Book cover of The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Family That Couldn't Sleep as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book terrified me. I had no idea that insomnia can be fatal, and in some rare cases, it is a brutal disease that afflicts entire families.

Like all good science books, this one kept me flipping pages while also teaching me about the science of prions, a rogue protein behind the rare condition at the heart of the book that is also linked to Mad Cow Disease. I really enjoy Max’s writing here and in his work for the New Yorker magazine.

From Jason's list on mysterious disease outbreaks.

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