Five Quarts (2005)

In a history of blood that takes us from ancient Rome to the leading edge of modern science, detouring briefly for a fascinating account of vampirism, Bill Hayes (Sleep Demons) presents the constantly evolving understanding of our most precious bodily fluid. He leavens his nonfiction narrative with personal experience, most notably as a young gay man who lands in San Francisco just as AIDS began to take its immeasurable toll. Indeed, this beguiling brew of fascinating scientific facts and illuminating, poignant anecdotes make Five Quarts something like blood itself: vital and pulsing with energy.