Justin Zorn & Leigh Marz - Golden

Silence isn’t just the absence of noise. It’s a presence that brings us energy, clarity, and deeper connection. Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz take us on an unlikely journey—from the West Wing of the White House to San Quentin’s death row; from Ivy League brain research laboratories to underground psychedelic circles; from the temperate rainforests of Olympic National Park to the main stage at a heavy metal festival—to explore the meaning of silence and the art of finding it in any situation. 

Golden reveals how to go beyond the ordinary rules and tools of mindfulness. It’s a field guide for navigating the noise of the modern world—not just the noise in our ears but also on our screens and in our heads. 

Drawing on lessons from neuroscience, business, spirituality, politics, and the arts, Marz and Zorn explore why auditory, informational, and internal silence is essential for physical health, mental clarity, ecological sustainability, and vibrant community. With vital lessons for individuals, families, workplaces, and whole societies, Golden is an engaging and unexpected rethinking of the meaning of quiet. 

Marz and Zorn make the bold and convincing argument that we can repair our world by reclaiming the presence of silence in our lives.

Comment: I brought this book by impulse from the library. The theme seemed intriguing and I decided, why not?

In this nonfiction, the authors were determined to study the need for silence, especially in such a society where everything is rushed and loud and often people don't have time to stop and enjoy their own time or the need for quietness. In a few chapters they offer advice, suggestions and an analysis of how people can heal, rest, ground themselves by having quiet or silent moments.

I really won't prolong this post for long because I didn't particularly enjoy reading this book. When I picked it up and turned the pages very quickly, a few words caught my eye, namely some names and I imagined the book would be looking at the way silence can help people to get balanced or achieve some kind of peace and the authors would use real cases, situations they saw or guided in their workshops or even cases of people who could relate how being in a silent environment or something like that helped them. Well,not really, it turned out.

This book is divided into several chapters where the authors address their ideas and brainstorming, and they do name several people who used silence in some healing or positive way. This is great, but everything is rather clinical and quick, and the people mentioned don't really share a personal vision of their own paths, they are only named and referenced when it suits the type of information the authors want to convey. I mean, fine, but this was not what I imagined the book would be about. 

Therefore, this read like many other academic-type of texts, where it's all about the idea and the repeated notions of limiting people's access to distractions and technology, which often are the main causes of "too much noise". I get the idea of this book, and I think the authors did a good job organizing the text and the information included, but I was bored. I simply didn't think this was enlightening enough to really absorb the message and more often than not, I was eager to see the end of the book.

This said, I also think the book could have been edited and summarized in some sections. Some things were repeated in different sections and the examples used to illustrate an idea were often as random or as superficial as the idea itself. There is also a lot of stuff about other subjects (which, yes, can have an impact in how people react to what is around them and the lack of time to be in silence simply thinking) and the reader seems to be expected to agree with that POV, which I can accept, but this made the reading experience a rather "preachy" task.

This book didn't win me over, the content wasn't as entertaining or as relevant to me as I imagined. I think the whole book could be summarized into an essay, for instance, and that would have been enough for me.

Grade: 4/10