Nicole

Please don't be deterred by the length of this book, or concerns that it might be too dry or dense considering the subject matter. I kept putting it off because of those reasons, but I found it very engaging. I am a language fan, though, so that could have some influence. Until the revolution, it gives excellent dark academia vibes. I'm hesitant to say it, but it felt at times like a Harry Potter for folks who care about social justice issues 😬 but so much more. It's much more in-depth, educated, and intelligent. I found myself feeling blown away by Kuang's knowledge.

I almost gave up on this book. I thought the writing style was overly descriptive. It would've taken me forever to finish if I looked up every word that I had never seen before. I like books that challenge me but the vocabulary of this book just seemed unnecessary. Every once in a while though, there would be a great sentence that made you stop and re-read it, appreciating it's meaning.

At first, I was almost disappointed that the story strayed so far from the initial topic of murder, but then I got really into it. I felt that the language had an appropriate level of Victorian-era flourish without sounding too silly. I shouldn't have picked this as one of the three books I have to read in December to meet my goal, though. I wish I could've given it more time.

This should be required reading, or there should be some way to get this knowledge out to the masses so that we can collectively realize and accept the importance of sleep. It's not convenient but to deny it isn't helping anyone.

This is going to be more of just my thoughts than an actual review.

I read this at a unique time. I was approaching the end of my 3.5 month COVID-19 furlough and I had established a beautiful and fulfilling schedule of hobbies and habits. In order to maintain this healthy routine, I planned on waking up at 4 AM each work day and going to bed around 10 PM. This would allow for just six hours of sleep, and that would be if I fell asleep immediately and didn't awaken during the night, which is unrealistic.

I thought the decrease in sleep would be worth it to keep running, lifting weights, doing yoga, meditating, practicing piano, etc. as I had been during furlough. After all, these are good healthy things that are encouraged by experts. This book effectively sat me down and said, “Look. You're wrong. Here's why.”

The section about teenagers and school schedules was especially depressing. When I was in high school I stayed up late to complete assignments or IM my friends even though I had to wake up at 5:30 AM to get ready and get to the bus at 7:00 AM. I fell asleep in my classes. I fell asleep doing homework. I fell asleep hanging out with friends. I wonder what my life would've been like if I wasn't sleep deprived basically all the time and I really hope that things change by the time I have a teenager.

We really do need to stop looking down on people who prioritize sleep.