Publishers Weekly
07/08/2024
“Dialogue is happening all around us,” according to this lyrical blend of memoir and science. Novelist Rosner (Survivor Café), the daughter of German- and Polish-born Holocaust survivors, recounts growing up in a multilingual household in Upstate New York, where her parents’ accents marked them as outsiders. Recalling how she and her parents have struggled to listen to each other, Rosner describes how when she was a child, she covered her ears and chanted “English” whenever her mother tried to sing Russian lullabies, and contends that her parents coped with trauma from WWII by yelling at her. Though her mother died suddenly at age 70 before Rosner had a chance to make amends, she suggests that her relationship with her father improved toward the end of his life and offers a poignant account of listening with him to the audiobook of Survivor Café, which Rosner wrote about his experiences at Buchenwald. Interspersed with the personal narrative are passages about sound’s role in the natural world; for instance, Rosner explains that humpback whales “compose ever-changing songs to communicate,” and that elephants can “talk” by making rumbling noises other elephants detect through their feet. Rosner justifies the unlikely juxtaposition of personal recollections and animal trivia by suggesting that both demonstrate how, in the words of naturalist David G. Haskell, “to listen... is to be open to the vitality and creativity of life.” This soothes the soul. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Literary Hub, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"To masterfully blend memoir with science writing is to create one of the most compelling kinds of book—one whose insights are both cerebral and emotional." —Jessie Gaynor, Literary Hub
"[A] lyrical blend of memoir and science . . . This soothes the soul." —Publishers Weekly
"Deep listening found here. Connecting our collective soundscape with her own, Rosner reveals a spirit and depth of insight few have shown in this realm. Listen to just one of her paragraphs and your future footfalls will never sound the same." ––Edie Meidav, author of Another Love Discourse and Lola, California
“There is a world of knowledge of listening floating around us, in sound and on the page. No one has connected these stories to their own life and memories better than Elizabeth Rosner. I thought I knew this material after years of swimming in it, but she has revealed depths of sonic purpose through the unique connections she draws. This is a rare and profound book.” ––David Rothenberg, author of Whale Music and Secret Sounds of Ponds
"Elizabeth Rosner asks us to consider how listening can profoundly shape who we are, long before we really understand what it is we've heard." —Bonnie Tsui, bestselling author of Why We Swim and American Chinatown
“Elizabeth Rosner’s Third Ear should be required for the entire human race. Rosner is one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time—with insight into this century’s difficult socio-political and ethical questions. With clarity and intimacy, Rosner renders a sonic universe in which reciprocity connects all of life through deep listening. We are one small part of a large, delicate ecosystem—from the soil bioacoustics to the toxic pesticides we use, from the extinction of different species to the threat of our own. Third Ear gives us a second chance to look inside ourselves and find something human in us.” —E. J. Koh, author of The Liberators and The Magical Language of Others
“Third Ear: Reflections on the Art and Science of Listening is a marvel—a beautifully-written, meticulously researched, and fascinating exploration of the transformative power of listening. If you’re anything like me, your copy will be dog-eared and underlined, like all of your favorite books.” —Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game
