Chris Berdik—Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back by Chris Berdik showing the title and author’s name in black print on a white background surrounded by a red graphic representing sound waves.

Clamor

CLAMOR:
HOW NOISE TOOK OVER THE WORLD
AND HOW WE CAN TAKE IT BACK
Chris Berdik
W.W. Norton, May 20, 2025
Hardcover: $29.99, eBook, $15.38
Audio Book: $13.99, Audio CD, $44.93
Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781324006992
eBook ASIN: ‎B0DK46CLJ8
Audio Book ASIN: B0DTRC8DBP
Audio CD ASIN: B0F47HMQ2Y

Berdik reports:

In late 2018, I wrote a feature for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine about a Harvard public health researcher who was focused on noise pollution. A lot of the people I interviewed seemed to land in one of two camps. They either believed noise was a growing and long-ignored health threat that needed stricter regulations and enforcement, or they felt noise complaints were largely proxy battles for larger conflicts such as gentrification or modernization and not really about sound at all.

Both arguments resonated with me, but they also seemed stuck in their respective ruts—one inherently reactive and complaint-driven, and the other shrugging at the notion that noise might be a real threat to people and the environment. This book is an attempt to bridge these gaps, by taking noise seriously and also exploring it broadly, by thinking about soundscapes proactively and holistically rather than just counting decibels.

Portrait photo of Chris Berdik in an outdoor setting.

Chris Berdik
Photo by Meaghan Hooper-Berdik

I developed the proposal in tandem with reporting and writing additional magazine features on different noise issues. With the help of grants from the Pulitzer Center and others, I was able to explore noise and power in India, engineered soundscapes for restaurants, and the meaning and value of quiet in nature. My agent sold the book to Norton just before the Covid pandemic descended, and Norton generously allowed me an 18-month extension while we waited for the public-health situation to allow for the on-the-ground reporting I knew this book required.

The most important lesson I learned is that the biggest challenge for nonfiction book writing is structure. Books are not just overgrown magazine features. Diligent reporting and writing are a lot of work, but that’s the fun stuff, which is why the first draft of my manuscript was nearly twice the length of the final version. I could have avoided a lot of frustration and wasted effort with more upfront consideration of how each chapter should lead into and support the next one, and how all those chapters together would build a unique whole worthy of a reader’s time and money.

Contact Info:

NASW members: will your book be published soon? Promote it by submitting your report for Advance Copy.

Tell your fellow NASW members how you came up with the idea for your book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. Include what you wish you had known before you began working on your book or what you might have done differently.

See https://www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines. NASW member login required.

View Advance Copy archives at https://www.nasw.org/member-article/advance-copy.

Thinking of writing a book? If you are a NASW member, you may access a list of more than 200 books and online resources to help you craft your book proposal, find an agent and funding sources, negotiate your contract, learn about self-publishing, publicize and market your book, and more at https://www.nasw.org/article/write-book.

View the recording of an Advance Copy Virtual Business Chat, A Primer for Authors on Book Publicity. NASW member login required.

View the recording of a Virtual Business Chat presented by NASW’s Freelance Committee and Advance Copy column Writing Wikipedia Profiles. NASW member login required.

View the recording of a recent Virtual Skills Chat presented by NASW’s Editing Committee How to Break into Editing. NASW member login required.

View the recording of a recent Virtual Skills Chat presented by NASW’s Freelance Committee Using Generative A.I. as Writers and Editors. NASW member login required.

Send book info and questions about book publishing to Lynne Lamberg, NASW book editor, llamberg@nasw.org.

Follow @LynneLamberg and @lynnelamberg.bsky.social for news about NASW authors, science/medical books, and writing.

Banner image adapted from original photo by Chris Berdik.

NASW invites publishers and publicists to purchase NASW website ads to promote their authors and books via NASW’s self-service purchasing portal.

Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.

ADVERTISEMENT
Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism

ADVERTISEMENT
Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics

ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NASW