The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want
A Book About Noise
Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Physics, Acoustics & Sound, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Rural, Urban
| Author: | Garret Keizer | ISBN: | 9781586488628 |
| Publisher: | PublicAffairs | Publication: | May 4, 2010 |
| Imprint: | PublicAffairs | Language: | English |
| Author: | Garret Keizer |
| ISBN: | 9781586488628 |
| Publisher: | PublicAffairs |
| Publication: | May 4, 2010 |
| Imprint: | PublicAffairs |
| Language: | English |
Noise is usually defined as unwanted sound: loud music from a neighbor, the honk of a taxicab, the roar of a supersonic jet. But as Garret Keizer illustrates in this probing examination, noise is as much about what we want as about what we seek to avoid. It has been a byproduct of human striving since ancient times even as it has become a significant cause of disease in our own. At heart, noise provides a key for understanding some of our most pressing issues, from social inequality to climate change.
In a journey that leads us from the Tanzanian veldt to the streets of New York, Keizer deftly explores the political ramifications of noise, America's central role in a loud world, and the environmental sustainability of a quieter one. The result is a deeply satisfying book-one guaranteed to change how we hear the world, and how we measure our own personal volume within it.
Noise is usually defined as unwanted sound: loud music from a neighbor, the honk of a taxicab, the roar of a supersonic jet. But as Garret Keizer illustrates in this probing examination, noise is as much about what we want as about what we seek to avoid. It has been a byproduct of human striving since ancient times even as it has become a significant cause of disease in our own. At heart, noise provides a key for understanding some of our most pressing issues, from social inequality to climate change.
In a journey that leads us from the Tanzanian veldt to the streets of New York, Keizer deftly explores the political ramifications of noise, America's central role in a loud world, and the environmental sustainability of a quieter one. The result is a deeply satisfying book-one guaranteed to change how we hear the world, and how we measure our own personal volume within it.
