Hello Midnight: The Insomniac's Literary Bedside Companion

by Deborah Bishop and David B. Levy

This lively collection of facts and fiction, quotations and quips, is designed to amuse, inform, and entertain the sleepless and distract them from the glare of the digital clock and the ramblings of their hyperactive mind. Illustrations throughout.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684848341
• ISBN13: 9780684848341
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.1" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Celebrating the Lost Snooze

When I first heard of this book on National Public Radio, I was intrigued by the concept and charmed by the hyperkinetic co-author being interviewed. Now that it's been on my bedside table for a week or so, I'm also delighted by its voluminous points of view on sleeplessness.It's difficult to build a coherent presentation out of a potpourri of quotes and anecdotes, but the authors (and their invaluable partner, a smart graphic designer in tune with the text's ever-changing moods) have turned this obstacle to its best advantage. Their source material -- which ranges from pop song lyrics to the musings of Balzac, Kerouac, and Hemingway -- is designed to be dipped into randomly. Ultimately, the book's structure mirrors the way my mind works when I'm awake at 3 a.m.: skipping from one thought to another, by turns amused or terrified, morose or elated.Behind this "open-any-page- & -discover-what's-there" strategy, there is a master plan by which the authors artfully investigate the many facets of this strange and uniquely human phenomenon. Insomnia can be a muse, a mistress, an omen of madness, a stimulus to imagination, a chance to get work done, a temporary malady or a lifelong obsession. All of these states of mind -- plus a number of amusing historical, biographical, cultural and scientific anecdotes -- are celebrated quite nicely in this unusually diverting volume.Ultimately, the book is something like insomnia itself -- not a road you travel from A to Z, but a world you experience in bouts of agony, ecstasy, and wry amusement.

aaaaahhh ...relief for midnight agony

Death, taxes, debt, regret, fear...just a few of the cheery topics running through my brain while sleepless--so thank Goodness for "Hello Midnight"--a witty reminder that I am not alone! I must say though, that it is so engaging, funny and entertaining that it doesn't work as a remedy, but at least I am chuckling instead of thrashing!

Goodbye ambien... hello "Hello Midnight"!

Now instead of lying awake at night resenting my bedmate's even breathing and easy state of REM, I have something better to do - like read this book. It almost makes you proud to be an insomniac, when you find out what superb company you're in. It seems that a good many of the world's finest writers and thinkers have spent the early morning hours with their eyes wide open; it's somehow comforting to know I'm in such good company.Bishop and Levy have produced a masterful work that combines rigorous and fascinating research with a deft, humorous, and writerly hand. This highly entertaining compendium is an absolutely delightful melange of state-of-the-art academic insights, wonderful literature (everything from Raymond Chandler to William Shakespeare), and edgy graphics. Highly recommended!

Insomniacs Unite!

Insomniacs unite! We are not alone! Between these covers there's a shockingly compelling assortment of thoughts on insomnia from such unlikely bedmates as Raymond Carver, Leadbelly, Kafka, Bob Dylan, Proust, R.E.M., Dorothy Parker, The Barenaked Ladies, Nabokov...and a whole bunch more. Plus all kinds of fascinating little science tidbits (learn what all these sleepless nights are doing to our brains - ouch!) and historical anecdotes about mythologizers from Stalin to Marilyn Monroe. I especially liked the sidebars about books and movies that feature sleeplessness as a theme; now I can hold my own Insomnia Film Festival. I also like the balance of humor and seriousness about what seems to be the epidemic of the new millennium. I know five or six insomniacs I have to buy this for.

Rest for the Weary . . .

A perfect little tome for the post-midnight set. Funny and fascinating anecdotes from behind the wall of no-sleep, served up just long enough to forget the irony of reading about insomnia with the hope of dozing off. Highly recommended.