The Midnight Disease

This is an older nonfiction book that I happened across while perusing the 800s. This section of the Dewey Decimal System--representing writing and literature--is woefully underused, not just in Twinsburg but in libraries everywhere. I suppose "underused" is a relative term since not everyone is a literature buff, but for me, it's sad to see so many wonderful books not read. Anyway, The Midnight Disease by Alice Flaherty is an interesting combination of neuroscience and memoir. Flaherty is a neuroscientist who has suffered mental conditions that have changed her moods and thus her writing style. This book doesn't give the reader writing tips, but instead explains the brain science that contributes to our mental states while writing, including writer's block and hypergraphia, the state of writing too much. It's fascinating material and well worth the read, even if you're not a writer yourself.