How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World

What makes us work so hard to train ourselves, and our children, to sleep straight through the night in separate chambers? Why does sleep require micromanagement, medical attention, and pervasive worry? There were no such expectations before the 19th century. Cultural historian Benjamin Reiss uncovers the history of sleep, arguing that what may look like a natural act is actually one of society's most rule-bound and tightly regimented activities. Reiss received a Guggenheim award to complete "Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World", which will be released January 2017.

This program is presented in partnership with the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago and The Newberry Library.