Welcome to Litsy!

This book looks at a town near a radio telescope that tries to minimize conflicting signals, from microwaves to cell phones to WiFi. While not as “quiet” as the title implies, it‘s nonetheless interesting what types of people are drawn to such a place, from hard right neoNazi types to so called “sensitives.” It took me a little bit to get into the book at first, but I think that was me and not the book.

In a tiny town in West Virginia sits a very large and useful tool for discovering new information about the cosmos: the Green Bank Telescope. This project has put the tiny town on the map, attracting visitors to the observatory and also those who are “electro-sensitive” as the town is famously “disconnected” due to the restrictions imposed on the area for the operation of the telescope. Fascinating and drivable from my area; I‘m planning a visit!

I have traveled through this area several times, and was interested in learning about it. This book wasn‘t what I thought, but it was interesting enough to listen to on a long drive.

My somewhat spoiler-y review in comments

Green Banks, West Virginia is the heart of a zone with bans on all devices emitting radio frequencies so astronomers can look past the stars. The quiet zone keeps away WiFi and technology, but creates an atmosphere perfect for less than wholesome individuals.

https://onthebl.org/2021/09/14/stephen-kurczy-finds-the-dark-side-of-the-quiet-z...

This interesting #audiobook blends true crime, history and sociology. In WV near an astronomical observatory, there is an electromagnetic quiet zone (no WiFi, smart phones, etc.). I picked up this book because I am fascinated by people who claim EM waves make them sick. He chats with those people as well as sharing a history of the observatory, profiling a nearby white supremacist group, and investigating a string of grisly murders in the area.

Fascinating place ….. #travelinbooks

https://crimereads.com/west-virginia-quiet-zone/

This was an interesting read. I am not sure I would have picked this up on my own, but it came recommended by a source I trust. I am not sure this will be of interest to everyone, but there was a lot of good points and it is extremely readable.

Summer lists 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

The tagged one looks really interesting. There are times I‘d love to live in a Quiet Zone!

https://lithub.com/75-nonfiction-books-you-should-read-this-summer