Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back

Summary

An eye- (and ear-) opening investigation into how the cacophony of our ever-noisier world affects our health, our well-being, and our planet.

Early-morning jackhammering from construction down the block. The dull roar of jet overflights. Your officemate's phone conversations. Noise is everywhere, disrupting our sleep, ratcheting up our stress, destroying our concentration—yet it's a problem that many of us shrug off once the immediate annoyance passes. In Clamor, Chris Berdik reveals noise as one of the most pervasive, yet underacknowledged, pollutants in our daily lives, the harms of which extend far beyond our hearing, from our children's learning outcomes to our longevity to the natural world around us.

We systemically neglect life's sonic dimension at our peril—not only driving up the racket but failing to harness sound's great potential. Berdik introduces us to the researchers, rock stars, architects, and many others who are finding surprising ways to make our world sound not only less bad, but better. Rising above the ever-increasing din, Clamor is an urgent—and ultimately inspiring—call to reconsider our relationship to our world's soundscapes.