Once i got about half way through, I was having some trouble continuing to read this book. The first few chapters and the last 2 or 3 are fascinating, the middle drags and is a bit repetitive.

However, an English professor who suffers from insomnia but with no scientific background thoroughly researching and writing about this personal disorder is extraordinary. She really has done her research: attending sleep conferences, speaking to doctors of all sorts, researching treatment with drugs, behavioral therapy, alternative medicine, etc.

The overwhelming amount of information is in part why the middle chapters drag. But as a counterbalance, the early and later chapters have a very personal, even revolutionary undercurrent that I can't ignore. ( )

One of the benefits of reading this book is that I realized that whatever sleep problems I have are relatively mild. This book is an exhaustive investigation of insomnia that covers everything from sleep disorder conferences to pharmacological remedies to folk remedies. The author visits sleep clinics, interviews experts and looks into just about every aspect of the topic I can imagine. She investigates philosophical approaches; looks at the history of sleep; I honestly cannot think of anything she doesn't cover. Ms. Green is herself an insomniac who is clearly frustrated with the lack of information we have about the topic.

Far too often, she argues persuasively, we blame insomniacs and tell them it's a personal weakness or laziness or psychological disturbance that prevents them from sleeping. She even writes about researchers who don't seem to have much sympathy for their subjects. Sleep clinics mechanically cite "breathing disorders" as the routine explanation. She is clearly frustrated with this state of affairs and her state of upset comes across. I have to admit there are times when I myself think the author is a bit high-strung, but then I remember my own struggles with insomnia and realize the frustration that comes from lack of sleep. Add to that the seeming indifference she experiences at the hands of the experts and her frustration makes entire sense.

This book isn't for everyone. If you are a sound sleeper, I don't know that the book will speak to you. But for those of us who struggle with falling asleep or, in my case, staying asleep, this book gives us some insights into the complexities we face and the long road ahead of us before we can begin to sleep peacefully. ( )