Notes On Silence

by Cassidy Hall, Patrick Shen

Something like a work of devotion rather than philosophical analysis, Notes on Silence is the culmination of a deep-dive into silence from the team behind the multiple award-winning film, In Pursuit of Silence. The SXSW film was hailed as “one of the most truly meditative and deeply inventive films of the year,” by IndieWire and “beguiling, meditative and elegantly photographed,” by the Wall Street Journal, and premiered theatrically amidst one of the most divisive political landscapes the world has ever seen, sparking a global conversation around our need for silence.

Co-authored by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Patrick Shen (In Pursuit of Silence, The Philosopher Kings, Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality) and filmmaker, author, and co-host of the Encountering Silence podcast, Cassidy Hall; Notes on Silence hosts a vast array of wisdom and insights collected from a journey that spanned the globe and nearly half a decade. Featuring original essays and photographs by the authors, the book also includes over 100 pages of interview transcripts culled from conversations with more than 50 modern-day sages and leading experts from a wide range of disciplines. Contained within those transcripts are the insights of authors, monastics, philosophers, and theologians.

“Notes on Silence is a treasure. Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen bring a poet's heart and an artist's eye to the ineffable, wondrous mystery of silence, and in doing so they have created a book that invites you by multiple passageways to the hidden place where mysticism, beauty and emptiness dance. Their reflections, combined with striking photography and interviews with over a dozen silence lovers, make for a thoughtful celebration of its essential subject. It's more than just a companion volume to their vitally important documentary In Pursuit of Silence — it's a luminous work in its own right.” — Carl McColman, author of Answering the Contemplative Call

294 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2018

Reviews

[J. Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, quiet book -- as befits a book on silence. Filled with evocative meditations, interviews, photographs, and more, it would be a good book to just keep out and pick up when one needs a bit of silence. I highly recommend it.

[Andō · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this reflective journey through a series of contemplations on the nature of silence.

As a musician explores motifs through repetition, when we see silence repeatedly expressed by different authors, musicians, filmmakers, creatives and spiritual teachers, we gain a deeper understanding. We discover the subtle nuances of silence.

This is a book is a trusty companion, a series of deep dives into silence. Currently out of print, put the ebook on your phone or Kindle, and switch to flight mode.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that accompanied the film The Pursuit of Silence, I came to it via the Encountering Silence podcast (which is excellent, by the way). The book is lovely with its short impressionistic essays, photography and interviews. Of the interviews, Maggie Ross's was my favourite. Enlightening and wonderful stuff.

[Elisabeth Millenaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quest for peace begins with room for thought. That room is silence. Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen's quest for the meaning of silence is a must read for all who feel overwhelmed by today's noise, as well as for people who are addicted to it.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!