THE QUIET ZONE Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence

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 [Published: SEPTEMBER 2021]