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Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back
An eye- (and ear-) opening investigation into how 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 jets flying overhead. Your office mates’ phone conversations. We are surrounded by noise, but it is a problem many of us shrug off once the immediate annoyance passes. Yet as science journalist Chris Berdik explains in Clamor, noise can have serious health effects, disrupting our sleep, ratcheting up our stress, and destroying our concentration. As he argues, it is one of the most pervasive yet under-acknowledged pollutants in our daily lives―one that we neglect, both individually and systemically, at our peril
Drawing on extensive research and original reporting, Berdik shows how a too-limited understanding of noise has undermined a century of noise-control efforts and obscured the full toll noise takes on us and on the environment. Chronic exposure to noise that falls below decibel-based thresholds―sometimes even below our conscious awareness―is linked to spikes in the risk of heart disease and other serious health ailments that contribute to premature death. Noisy classrooms hinder developing minds and delay cognitive milestones. In forests and in the depths of the ocean, a cacophony of human-made sound disrupts the natural soundscape, threatening animals’ capacity to communicate, hunt, and flee predators.
Yet in the battle against noise, sound does not have to be our enemy. Berdik introduces us to the researchers, rock stars, architects, and many others finding surprising ways to make our world sound not just less bad but better.
Early-morning jackhammering from construction down the block. The dull roar of jets flying overhead. Your office mates’ phone conversations. We are surrounded by noise, but it is a problem many of us shrug off once the immediate annoyance passes. Yet as science journalist Chris Berdik explains in Clamor, noise can have serious health effects, disrupting our sleep, ratcheting up our stress, and destroying our concentration. As he argues, it is one of the most pervasive yet under-acknowledged pollutants in our daily lives―one that we neglect, both individually and systemically, at our peril
Drawing on extensive research and original reporting, Berdik shows how a too-limited understanding of noise has undermined a century of noise-control efforts and obscured the full toll noise takes on us and on the environment. Chronic exposure to noise that falls below decibel-based thresholds―sometimes even below our conscious awareness―is linked to spikes in the risk of heart disease and other serious health ailments that contribute to premature death. Noisy classrooms hinder developing minds and delay cognitive milestones. In forests and in the depths of the ocean, a cacophony of human-made sound disrupts the natural soundscape, threatening animals’ capacity to communicate, hunt, and flee predators.
Yet in the battle against noise, sound does not have to be our enemy. Berdik introduces us to the researchers, rock stars, architects, and many others finding surprising ways to make our world sound not just less bad but better.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published May 20, 2025
33 people are currently reading
5699 people want to read
About the author
Chris Berdik
2 books19 followersChris grew up in Pittsburgh, but has lived most of his adult life in Boston. He is a freelance science journalist and a former staff editor at the Atlantic Monthly and Mother Jones.
His work has appeared in Popular Science, Wired, New Scientist, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon, Politico, Slate, the Boston Globe, High Country News, Virginia Quarterly Review, Christian Science Monitor, Boston magazine, and the Daily Beast, among other outlets.
Chris has won reporting grants from the Pulitzer Center, the Solutions Journalism Network, and the Society of Environmental Journalists, a career development grant from the National Association of Science Writers, and a reporting fellowship from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.
He's authored two books. Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World--And How We Can Take it Back (Norton, 2025) and Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations (Current, 2012) is his first book.
His work has appeared in Popular Science, Wired, New Scientist, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon, Politico, Slate, the Boston Globe, High Country News, Virginia Quarterly Review, Christian Science Monitor, Boston magazine, and the Daily Beast, among other outlets.
Chris has won reporting grants from the Pulitzer Center, the Solutions Journalism Network, and the Society of Environmental Journalists, a career development grant from the National Association of Science Writers, and a reporting fellowship from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.
He's authored two books. Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World--And How We Can Take it Back (Norton, 2025) and Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations (Current, 2012) is his first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 21, 2025
"Your chest tightens, your heart races. Your anger grows as your thoughts scatter. You can’t focus on anything except for that sound—the incessant car alarm; the long, dull roar of a low-flying jet; your chattering office mates; the subway screeching into the station; or the rumble and rattle of a rooftop HVAC..."
Our modern societies have become louder. The noise from traffic, alarms, cell phones and even conversations has become virtually ubiquitous in modern life. Clamor was an interesting look into the topic.
Author Chris Berdik is a journalist who writes about science, health, technology, and education, including two books, this one and Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations, about the placebo effect in medical and non-medical contexts.
Chris Berdik :
Berdik opens the book on a good foot, delivering a high-energy intro. I found his style to be effective for the most part, although I ultimately found the intro set the high water mark for the rest of the writing to follow.
He drops the quote at the start of this review, and it continues:
Far from being a benign part of everyday life, noise can become pathological. Its negative effects on health are also often overlooked or even completely discounted. The author expands on the scope of the problem:
Unfortunately, although starting off fairly lively, I found the writing in the rest of the book to be a bit slow and long-winded. A subjective take, to be sure. I am very particular about how readable my books are, and this one came up a bit short in that department as it went on...
********************
Clamor was still a fairly decent look into the topic. I would recommend it.
3.5 stars.
Our modern societies have become louder. The noise from traffic, alarms, cell phones and even conversations has become virtually ubiquitous in modern life. Clamor was an interesting look into the topic.
Author Chris Berdik is a journalist who writes about science, health, technology, and education, including two books, this one and Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations, about the placebo effect in medical and non-medical contexts.
Chris Berdik :
Berdik opens the book on a good foot, delivering a high-energy intro. I found his style to be effective for the most part, although I ultimately found the intro set the high water mark for the rest of the writing to follow.
He drops the quote at the start of this review, and it continues:
"...But when the noise finally stops, you do your best to return to sleep, get back to your work, or resume your conversation. Your mind moves on to more important matters—at least until the next interruption.
This is the noise paradox. Sounds can trigger a visceral, even furious response from us in the moment but barely a shrug when that moment passes. When noise isn’t in our ears, we usually don’t consider it something to take seriously.
Overshadowed by other priorities, noise remains a problem regretted in hindsight rather than properly anticipated. Countless corporations have renounced walls and privacy partitions for a collaboration boost that often goes bust, while propelling noise to the top of the list of workplace complaints. Restaurateurs eager for a modern look strip away every scrap of soft sound-absorbing material, plop kitchens into dining areas, and pump up the music until patrons must shout to be heard. Hospitals have amassed an array of patient monitors emitting alarm sounds that overload wards with frenzied beeps, freaking out patients and exhausting clinicians. Architects often treat acoustics as an afterthought, except in special cases such as concert halls, and urban designers typically consider sound only as far as regulations require."
Far from being a benign part of everyday life, noise can become pathological. Its negative effects on health are also often overlooked or even completely discounted. The author expands on the scope of the problem:
"The harms of this sonic neglect have been habitually undersold. Noise is pigeonholed as a nuisance or personal grievance, despite increasingly robust evidence that it’s a serious and growing threat to public health. About 12 percent of American children and 17 percent of adults have permanent hearing damage from excessive noise—a loss that not only impoverishes our acoustic experiences but severs our connection to others. Hearing damage raises the risk of depression and dementia in older adults and can delay speech and language development in the very young."
Unfortunately, although starting off fairly lively, I found the writing in the rest of the book to be a bit slow and long-winded. A subjective take, to be sure. I am very particular about how readable my books are, and this one came up a bit short in that department as it went on...
********************
Clamor was still a fairly decent look into the topic. I would recommend it.
3.5 stars.
June 13, 2025
It was interesting. I feel like most of it was common sense, though there were some interesting tidbits. kind of an eh, I read it, type book.
May 16, 2025
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!
Thank you, Net galley and Tantor audio for an advanced copy of this book.
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!
Thank you, Net galley and Tantor audio for an advanced copy of this book.
May 25, 2025
Would like to hear more about engineering, designs or technology to reduce noise. Raises awareness for a topic most would not think to read about. Surprised to hear about the effects noise had on people, ex. students.
May 10, 2025
(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 in the top 5 of our 30+ human 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). Some examples include:
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.
He indicates we are not passively at the mercy of industry, offering loads of solutions from around the world, quoting R. Murry Schafer:
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.
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 in the top 5 of our 30+ human 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). Some examples include:
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.
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.
January 11, 2026
it was very ok.
August 14, 2025
3.6 stars. Good read, the audiologist brain in me loved it. You never realize how loud the world is
December 3, 2025
I have a lot of personal investment here; the ideas presented in this book are ones that I've been in agreement with for years, namely, that noise pollution (especially at night) is on the rise, and that preventing hearing loss suffers from a societal lack of awareness, regulation, and incentive. I think there's a general idea that this falls into common sense, but I'd argue that awareness of noise pollution and hearing damage is scant.
I assert that:
1. People don't take hearing loss seriously - and thus do not take hearing protection seriously either. The lack of earplugs or even consideration of them at concerts, mowing the lawn, industrial environments, etc. I have personally experienced the following mindsets in my personal life:
1. Friends who don't think you need hearing protection shooting outdoors as long as "it's just a .22."
2. Friends who don't wear earplugs at concerts because "Well my hearing's already shot."
3. Friends who don't wear hearing protection while mowing because "it's not that loud."
2. The general sentiment of hearing loss is the idea of flat volume reduction, akin to aging, instead of more complex damage (that this book illustrates).
3. The general misunderstanding of decibel volume as a linear scale, as opposed to logarithmic, and the reduction/halving of safe exposure time when volume increases.
4. Reactive changes versus proactive changes in establishing standards that relate to noise (and enforcement and regulation.) Fundamental cultural shifts are needed to express that noise is not just a decibel reading, and that types of noise are just as important. The book refers to this as "cultivating better soundscapes" (L. 1887 ) and it's a major point in later chapters that noise control is not just about creating absolute quiet but crafting what sounds people do and don't want to hear and the appropriate situation to engage with them. The idea of "high sonic quality" as a more important factor for noise in human perception than flat volume is brought up many times in this book, based on survey data from a variety of populaces, environments, and situations.
It's very confusing to me that the general populace seems so unaware of noise, as the author describes, maybe they have better or worse filtering than I do (and I hope I have protected my hearing as much as possible), but the number of times I've had conversations with people explaining that night is simply "quieter" and them not understanding makes me think that there's some level of noise pollution that people other than me are better at blocking out on a regular basis.
There's also the elephant in the room, in my mind, for our United States readers: Automobiles.
The extreme noise of automobiles, and the consistency of its presence, is an ever-growing problem in our environment, especially as it relates to the lack of discrete noise regulation for neighborhoods that border busy streets, highways and roads. As outlined in Chapter 4, residents who live in neighborhoods that are disproportionately affected by industrial automobile traffic typically have very little recourse to solving that problem once it exists. There was a key takeaway point in this chapter that highlights that road effects are far harder to combat once they are established, especially if said road is primarily used for traffic supporting industry (because then you're fighting commercial interests to maintain that roadway and sunk cost of continuing to do business). Furthermore, this seems to be a common major disruption regardless of environment or income status, as outlined in Chapter 9 when the author highlights survey results showing vehicular noise being detrimental 55% of the time on surveys in various urban environments.
Other Interesting Parts:
1. Medical - Very interesting: How noise interference creates slow reaction times to fatal mistakes and incidents in surgery, often leading to fatal or preventable outcomes. The sections on alarm fatigue and how to better design alarm sounds for hospitals was great.
2. Open Office Plans: Shocking no one - open office plans harbor worse scores towards privacy and noise pollution for workers, and all scores from studies conclude that this harms collaboration much more than cubicles ever did. Once again, shocking absolutely no one that this concept conceived by cushy executives in their private offices unfettered by the noise of an open plan failed to provide the perceived collaborative benefits. The persistent problem of halfalogues noted in these relevant chapters are also a personal annoyance that I experienced working in an open-office environment, ultimately leading to everyone wearing noise-cancelling headphones throughout the work day.
Chapter 4: The Noise Gap - Sound Pollution and Environmental Justice
Really good chapter. The author is making a casual link between industry pollution, racism, city planning, automotive pollution, and invasive noise. It's a weak link, only in that the assertion that one follows the other is a given. The author has the right message, but any one of these is worth a deep dive into. The exposition around neighborhood redlining is informative and necessary, and the author does a great job of explaining how a 1930's decision continues to have lasting downstream effects.
Chapter 5: Sensory Smog - Nature is Listening
Probably my favorite chapter -- especially the parts about the work the NPS is doing to preserve soundscapes and measure noise pollution by humans on nature. found the comparison to wildfire when evaluating seedling drop rate in forests from noise to be very interesting.
Chapter 6: Beyond Noise - A World of Unbounded Sound
Specifically, the section titled "Beeps, Bleeps, and Bubbles", which investigated the evaluation process for creating idling and movement noises for London's electric bus system (you can hear these noises and get a deeper dive from this video: https://youtu.be/xINOfbdY8-g?si=Gtgc_...)
I assert that:
1. People don't take hearing loss seriously - and thus do not take hearing protection seriously either. The lack of earplugs or even consideration of them at concerts, mowing the lawn, industrial environments, etc. I have personally experienced the following mindsets in my personal life:
1. Friends who don't think you need hearing protection shooting outdoors as long as "it's just a .22."
2. Friends who don't wear earplugs at concerts because "Well my hearing's already shot."
3. Friends who don't wear hearing protection while mowing because "it's not that loud."
2. The general sentiment of hearing loss is the idea of flat volume reduction, akin to aging, instead of more complex damage (that this book illustrates).
3. The general misunderstanding of decibel volume as a linear scale, as opposed to logarithmic, and the reduction/halving of safe exposure time when volume increases.
4. Reactive changes versus proactive changes in establishing standards that relate to noise (and enforcement and regulation.) Fundamental cultural shifts are needed to express that noise is not just a decibel reading, and that types of noise are just as important. The book refers to this as "cultivating better soundscapes" (L. 1887 ) and it's a major point in later chapters that noise control is not just about creating absolute quiet but crafting what sounds people do and don't want to hear and the appropriate situation to engage with them. The idea of "high sonic quality" as a more important factor for noise in human perception than flat volume is brought up many times in this book, based on survey data from a variety of populaces, environments, and situations.
It's very confusing to me that the general populace seems so unaware of noise, as the author describes, maybe they have better or worse filtering than I do (and I hope I have protected my hearing as much as possible), but the number of times I've had conversations with people explaining that night is simply "quieter" and them not understanding makes me think that there's some level of noise pollution that people other than me are better at blocking out on a regular basis.
There's also the elephant in the room, in my mind, for our United States readers: Automobiles.
The extreme noise of automobiles, and the consistency of its presence, is an ever-growing problem in our environment, especially as it relates to the lack of discrete noise regulation for neighborhoods that border busy streets, highways and roads. As outlined in Chapter 4, residents who live in neighborhoods that are disproportionately affected by industrial automobile traffic typically have very little recourse to solving that problem once it exists. There was a key takeaway point in this chapter that highlights that road effects are far harder to combat once they are established, especially if said road is primarily used for traffic supporting industry (because then you're fighting commercial interests to maintain that roadway and sunk cost of continuing to do business). Furthermore, this seems to be a common major disruption regardless of environment or income status, as outlined in Chapter 9 when the author highlights survey results showing vehicular noise being detrimental 55% of the time on surveys in various urban environments.
Other Interesting Parts:
1. Medical - Very interesting: How noise interference creates slow reaction times to fatal mistakes and incidents in surgery, often leading to fatal or preventable outcomes. The sections on alarm fatigue and how to better design alarm sounds for hospitals was great.
2. Open Office Plans: Shocking no one - open office plans harbor worse scores towards privacy and noise pollution for workers, and all scores from studies conclude that this harms collaboration much more than cubicles ever did. Once again, shocking absolutely no one that this concept conceived by cushy executives in their private offices unfettered by the noise of an open plan failed to provide the perceived collaborative benefits. The persistent problem of halfalogues noted in these relevant chapters are also a personal annoyance that I experienced working in an open-office environment, ultimately leading to everyone wearing noise-cancelling headphones throughout the work day.
Chapter 4: The Noise Gap - Sound Pollution and Environmental Justice
Really good chapter. The author is making a casual link between industry pollution, racism, city planning, automotive pollution, and invasive noise. It's a weak link, only in that the assertion that one follows the other is a given. The author has the right message, but any one of these is worth a deep dive into. The exposition around neighborhood redlining is informative and necessary, and the author does a great job of explaining how a 1930's decision continues to have lasting downstream effects.
Chapter 5: Sensory Smog - Nature is Listening
Probably my favorite chapter -- especially the parts about the work the NPS is doing to preserve soundscapes and measure noise pollution by humans on nature. found the comparison to wildfire when evaluating seedling drop rate in forests from noise to be very interesting.
Chapter 6: Beyond Noise - A World of Unbounded Sound
Specifically, the section titled "Beeps, Bleeps, and Bubbles", which investigated the evaluation process for creating idling and movement noises for London's electric bus system (you can hear these noises and get a deeper dive from this video: https://youtu.be/xINOfbdY8-g?si=Gtgc_...)
May 21, 2025
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.
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.
May 17, 2025
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.
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.
October 24, 2025
Clamor is a revelatory deep dive into one of modern life’s most overlooked pollutants noise. Chris Berdik transforms an invisible, everyday nuisance into a powerful lens for understanding how our environments shape our bodies, minds, and even ecosystems. His investigative storytelling is sharp, humane, and often startling, connecting the dots between the background roar of modernity and the silent strain it inflicts on our health and planet.
What makes Clamor especially compelling is its breadth moving seamlessly from scientific research to urban planning, from marine biology to the psychology of distraction. Berdik doesn’t simply lament the noise; he seeks harmony, introducing us to the innovators and visionaries finding ways to make the world sound better, not quieter.
With its blend of science, culture, and activism, Clamor reads like a wake up call wrapped in eloquence essential reading for anyone who’s ever felt the mental or emotional weight of a world that won’t stop buzzing.
What makes Clamor especially compelling is its breadth moving seamlessly from scientific research to urban planning, from marine biology to the psychology of distraction. Berdik doesn’t simply lament the noise; he seeks harmony, introducing us to the innovators and visionaries finding ways to make the world sound better, not quieter.
With its blend of science, culture, and activism, Clamor reads like a wake up call wrapped in eloquence essential reading for anyone who’s ever felt the mental or emotional weight of a world that won’t stop buzzing.
May 14, 2025
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
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
July 11, 2025
This book has made me hypervigilant to the sounds around me, both good and bad. It’s not always a matter of loudness, but of what the sounds are. Noise is a pollution we are neglecting and seems like a rising cause of people opting out from the world.
Focus on sounds and soundscape from of the world and buildings is what can keep people less stressed, and more focused. They play a bigger factor into our world than we think.
Redesigning spaces with sound in mind might be a bigger key to keeping people coming back to them and experiencing those spaces.
Not all about getting into nature, about transforming our current spaces into better sounding spaces. Not about making the world quieter, but making it sound better.
Focus on sounds and soundscape from of the world and buildings is what can keep people less stressed, and more focused. They play a bigger factor into our world than we think.
Redesigning spaces with sound in mind might be a bigger key to keeping people coming back to them and experiencing those spaces.
Not all about getting into nature, about transforming our current spaces into better sounding spaces. Not about making the world quieter, but making it sound better.
June 27, 2025
While the first 3/4 of the book are an insightful and educating read on the impacts of noise pollution and its relation to environmental justice and social justice, I felt the last leg of the book lost steam and seemed to highlight the ways companies are trying to shift the narrative of sound. Not to say this isn't good work, but why do people so often highlight the harm that capitalistic society produces and then come up with a solution to the problem that is still rooted in capitalistic thought?
January 3, 2026
Імпульсом до написання книги стала стаття Бердіка для Boston Globe Sunday Magazine про гарвардського дослідника, що спеціалізувався на шумовому забрудненні. Тоді журналіст усвідомив, що сприймав шум як епізодичну особисту проблему, а не як системне забруднення. Однак люди, яких він інтерв'ював, поділялися на два табори: одні вважали шум серйозною загрозою здоров'ю, що потребує жорстких регуляцій, інші —що скарги на шум є лише проксі-боями за ширші конфлікти на кшталт джентрифікації. Обидві позиції видавалися автору обмеженими, і він почав шукати третій шлях.
January 11, 2026
As an acoustician, this book hasn't told me anything new but it's great to create awareness of our noisy world. It's really a collection of case studies about noise and soundscapes, with lots of mentions to UK researchers, but it's missing the crucial news that Wales is the only nation of the world asking for soundscape assessments to be included as part of new developments. There are some concepts that the author gets wrong (such as sound insulation/sound absorption) but overall it's a good entertaining book. The reader of the audiobook was so dull though!
June 25, 2025
Very interesting and well-researched exploration of how sound impacts our mental and physical health. I truly hear things differently after finishing this book, and I’m much more intentional about finding moments of auditory peace—just as a great view can lift my mood, I now have a deeper understanding of how soundscapes impact me. It’s rare that a book can change my perspective on my environment and spur me to make changes—this book does just that.
August 20, 2025
Overall, this book started to identify and to some extent explore interesting ideas, but lacks any real substance.
interesting thoughts on the role sound plays for living creatures and how the global economy and urban development has conceptually shifted our relation to sound. As someone who works in development, the environmental justice, development, and ecological impacts portion was interesting - how should/can we really value the trade offs between one “good” thing versus another?
interesting thoughts on the role sound plays for living creatures and how the global economy and urban development has conceptually shifted our relation to sound. As someone who works in development, the environmental justice, development, and ecological impacts portion was interesting - how should/can we really value the trade offs between one “good” thing versus another?
August 21, 2025
After a hiatus I finally picked back up a nonfiction read and this one was right up my alley. I’m always interested in Anything regarding perception and the senses; so learning more about sound and “noise” and how it’s perceived in different environments is really interesting.
Key takeaway from the book is that noise does not equate to loudness, and sounds do not have an inherent qualifier of good or bad. It’s all subjective and conditional!
Key takeaway from the book is that noise does not equate to loudness, and sounds do not have an inherent qualifier of good or bad. It’s all subjective and conditional!
September 16, 2025
I loved the prose - it was so fun to read. I think it’d be interesting to really go deeper into the differences between decibels and crafting a soundscape and the barriers to that. Bc the solution it seems is a ton of labor and an ML model that a human needs to monitor… but how feasible is that? And then when we are talking about drones in the coda, there wasn’t much weighing of the pros and cons.
July 25, 2025
I found it a very informative read; things we may not actively think about, but subconsciously do. I'm sure for most all these things aren't "new", but being able to have the words to describe it allows me a nice point of reference to start from. I'd say it was an enriching experience.
I enjoyed it massively. It's shown me a new layer, and the joy I recieve exploring it may last me a lifetime.
I enjoyed it massively. It's shown me a new layer, and the joy I recieve exploring it may last me a lifetime.
June 22, 2025
It's hard to rate a nonfiction book, especially one that is about research and not a narrative. This had a lot of interesting information but by the end, it was extremely statistic heavy and seemed to be saying the same thing repeatedly.
September 19, 2025
Picked this up randomly and really enjoyed it! Reading Clamor definitely made me more aware of the noise in my life and how I perceive different types of sounds.
To everyone reading this- please protect your hearing!! It's exposed to way more harm than one may think.
To everyone reading this- please protect your hearing!! It's exposed to way more harm than one may think.
June 21, 2025
actually pretty fascinating
June 22, 2025
Not readable! A book is supposed to be more than a bunch of factoids mashed together, and then when you get to 200 pages, you're done.
July 15, 2025
i love learning things!! does anyone want to talk abt noise and soundscapes!!
July 28, 2025
Written in a very dry tone. It didn't engage me.
December 12, 2025
started off very engaging, I thought it was interesting and informative and I was hooked but then towards the end I got a bit bored
December 28, 2025
Berdik declares noise as an important variable in health, concentration, environmental justice, and more. Worth the read if you like deep dives into niche nonfiction topics.
January 4, 2026
I didn't sign up to read about America's social problems and author's opinions on fairness. Barely half the book is actually about noise.
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