Thank you to NetGalley, W.W. Norton and Company Inc., and Tantor Media Inc. for this advanced audiobook copy of Clamor. I recommend this book and appreciate the chance to share my thoughts.

This book is not what I thought it would be. As a listener of music played just a bit too loud and an audiobook/podcast going on for even the quickest chore, I approached this from a position of my 'need' for noise. It is, however, a dissection of the overall rise in noise and how it affects humans and animals alike. I was not surprised to hear some of this noise descried as pollution and my instinct of 'if it's too loud, you are too old' kicked in. It did not take long for me to abandon this take when considering the sources cited. Trucks, cars, planes, ships, construction, and industrial manufacturing are all part of a band that plays well past last call. While I knew 'red-lining' was (and still is) a source of punishing marginalized groups who cannot escape, I never considered the auditory component as another in a long list of health concerns.

Additionally, while I knew the presence and encroachment of humans would alter animal behavior, the sheer volume of disruption out sound played was a shocking revelation. I'm not much for running around in the woods but knowing that a truly natural sound scape may be on the way out gives me the willies.

Overall, the alarmist tone of the book simmers throughout but does highlight individuals, groups, cities, and in some cases countries that are pushing back to give us a much need break.

4 🌟

Just as I suspected - everything is too damn loud all the time.

Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back is a fascinating look into the noise around us and how it affects our health and environment. Chris Berdik reviews research showing how impactful "sonic trash" can be, and it is quite an eye(ear?)-opener.

As someone living near an AF Base, I know how annoying persistent, loud noises can be. I did not, however, realize just how harmful it is. I've always been sensitive to noise but didn't realize how far-reaching the impacts can be on health and well-being. Berdik does a great job of breaking this down. My only qualm with the book is that it focuses more on the first half of the title (How Noise Took Over the World) and less on the second half (How We Can Take It Back). Focusing more on "ok, so what do we do about it?" would be more helpful to the average person.

William Sarris narrates Clamor. He has a clear, easy-to-understand voice, even at higher playback speeds.

Recommended for anyone interested in sound/noise and its surprising impact.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tantor Audio for the ALC.

This book was an excellent call to action about not only preventing hearing loss and protecting your ears, but the way that noise pollutions affect our lives, attention, and health. We learn how noise pollutions affect lower-income people disproportionately.

I love the angle this book took. Once upon a time I wanted to be an audiologist or speech pathologist, and I loved the parts of this book about protecting your ears. It was drilled into me in school. However, I never really paid attention to the way noise pollution affects us. I learned a bunch!

I found this super interesting. My sensory sensitivities have been getting much more intense as I get older, and managing (and avoiding) noise has been a big part of my life for the last decade or so.

I think this manages a good balance for a pop science book - it's very straightforward and readable, without feeling too over-simplified. The author is explicit about the limitations of some of the studies he cites rather than just throwing out "science says..." soundbites. I like that he stresses the importance of noise as a problem without overstating it by directly comparing it to things that are more immediately harmful. I also appreciated the direct engagement with the way exposure to noise intersects with issues like race and poverty, rather than treating it as an entirely neutral, apolitical issue.

The idea of intentional soundscapes (as opposed to silence) as the alternative to noise was something I'd never thought about before, and understanding "noise" as being more than just loudness will stick with me. It resonates with my own experience of being much more bothered by some types of noise than others.

In the end, I didn't feel like this offered much in the way of individual or systemic solutions, but it explored some interesting ideas and the types of solutions people are working on.

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

I enjoyed this book.

Before I got this book, I knew going in, that noise has a lot of effects to things like concentration, stress, and more. But, this book really opened by eyes (pun intended?) to how far-reaching noise can truly affect lives!

Berdik explains that the effects of noise are not just cognitive too - they can actually affect your body's health - including heart and sleep disturbances to name a few.

I enjoyed Berdik's writing, and his careful research on the topic.

I found it an interesting book, and I am sure you would enjoy it.

I am a big fan of Chris' recommendations in this book, and I found it uplifting.
It is an urgent call to action.

Definitely a must-read for those in city planning, education, and those interested in voicing their rights.

3.8/5

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this title for a bias-free review.)

Years ago I had read Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection, where A.J. Jacobs threw himself into the woodchipper of of research and self-experimentation to become healthy on all fronts. His chapter on the Ear (a.k.a Hearing) was surprisingly only 10 pages, especially for one on a topic five of our 30+ senses.

The reason for this is simple, the study of noise and its impact on human health (as well as the health of non-human ecosystems around the world) does not appear to be not sexy enough to prioritize.

In Clamor, Chris Berdik does a great job of disabusing the reader of this notion.

He eloquently takes a reader (who does not need to have a highly scientific background) through the mechanics of hearing, pointing out how exactly the wrong soundscape could be detrimental to our health (beyond the damage to our ears):
a) overstimulation of our sound receptor cells can cause a glutamate-induced excitotoxicity which can damage the pathways that conduct sound sensory information
b) Noise activates our flight-or-flight systems (as it kept our ancestors ahead of the danger) and excess/inappropriate amounts keeps our bodies in stress-induced states

He also effectively points out that, for humans, our problem with sound is not only that of amplitude, but also the timing and frequency of exposure. A 2-second loud HONK from the car behind you will bring you to alert but will not do much long term damage, but being exposed to the daily din of traffic for hours on end for a certain percentage to your life will.

Clamour's focus is not only on the human-centric, various ecosystems are also pushed to a constant stress due to human intervention,

The message is not to get everyone to SHUT UP, but rather take precautions to protect ourselves, as well as
He indicates we are not passively at the mercy of industry, offering loads of solutions from around the world, quoting R. Murry Schafer:
"The final question will be is the soundscape of the world and indeterminate composition over which we have no control, or are we its composers and performers, responsibly for giving it form and beauty"

All in all, the aim of the book effectively does the job of illustrating the problem and convincing the reader on why we should care about it.

That was really fascinating read, I like to pay attention to sounds and I enjoyed learning about the kind of study people have been putting into the sounds of locations.

I'm a lifelong city dweller and unwanted noise is a constant issue, so I was intrigued by this book title and topic. Berdik has clearly done a lot of research and presents a good case for dealing with the clamor of daily life, pointing out how many suffer from permanent hearing loss and other problems caused by noise.
What I really enjoyed, though, was the research into solutions, which were surprising. For instance, there was a discussion about how lack of noise isn't necessarily the solution, and what kinds of noises provide the mental peace people need.
I read this book because I thought it sounded interesting but I recommend it for everyone who lives around people. The narrator presented the information clearly and it was easy to understand, but I think I'd like to read the print book too because I want to go back and review the details again.