Nonfiction

The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence

The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence

  • Downloads：2144
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-25 16:31:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stephen Kurczy
  • ISBN：B087CKW756
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In this riveting account of an area of Appalachia known as the Quiet Zone where cell phones and WiFi are banned， journalist Stephen Kurczy explores the pervasive role of technology in our lives and the innate human need for quiet。

Deep in the Appalachian Mountains lies the last truly quiet town in America。 Green Bank， West Virginia， is a place at once futuristic and old-fashioned: It's home to the Green Bank Observatory， where astronomers search the depths of the universe using the latest technology， while schoolchildren go without WiFi or iPads。 With a ban on all devices emanating radio frequency interference （RFI） that might interfere with the observatory's telescopes， Quiet Zone residents live a life free from constant digital connectivity。

But a town that on the surface seems idyllic is a place of contradictions， where the provincial meets the seemingly supernatural， and where quiet can serve as a cover for something darker。 Kurczy's deep-dive into this community introduces a menagerie of eccentric residents: a digital-ghostbuster patrolling the town for illegal radio waves; "electro-sensitives" who claim that WiFi is deadly; a sheriff's department with a record of unsolved murder cases; a camp of neo-Nazis hiding out in a mountain hollow; and ordinary citizens seeking a return to the simple life。

Walden meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this portrait of a community where those seeking refuge confront a reality that is often stranger than fiction。 Kurczy takes readers down the rabbit hole on a fascinating journey that explores an alternative to our hyperconnected society and challenges us to rethink the role of tech in our lives。

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Reviews

Ady ，

First， a disclaimer: I received this e-book in advance of publishing in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own opinions。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book。 I REALLY liked this book。 It is narrative nonfiction and is exceptionally well-written。 It does go on a lot of tangents， but those tangents are organized， and the structure makes sense。 There is a LOT going on in this book。 Spy organization， invisible illnesses， conspiracy theories， white suprema First， a disclaimer: I received this e-book in advance of publishing in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own opinions。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book。 I REALLY liked this book。 It is narrative nonfiction and is exceptionally well-written。 It does go on a lot of tangents， but those tangents are organized， and the structure makes sense。 There is a LOT going on in this book。 Spy organization， invisible illnesses， conspiracy theories， white supremacists， hippies， a cult， a famous doctor who is actually a con artist （Patch Adams） … it’s all in here。 But they are all connected under the Radio Free zone。 I think that one of my favorite aspects of this book is the in depth look from the author at this area。 I， like most people， have heard of this area and have even thought about how nice it was pre-cell phone and Wi-Fi and constant connectedness。 This author spent a significant amount of time here though。 He didn’t just write an article to sell a magazine or newspaper or get a headline。 He interjected his own thoughts and experiences into it and really took a hard look at all that is in this area。 This is not my normal style of book， but I enjoyed it so much that I want to find more nonfiction of this ilk。 CAWPILE Score: NAStar Rating: NAPages: 336Read on E-Book 。。。more

sbtbkb ，

This book was we'll written。 I didn't expect so many tangents into different social movements， political pork， and neo Nazis but the book was able to tie everything together。 I also liked how the author was relatable and included his beliefs， doubts， and scepticism。 I'd always just believed news reports of a dead zone town so it was fascinating to read how the town isn't just stuck in a time warp。 This book was we'll written。 I didn't expect so many tangents into different social movements， political pork， and neo Nazis but the book was able to tie everything together。 I also liked how the author was relatable and included his beliefs， doubts， and scepticism。 I'd always just believed news reports of a dead zone town so it was fascinating to read how the town isn't just stuck in a time warp。 。。。more

Amy Phelps ，

Not my usual kind of book， but it was super interesting and written well。 There is so much going on here - invisible illness， a hate group， a cult， hippies， a “doctor” who sounds like a con artist， a spy organization or a way to talk to aliens and a hard look at cell phone and WiFi and our dependence on technology。

Becky ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 There's a small town in Appalachia where cell phones are banned。 WiFi is against the rules。 Even radios， light bulbs， and car electronics are policed。 It's the very definition of being "off the grid。" At least， that's how it's supposed to be in Green Bank， West Virginia。 It's located in the National Radio Quiet Zone， due to the presence of a giant radio telescope in the town。 Scientists are literally listening to the universe with it， but the signals from cell phones， microwaves， and other commo There's a small town in Appalachia where cell phones are banned。 WiFi is against the rules。 Even radios， light bulbs， and car electronics are policed。 It's the very definition of being "off the grid。" At least， that's how it's supposed to be in Green Bank， West Virginia。 It's located in the National Radio Quiet Zone， due to the presence of a giant radio telescope in the town。 Scientists are literally listening to the universe with it， but the signals from cell phones， microwaves， and other common electronics disturb the research。 As part of the Quiet Zone， technically cell phones and WiFi are against the rules for area residents。 But， how do you regulate that？The Quiet Zone is more than a book about the town with a telescope。 Author Stephen Kurczy examines what drives people to - and from - Green Bank。 The nearest Walmart is hours away。 The town convenience store boasts that if they don't sell it， you don't need it。 Some see it as a way to escape the connected life。 After all， no cell phone means not getting work emails or calls past 5 p。m。， not having to tell the kids to put their phones away during family meals， and an escape from the "noise" of connected， city life。 Some people believe they're "electrosensitive" - meaning they have medical issues caused by exposure to certain light bulbs， WiFi signals， and more。 Green Bank is an escape for them。 Or is it？Why is the town also a sort of safe haven for the white nationalist movement？ Why is it so hard to get medical care？ What does the area's most famous resident， Dr。 "Patch" Adams - portrayed by Robin Williams in a feature film - say about that？ He's been collecting millions of dollars in donations to build a free hospital for years。 But where's the hospital？ （Spoiler alert: "Patch" Adams is a fraudster and a dick。） How does the town newspaper stay connected to the town when there aren't supposed to be any ways to stay connected？This work on non-fiction really examines what it means to be a "quiet zone" and what it means when all the local teens are still carrying iPhones to class。 The neo-Nazi movement has a presence in a town that's supposed to be disconnected from ways to be monitored by the authorities。I found this book fascinating。 Even though I'd never want to live in a place as remote as Green Bank， I'm interested in people who do want a life like that， and the rationale behind that desire。 Journalist Kurczy immersed himself in the town for years， making many trips between his home in New York City and the isolated Appalachian town。 I was immersed in the people who believe the wrong type of light bulb can make them medically ill， and the white nationalists exploring local underground tunnels。 I highly recommend this to anyone who wonders what life would be like without 24/7 connectivity， and to anyone who is glad they have that ability to stay in touch and stay connected constantly。FTC disclosure: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0