Noise is usually defined as unwanted sound. But as Garret Keizer illustrates in his probing new book, The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want, noise is as much about what we want as about what we seek to avoid. It is a byproduct of human striving since ancient times. Noise provides a key for understanding some of our most pressing issues, from social inequality to climate change. In a journey 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. Garret Keizer is a free lance writer, a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine, and a recent Guggenheim Fellow. He is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed Help and The Enigma of Anger. His essays and poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, The Best American Essays, and The Best American Poetry. He lives with his wife in northeastern Vermont.
