The Oracle of Night

The History and Science of Dreams

By: Sidarta Ribeiro

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

A groundbreaking history of the human mind told through our experience of dreams—from the earliest accounts to current scientific findings—and their essential role in the formation of who we are and the world we have made.

"A resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams."—The New York Times

What is a dream? Why do we dream? How do our bodies and minds use them? These questions are the starting point for this unprecedented study of the role and significance of this phenomenon. An inves­tigation on a grand scale, it encompasses literature, anthropology, religion, and science, articulating the essential place dreams occupy in human culture and how they functioned as the catalyst that compelled us to transform our earthly habitat into a human world.

From the earliest cave paintings—where Sidarta Ribeiro locates a key to humankind’s first dreams and how they contributed to our capacity to perceive past and future and our ability to conceive of the existence of souls and spirits—to today’s cutting-edge scientific research, Ribeiro arrives at revolutionary conclusions about the role of dreams in human existence and evolution. He explores the advances that contempo­rary neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology have made into the connections between sleep, dreams, and learning. He explains what dreams have taught us about the neural basis of memory and the transfor­mation of memory in recall. And he makes clear that the earliest insight into dreams as oracular has been elucidated by contemporary research.

Accessible, authoritative, and fascinating, The Oracle of Night gives us a wholly new way to under­stand this most basic of human experiences.

©2021 Sidarta Ribeiro (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A Jabuti Award Finalist for Best “Brazilian Book Published Abroad”

“A sweeping account as tangled and chaotic—and fascinating—as the dreams themselves . . . It reinfuses the dreamscape with beauty, mystery and significance . . . The Oracle of Night takes a breakneck journey through history, from cave paintings and the ancient Greeks to Celtic myths, Egyptian pharaohs, Gilgamesh and Julius Caesar. The text, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn, moves fluidly from systemic historiography to guesswork and lighthearted extrapolation . . . The result is a curiously hybridized book, at times playful, at times intensely scientific . . . Poetic and visceral.”—The Wall Street Journal

“The Oracle of Night makes a resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams . . . This book is the culmination of decades of thought and collaborative work. It’s also the expression of remarkable, if sometimes all-over-the-map, scholarship, drawing on history, literature, biology, anthropology, neuroscience, sociology and psychology, among other disciplines . . . [Ribeiro's] lyrical account is aided by Daniel Hahn’s beautiful translation from the Portuguese . . . You can’t help being awed and enchanted by the wonder with which Ribeiro approaches his subject, by the depth of his knowledge and passion.”—The New York Times

“[Ribeiro] explores hypotheses about the evolutionary value of sleep to humans, presenting a fascinating analysis of the debate about the relationship between sleep and cognitive ability . . . concluding, among other things, that nap rooms would be a valuable addition to school environments.”—Publishers Weekly

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**3-Star Review for "Oracle of Night"**

Oracle of Night" is a solid starter book for anyone fascinated by the history and science of dreams. The author delves deep into study results, making it clear that this book is all about the facts and research behind dreaming. If you're keen on learning how our understanding of dreams has evolved, this book is a goldmine of information.

However, if you're looking for insights into dream interpretation or a deeper dive into what your dreams mean, this might not be the book for you. The focus is on the historical and scientific aspects, so don't expect to find mystical explanations or personal dream analysis here.

All in all, a good read for science enthusiasts but not for those seeking to unravel the personal mysteries of their dreams.

muito relevante atual

atual e com dados cientificos mas com bastante variacao de assuntos tangentes. as vezes um pouco sem foco, mas pode ser o objetivo onírico de escrita

60% too many words

Some good information mixed in with too much verbosity. Apologies to the author, if you edited out a lot of the extraneous commentary this would be much more informative.

I like it

I like it. This is a very thorough treatment of the subjects of dreams, memory, and sleep. I recommend it.

I finished it and like it even more. This book is worthy of study. I intend to return to it.