- ISBN13: 9781586485528
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
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 … More >>
The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book About Noise
Tags: byproduct, garret keizer, heart, honk, loud music, neighbor, roar, supersonic jet, taxicab, unwanted sound
#1 by waitingtoderail on June 26, 2010 - 5:12 pm
This review is based on an advance reading copy.
Garret Keizer has written an important book. I don’t mean it’s particularly well-written – I think it could have been about thirty pages shorter. No, what I mean is, he’s given some voice to those who, by the very nature of their cause, can’t and won’t be loud about it without appearing hypocritical.
Noise is a “weak” issue, Keizer says, because it affects mainly the weak. True, we can’t all afford to build soundproofed rooms like one wealthy writer did, as described in the book. But I say it’s a weak issue because people aren’t clamoring to complain to officials and making it known that this is an issue they will vote on. People have to make a little noise to reduce it.
Keizer does a good job in describing the history of “noise” (as opposed to sound), and even touches a bit on how one person’s noise is another person’s pleasant sound when describing the “battle” between Sturgis bikers and Native Americans and with a few community members in Massachusetts versus the larger community’s desire to hold a festival complete with music. I was glad to see that.
I appreciated the timeline of noise history, glossary, and list of organizations that do try to get noise reduced. He also gives a “personal noise code” which I felt was a little much. Suggestions for how to reduce noise are appreciated, but couching it in the guise of personal affirmations rubbed me the wrong way.
A thorough bibliography is included, and although the advanced reading copy didn’t include one, the publisher assures us there will be an index.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by Kelly Cooper on June 26, 2010 - 7:12 pm
This is an excellent, thoughtful meditation on something virtually everyone can agree upon: painful and intrusive noise sucks. The politically aggressive bullying that typifies noise dominance is finally given a good lashing on these pages; which alone is gratifying enough to recommend the book. Stylistically, Garret Keizer sticks with his forte: the clever milieu of highbrow periodical wit. Perhaps the most resonant quality of the book is its ability to make the reader feel less alone in the world. Most of us tend to stoically (by our own estimation) tolerate a great deal of noise in our daily lives, convinced that the risks of confrontation outweigh the uncertain rewards of complaint. We also recognize, even if only by a tacit sense of fair play, that the rights of the noisemaker and the accidental ear overlap in uncomfortable ways. It’s a rewarding experience to read through this exhaustive rumination on the subject. Even if it isn’t necessarily going to make the world a quieter place, it’s a good start.
There are several pages of notes the end of the book, adding substantially to its bulk. An electronic version or the paperback edition would probably be the more economical – and ecologically prudent – choice.
Rating: 4 / 5