Greatest Insomnia Curing Novel

Moby Dick – Herman Melville

Evan’s ESS = 4 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = out of 10

Content = PG (Adult Content, Maritime Violence, Temperamental Sea Creatures)

“There she blows!–there she blows!  A hump like a snow-hill!  It is Moby Dick!”

Why: Rarely does a novel come along that has medicinal powers far beyond the narrative captured within the pages.  Since the onset of children we have experimented with countless sleep aids, but we’ve found nothing as effective in curing our nighttime insomnia than reading Moby Dick.  The rapidity at which we fell asleep after only a few paragraphs was wonderful if not a little startling.  Thank you Herman Melville, thank you.

Moby Dick is the classic seafaring tale depicting the hunt for literature’s most infamous white sperm whale.  Ishmael, Queequeg, Captain Ahab and the rest of the crew aboard the Pequod set sail towards the South Pacific and Indian Oceans in search of adventure, riches, and revenge.  Similar to the hardships faced on the whaling expedition, you too will encounter momentous challenges as you fight your way all the way to the last page (remember what we said about not completing a book once you start…).    

Melville certainly possesses a thorough command of the English language; however, his ability to keep the reader awake is of great concern.  The only part we found interesting was the commentary on the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.  Reviews for this novel are mixed, ranging from “irrelevant” to “masterful”.  In fact, the Massachusetts legislature recently voted Moby Dick as the state’s official epic novel.  Frankly, we believe a motion for impeachment is in order.  One final note: If you haven’t picked up on this already, this novel should not be read while driving, operating machinery, or supervising young children as narcoleptic induced stupors are common.