suggestion in terms of reading this - It's a book I think best read as individual chapters. I really enjoyed each on their own, but when I got carried away and read a number one after the after, I found the topic became less engaging. So maybe treat it as something to read, one at a time, before bed. It's perfect for this!
Just a suggestion in terms of reading this - It's a book I think best read as individual chapters. I really enjoyed each on their own, but when I got carried away and read a number one after the after, I found the topic became less engaging. So maybe treat it as something to read, one at a time, before bed. It's perfect for this!
March 24, 2022
Although McGirr writes in a casual and humourous tone, the depth of the stories and flow across the book is lackluster. It feels that connecting it to sleep (the overall topic of the book) was an afterthought.
October 21, 2009
Learning all sorts of interest things - did you know Florence Nightingale invented the pie chart?
Loving this gorgeous exploration and wonderful writing.
Loving this gorgeous exploration and wonderful writing.
November 9, 2014
Funny, witty, insightful. I highly recommend this book.
December 20, 2014
A reasonable read but not as good as I remember his previous two books being. A time-filler for me.
February 20, 2017
Started very well, with some great lines and stories.
Got a little tedious toward the end, but overall, safe to say that we all do need a bit more sleep.
:) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Got a little tedious toward the end, but overall, safe to say that we all do need a bit more sleep.
:) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
October 28, 2019
I am glad that I read this book since after reading it I finally was able to pinpoint for the longest time I had fear of going to bed, clinophobia. My mother and I may now also have PTSD.
I like also how he makes reference to the difficulties of literary characters in sleep! C.f. The Pickwick Papers, Our Mutual Friend, Hard Times and more! You might just have to pick out the person. Volumnia I vaguely remember is one of them from one of the above but I shut the book a long time ago and it's past when I need to get going so I'm loathe to do research now...
For example, you might want to pick back up Don Quixote! You can read that in English or en Español. (The English was my high school senior project! I had to make a huge PowerPoint presentation about that...)
So, this book is good for not only talking about sleep but for giving good book recommendations as well. I liked it.
I like also how he makes reference to the difficulties of literary characters in sleep! C.f. The Pickwick Papers, Our Mutual Friend, Hard Times and more! You might just have to pick out the person. Volumnia I vaguely remember is one of them from one of the above but I shut the book a long time ago and it's past when I need to get going so I'm loathe to do research now...
For example, you might want to pick back up Don Quixote! You can read that in English or en Español. (The English was my high school senior project! I had to make a huge PowerPoint presentation about that...)
So, this book is good for not only talking about sleep but for giving good book recommendations as well. I liked it.
June 1, 2022
Definitely pick this entertaining book for your bedside reading, as Michael McGirr has a dubious distinction of falling asleep, while he was delivering one of the homilies at his Church. 🤣
This is a pretty interesting book -- in part, a biopic of sorts -- with chapters titled as per the hours of a single night, as this former Jesuit Catholic Priest-turned layman, mulls about the beauty, awesomeness, and ineluctable nature of sleep, from various angles. Right from Homer's Odyssey to Virgil's Aeneid, he goes on an interesting romp on sleep. This is definitely not a How-To book, but, just a casual fanboy take on Sleep. It is exhilarating, entertaining, and edifying as well. There is even wordsmithing in here -- for e.g., what is the connection between bedlam and Bethlehem or for that matter, what does the etymology for exhaustion has in connection to sleep?
This is a pretty interesting book -- in part, a biopic of sorts -- with chapters titled as per the hours of a single night, as this former Jesuit Catholic Priest-turned layman, mulls about the beauty, awesomeness, and ineluctable nature of sleep, from various angles. Right from Homer's Odyssey to Virgil's Aeneid, he goes on an interesting romp on sleep. This is definitely not a How-To book, but, just a casual fanboy take on Sleep. It is exhilarating, entertaining, and edifying as well. There is even wordsmithing in here -- for e.g., what is the connection between bedlam and Bethlehem or for that matter, what does the etymology for exhaustion has in connection to sleep?
November 30, 2021
I did not expect to enjoy this book. I bought it based on the reviews and endorsements on the cover, combined with the experience of desperately wanting to snooze anywhere, anytime.
There was a time when my sister said of me that if I wasn't perpendicular to the earth I was likely asleep. Now there is nothing on the planet that can induce sleep if sleep decides to be scarce.
This book was a pleasure to read! So much literary romping, through pages of familiar stories and pages of stories on my WishList to Read. I think I learned more about The Iliad and The Odyssey reading McGirr's Snooze than anywhere else I've run into them! Dickens and Orwell, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison! Snooze is about way more than sleep - it's about humanity's long-standing, centuries, millenia old obsession with trying to get enough sleep.
This is magical book about dreams, and being human, and wishing for more sleep. Well done, Mr. McGirr.
There was a time when my sister said of me that if I wasn't perpendicular to the earth I was likely asleep. Now there is nothing on the planet that can induce sleep if sleep decides to be scarce.
This book was a pleasure to read! So much literary romping, through pages of familiar stories and pages of stories on my WishList to Read. I think I learned more about The Iliad and The Odyssey reading McGirr's Snooze than anywhere else I've run into them! Dickens and Orwell, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison! Snooze is about way more than sleep - it's about humanity's long-standing, centuries, millenia old obsession with trying to get enough sleep.
This is magical book about dreams, and being human, and wishing for more sleep. Well done, Mr. McGirr.
May 3, 2019
This book wasn't what I expected and I'm not quite sure what I read, but it was interesting enough for me to finish it. It is NOT a science book or a how-to book. "The Lost Art of Sleep" is a mish-mash of author anecdotes, random thoughts and bits of everything else sleep related - or rather things related to trying to get to sleep. We get to read about McGirr's personal struggles with sleep apnea, his attempts to catch some shut-eye with 3 toddlers in the house, about Shakespeare, Thomas Edison & Florence Nightingales' (amongst others) sleep habits, about the Odyssey (Odysseus attempts to get home to his bed), and a whole hodgepodge of other ruminations. Some of it was interesting, some amusing, and some thought-provoking.
March 16, 2018
The scope of this book stretches far and wide, to one of the most well known inventors of our time, to a teenage Cambodian immigrant slumbering perfectly upright in an old red car.
Reads like a history, yes, reads like a collections of anecdotes sometimes so casual it seems they describe the author's longtime friends and not someone like, say, Aristotle. But most of all reads like equal parts and elegy and a paean, a love letter infused with gentle admiration and desire for understanding, a love letter to that great mystery we call sleep. I really enjoyed it.
Reads like a history, yes, reads like a collections of anecdotes sometimes so casual it seems they describe the author's longtime friends and not someone like, say, Aristotle. But most of all reads like equal parts and elegy and a paean, a love letter infused with gentle admiration and desire for understanding, a love letter to that great mystery we call sleep. I really enjoyed it.
April 10, 2018
Three and a half stars.
I really like this kind of book—a blend of memoir and an interesting subject. And the author does hit the right spots—he talks about his own sleep disorder, and how various people in history slept and thought about sleep (Shakespeare, Socrates, Plato, Florence Nightingale, and so on). There are some scientific parts, others merely stories.
It's actually quite an interesting read, and I do recommend it. It just lacks something to be a four-star book. Probably I just can't connect with the stories personally, as I don't have that much trouble sleeping besides the occasional waking up a few times throughout the night. But yes, still recommended.
I really like this kind of book—a blend of memoir and an interesting subject. And the author does hit the right spots—he talks about his own sleep disorder, and how various people in history slept and thought about sleep (Shakespeare, Socrates, Plato, Florence Nightingale, and so on). There are some scientific parts, others merely stories.
It's actually quite an interesting read, and I do recommend it. It just lacks something to be a four-star book. Probably I just can't connect with the stories personally, as I don't have that much trouble sleeping besides the occasional waking up a few times throughout the night. But yes, still recommended.
April 17, 2023
Has a wicked sense of humor as most Jesuits tend to (super lame he left though although somewhat understandable leaving the Jesuits post 1965) . Proper laugh out loud good content. Very engaging and clever but also thorough examination of 'the best third of your life." (although seriously who actually sleeps 8 hours a night in 2023). Somewhat loose that I found this book in the philosophy section.
December 16, 2017
This is an interesting look at current culture. I tend to agree with most of the assessments. I think we don’t get enough sleep and sometimes even I have that problem so I try to make sure I keep myself on a regular routine. This book is a good argument for that. I remember when we had the kids we kept them on a routine and that really helped with their sleep. Nice read.
December 24, 2017
The author weaves a collection of thoughts, historical facts, science, philosophy, and personal stories together using the theme of sleep. McGirr's style of writing is relaxed and conversational. I felt like I was sitting around listening to an old family friend tell a story. This is very engaging and entertaining.
January 4, 2018
A fun read. The author is better known as an essayist, and this book almost reads like a collection of essays, variety of chapters that can almost stand alone. The book is delightful, approachable, and yet dances around a lot of much deeper subjects. A good launching pad into a lot of great further reading.
April 23, 2018
Great read. Not how-to-get-to-sleep, more a meditation on sleep and not-sleeping, people who couldn't sleep and what they did about it, what scientists have learned about sleep and its importance.
Highly recommended, especially if you occasionally or often have trouble sleeping.
I plan to read this again sometime.
Highly recommended, especially if you occasionally or often have trouble sleeping.
I plan to read this again sometime.
January 4, 2018
This was a really good book- very easy to read.I liked the way personal insights were included as well as the information. Even if you weren't having difficulty sleeping, or thought that sleep and snoozing weren't interesting, this could be the book to change your mind.
October 15, 2017
Enjoyable ragbag of a book, by a former Jesuit priest now family man.
Bizarre extra white spaces throughout text.
Bizarre extra white spaces throughout text.
February 26, 2018
We all need more sleep and less screens. Put this on your nightstand and put it to good use. A delightful read.
March 8, 2018
A history not just of sleep, but of literature and history. A great read.
November 16, 2018
I wasn't expecting it to be a "how to" book, but I suppose that I thought it was more about the science of sleep. Parts were interesting, but I mostly found that it induced the title.
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