"Jean Shields is devastated when the adoption she and her husband were set to complete falls through. Besides her solid-as-a-rock husband, her only solace is her two dogs, her sewing students, and her new friends in the women's group her mother-in-law has introduced her to. Alice and Robin want to help Jean, but they don't know how. Alice is dealing with a pregnancy scare, and Robin is trying to help her oldest daughter navigate collegiate options....

"It is commonly understood that sleep in some form or another is an almost universal phenomenon among animals, including humans. However, the specific reasons why we need sleep are not as clear. The articles in this volume explain what sleep is, the benefits it has on the mind and the body, and its role in cognitive and biological functions. It examines disorders that disturb normal sleep and what these disorders tell us about our need for sleep....