Turning Down The Noise: The quiet power of silence in a busy world

'A great Australian journalist on a deeply personal assignment: treading bravely, beautifully into the wonder of silence.' TRENT DALTON

'I would never think of myself as a silent retreat person but I kind of felt like Jackman went in my place! She writes so thoughtfully and clearly about feelings that are hard to describe - it's very impressive. Writing a book about something essentially ungraspable is a very bold decision, but thanks to her journalistic method and assured style, Jackman has pulled it off. A counterintuitive modern odyssey in which the heroine sets out from a land of deafening overplenty in search of ... less. Beautifully researched.' - ANNABEL CRABB

Through the centuries, wise men and women have sought silence when seeking insight, wisdom and creative inspiration. Is neuroscience now beginning to catch up, to deliver proof that the mystics, monks and medicine men were onto something?Turning Down the Noise explores, through Christine Jackman's own quest for a better way of being, what is happening to our brains, to our lives and our communities as our world becomes noisier than ever before. More importantly, it asks whether we can reverse the damage through simple daily acts designed to strip out the stimuli and reclaim the silence. Our children have a plethora of devices and technology available to them, but increasingly are distracted, irritable and struggling to learn. The modern search for a better sense of wellbeing has fuelled an industry worth billions of dollars but at the same time the use of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications continue to skyrocket. In the vein of Leigh Sales' Any Ordinary Day (BS 103k copies), this is real-life working mum and respected journalist Christine Jackman's personal quest for a better way of being. Seeking ways to channel and capture the clarity and peace of mind so often lacking in our lives, she writes with a lightness of touch, sharing her own experiences and digging into her subject with the zeal of an investigative journalist with an enquiring mind.