06/14/2021
Journalist Kurczy debuts with a colorful yet diffuse examination of life in Green Bank, W.Va., the so-called “quietest town in America.” Home to a federal radio astronomy observatory that measures “invisible energy waves” from space, Green Bank is part of the National Radio Quiet Zone, a region covering more than 13,000 square miles where wireless communication signals and devices with electromagnetic emissions are tightly restricted. Kurczy interviews “electrosensitives” who have come to the Quiet Zone to escape debilitating illnesses they believe are caused by electromagnetic radiation, but he soon discovers that many Green Bank residents do, in fact, use Wi-Fi and other prohibited devices. He also examines other distinctive influences in Pocahontas County, including Patch Adams’s Gesundheit! Institute, which has solicited millions of dollars since the 1970s to build an as-yet-unrealized free hospital, and the National Alliance, a white supremacist group. Though Kurczy comes to view the region as “less and less Walden and more and more weird,” he maintains an appreciation for the “pared-down” pace of life. The narrative rambles and the stakes feel rather low, but Kurczy succeeds in unlocking many secrets of this insular community. Readers will enjoy the peek behind the curtain. Agent: Larry Weissman, Larry Weissman Literary. (Aug.)
"An expressionistic new work of nonfiction. Part folk history, part gonzo travelogue, The Quiet Zone colorfully annotates an elaborate contradiction: a last bastion of the disconnected world. ... Kurczy finds high drama and dark secrets in the woods, but he also captures the complex beauty of a disconnected way of life that is dying out at an alarming rate. ... A time capsule of a not-so-distant past, of an approach to life that is rapidly slipping from collective memory." — The Nation
“[Readers] needing a reminder of the simple pleasure of reconnecting with real people in real life will enjoy the journey.” — Nir Eyal, New York Times Book Review
"Kurczy's deep reporting uncovers... strange things in these hills. ... What makes this book formidable is Kurczy's relentless investigating." — USA Today
"What a fascinating book! This corner of America is unique for its electromagnetic silence—but once Stephen Kurczy starts looking he finds that it's unique in other ways too. The Quiet Zone will live on in your memory." — Bill McKibben, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Nature
"[A] fascinating, deeply reported and slightly eerie look at an unusual corner of America. ... With compassion and a journalist's eye [Kurczy] delivers a compelling portrait." — BookPage (Starred Review)
“Captivating. … A multilayered illustration of a unique community where things aren’t always what they seem.” — Kirkus Reviews
"A vividly written book that captures an unusual place with a story-teller's touch, perfectly timed to this moment of confronting our complicated relationships to technology." — ELIZABETH CATTE, author of What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia
"A quest for our most precious substance—peace and quiet—leaps with exuberant aplomb in to the murk of American kookery—electrosensitives, Nazis, unsolved murders—and reveals that simplicity is far more complicated, far more weird and wonderous, than the self-proclaimed #simplelife." — MARK SUNDEEN, author of The Man Who Quit Money and The Unsettlers
"Colorful. ... Kurczy succeeds in unlocking many secrets of this insular community." — Publishers Weekly
“Cleareyed and compassionate. … Surprising and deeply enlightening” — Shawangunk Journal
"An engaging and sympathetic study of the myriad people who call this unique place home." — Booklist
"An enthralling story." — The Parkersburg News and Sentinel (West Virginia)
"Readers discover a corner of America relatively untouched by technology's influence. ... The Quiet Zone is more than just a celebration of one of the few quiet places the world might offer those seeking refuge from a tech-driven world: It is a celebration of the unique people and fortitude that shapes an area most outsiders would overlook. ... Gives voice to many memorable people. ... One of the many beauties of Kurczy’s book is the respect and admiration the author gives the people of Pocahontas County." — Southern Review of Books
"Gripping." — Daily Mail (UK)
"A captivating read. ... A remarkable work of deep reporting." — Engineering & Technology Magazine (UK)
"A quest for our most precious substance—peace and quiet—leaps with exuberant aplomb in to the murk of American kookery—electrosensitives, Nazis, unsolved murders—and reveals that simplicity is far more complicated, far more weird and wonderous, than the self-proclaimed #simplelife."
"Kurczy's deep reporting uncovers... strange things in these hills. ... What makes this book formidable is Kurczy's relentless investigating."
"What a fascinating book! This corner of America is unique for its electromagnetic silence—but once Stephen Kurczy starts looking he finds that it's unique in other ways too. The Quiet Zone will live on in your memory."
"An expressionistic new work of nonfiction. Part folk history, part gonzo travelogue, The Quiet Zone colorfully annotates an elaborate contradiction: a last bastion of the disconnected world. ... Kurczy finds high drama and dark secrets in the woods, but he also captures the complex beauty of a disconnected way of life that is dying out at an alarming rate. ... A time capsule of a not-so-distant past, of an approach to life that is rapidly slipping from collective memory."
"A vividly written book that captures an unusual place with a story-teller's touch, perfectly timed to this moment of confronting our complicated relationships to technology."
"[A] fascinating, deeply reported and slightly eerie look at an unusual corner of America. ... With compassion and a journalist's eye [Kurczy] delivers a compelling portrait."
BookPage (Starred Review)
Cleareyed and compassionate. … Surprising and deeply enlightening
[Readers] needing a reminder of the simple pleasure of reconnecting with real people in real life will enjoy the journey.
"Kurczy's deep reporting uncovers... strange things in these hills. ... What makes this book formidable is Kurczy's relentless investigating."
"The most memorable characters in The Quiet Zone pathetically search for peace in a physical place. Whether it's an escape from social media, electromagnetic waves or people of color, they are never at ease because their torment comes from inside them—the one place they're unwilling to look. ... [Readers] needing a reminder of the simple pleasure of reconnecting with real people in real life will enjoy the journey."
"What a fascinating book! This corner of America is unique for its electromagnetic silence—but once Stephen Kurczy starts looking he finds that it's unique in other ways too. The Quiet Zone will live on in your memory."
"An engaging and sympathetic study of the myriad people who call this unique place home."
"An enthralling story."
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel (West Virginia)
"A captivating read. ... A remarkable work of deep reporting."
Engineering & Technology Magazine (UK)
"Gripping."
"An engaging and sympathetic study of the myriad people who call this unique place home."
Journalist Stephen Kurczy took himself to Green Bank, West Virginia—“the quietest town in America ” and home to the Green Bank Observatory. Narrator Roger Wayne ably explains that the Observatory requires locals to limit their use of electronic equipment, including wi-fi, microwaves, and cell phones, to avoid interference with their radio telescopes’ ability to pick up signals from space. As he seeks insights into those who have eschewed personal technology, Kurczy discovers most people have work-arounds. But along with those reasonable folks, he also encounters a motley cast of characters—those who claim to be afflicted by “electromagnetic hypersensitivity,” followers of the racist National Alliance, medical quacks, and recluses—all of whom have come to town for their own purposes. The listener learns that “quiet” doesn’t always translate into “peaceful.” L.W.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
Journalist Stephen Kurczy took himself to Green Bank, West Virginia—“the quietest town in America ” and home to the Green Bank Observatory. Narrator Roger Wayne ably explains that the Observatory requires locals to limit their use of electronic equipment, including wi-fi, microwaves, and cell phones, to avoid interference with their radio telescopes’ ability to pick up signals from space. As he seeks insights into those who have eschewed personal technology, Kurczy discovers most people have work-arounds. But along with those reasonable folks, he also encounters a motley cast of characters—those who claim to be afflicted by “electromagnetic hypersensitivity,” followers of the racist National Alliance, medical quacks, and recluses—all of whom have come to town for their own purposes. The listener learns that “quiet” doesn’t always translate into “peaceful.” L.W.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
2021-06-16
Journalist Kurczy, who hasn’t “owned a cellphone in nearly a decade,” takes us through the intriguing community and culture of Green Bank, West Virginia, dubbed “the quietest town in America.” Nestled “deep in the mountains of Appalachia,” the town is home to the Green Bank Observatory. Due to the demands of the facility’s astronomical research, devices emanating radio frequencies that might interfere with their telescopes are banned in what is called the “National Radio Quiet Zone.” After learning about this seemingly idyllic community, the author dug deeper, hoping to discover a better life. During numerous visits, Kurczy interviewed and heard stories from and about some of its residents who have sought refuge in the silence, including neo-hippies and those suffering from “a mysterious illness called ‘electromagnetic hypersensitivity.’ ” The author also discovered a darker side of this remote area: conspiracy theories, unsolved deaths, and ties to the racist National Alliance. Throughout his time in Green Bank, Kurczy ate with the locals, drank moonshine, shot guns, and participated in cave-dives and other adventures. In a community filled with contradictions, he also found that neighbors were always willing to help each other in times of need. Kurczy also examines educational and health concerns, the impact that the absence of technology has had on the citizens’ lives, other means of communications used within the community, and inaccurate portrayals of the region by the media. The epilogue offers an update based on the effects of the current pandemic. Although Kurczy recognizes that various viewpoints exist within the community and includes them in the text, the narrative also includes some physical and cultural clichés frequently found in works related to rural Americans. Nonetheless, the story remains captivating.
A multilayered illustration of a unique community where things aren’t always what they seem.
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