Bill Hayes is an insomniac. It's been a problem since childhood. In this hilarious memoir Hayes explores the role that sleeplessness has played in his life. When you can't sleep, you have to do something else with the time. How people
He seamlessly weaves in all kinds of research about sleep, mattresses, flannel sheets with anecdotes about standing over his partner to make sure he was still breathing or being discovered watching the couple that lived across the street when he turned on the lights to put fresh batteries in his Walkman.
This was a book that clipped by, another read that I missed when I had finished it. It is no longer in print, but numerous copies are available used through amazon.com
By the way, if the cover art seems familiar, that's because it was done by Maurice Sendak, who is a friend of the author. I believe that it's a painting of Hayes' late partner Steve. I met them both; Steve was a sweet man whose life was cut short by AIDS.
Hayes has also authored "The Anatomist: A True Story of Gray's Anatomy" and "Five Quarts: A Personal and Natural History of Blood".
