Download The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I was expecting a book about a particular family and their disease. Instead, it's a discussion of prion diseases. It took me a little longer because of that and there were definitely some medical language sinkholes that I had to wade through but it was overall a book I enjoyed even if one I probably wouldn't have read if I had realized what it was about. "

" Max writes an interesting history of the discovery of prion diseases, beginning with an Italian family that suffers a genetic disposition to a fatal insomnia. He covers pretty much the whole history I guess - scrapie, kuru, BSE, and C-JD. He spends a lot of time explaining how agricultural practices made scrapie, and then BSE, much more widespread than they should have been, and how regulatory inaction may have led to many people becoming infected with prions from BSE cattle. I learned a lot. "

" Not really about sleeplessness but prion diseases, cannibalism, and the perviest Nobel laureate ever. Believe it or not, I wanted to read about sleeplessness. "

" Very interesting book about BSE (mad cow disease)and similar neurological diseases. "

" An unusual book that I picked up at the library. It is a wide ranging review an the history of prion related diseases. A very worthwhile read, which shed a lot of light on some of the medical crises of recent times. "

" Interesting book about prions and the different diseases they cause. I liked the way the author tied the main story into several others and then covered the political and scientific ramifications that have resulted from prion research. "

" A fascinating historical and medical perspective on fatal familial insomnia and prion disorders in general, highlighting historical and modern controversies on these fascinating diseases. "

" This book is about a protein called a prion that creates bizarre diseases in people and animals. They book is a little dry with quite a bit of history and medical jargon but it's ultimately such a fascinating history of disease that it compels you through the dry parts. "

" This book is amazing. LOVE. "

" I am so glad that I do not eat meat! "

" Only a small portion of the book is devoted to the family mentioned in the title. Rather this is a well-written, easy to read introduction to the diseases related to prions and the research (and politics) surrounding them. "

" This was one of the most boring books I have ever listened to. The content was there to make it interesting, but it just was not. I do not recommend this book unless you need to sleep. "

" very much like the book on Henrietta Lack: personal story mixed with biology "

" Wow, an incredible "medical mystery" about Fatal Familial Insomnia, a rare neurodegenerative disease that has plagued a family in Italy for over 200 yrs - and is connected to Mad Cow Disease. By the end, I was scared to eat a hamburger! "

" I wanted to like it. It was too sciency. I got bored. "

" Ever here of someone who died of old age? Dimentia? Some unexplainable cause? This book will enlighten you on prions, the same non-living lurkers that cause Alzheimer's. "

" Riveting. If you are familiar with pathophysiology and find medical mysteries intriguing, this is an interesting read. "

" Not sure why I gave this book a 4 sra,,it was a little lower on the scale. I read this book last summer . Was interesting, but not so entertaing as I got further into it. Basiclly tells of ppl who had some form of mad cow disease. Interesting in places. "

" just started - but interesting so far. And prions scare the bejeezebus out of me. "

" This book is an interesting and detailed account of prion diseases. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a scienc-y person - as it is more novelized and sensationalized than other science texts. Good look into the scary reality of prions though... "

" Interesting read. As a non-science minded person, I appreciated the back stories of the scientists and the interesting tales of the various manifestations of the disease way more than the descriptions of brain plaque and mis-folding proteins. I feel a bit more informed for having read this. "

" Loved it. Fascinating and scary. "

" Enquiring minds want to know...interesting/scary diseases. It is so unusual to not be able to destroy the protein. That said, the author seemed to think it was no big deal that one of the scientists was a pedophile. Seriously? That was disgusting. "

" Riveting. If you are familiar with pathophysiology and find medical mysteries intriguing, this is an interesting read. "

" I listened to this via Audible. It was a great introduction to prion diseases. The author's depiction if the characters and controversies surrounding different prion discoveries kept the book from being too dry. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in epidemiology or medical discovery.
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" At times very clinical and hard to read, but there were some interesting aspects regarding prion disease. "

" This goes over the history of prion disease, I couldn't put it down very very interesting! "

" it seems that the family was only one of many facets of the subject of this book. there was also a lot about "mad cow disease", and "prions" "

" What a fascinating book ! Very very interesting... and scary. It will turn anyone into a vegetarian. Well written. A must for everyone to read. "

" A non-fiction account of prion diseases written on many levels. Mixes science and personal stories in a sensitive and understandable way. A skilled writer. "

" An intriguing read all about prions. May not sound that interesting, but I found it to be fascinating. The middle part did drag quite a bit and the pacing slowed with so many details, but I thought the author wrapped it all up in the end. "

" Not sure why I gave this book a 4 sra,,it was a little lower on the scale. I read this book last summer . Was interesting, but not so entertaing as I got further into it. Basiclly tells of ppl who had some form of mad cow disease. Interesting in places. "

" Learned alot about prions. It could have been shorter and still been as informative. "

" Great book especially after the publicity of Mad Cow disease a few years ago. A truly horrible disease one in which the world would be a very different place if it was transferred more readily between animals and humans. "

" I loved this book. It went far beyond Fatal Familial Insomnia into prions, related disorders and proteins. All in a very engaging way. "