Details
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Title
The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World
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Author
Francis Ph.D., John
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Binding
Hardcover
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Condition
New
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Pages
272
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Volumes
1
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Language
ENG
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Publisher
National Geographic, Washington D.C.
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Date
2011-03-15
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Illustrated
Yes
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Bookseller's Inventory #
V16I-00695
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ISBN
9781426207235 / 1426207239
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Weight
1 lbs (0.45 kg)
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Dimensions
9.3 x 6.28 x 0.95 in (23.62 x 15.95 x 2.41 cm)
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Library of Congress subjects
Silence, Francis, John
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Library of Congress Catalog Number
2010050497
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Dewey Decimal Code
814.6
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With 3 stores less than 1 hour outside the DC/Metropolitan area (1 in Gaithersburg, 1 in Frederick and 1 in Hagerstown, MD), we have the largest selection of books in the tri-state area. Wonder Book and Video has been in business since 1980 and online since 1997. We have over 1 Million books for sale on our website and another 1 Million books for sale in our 3 locations. We have a very active online inventory and as such, we can receive multiple orders for the same item. We fill those orders on a first come first serve basis, but will refund promptly any items that are out of stock. Since 1980 it has always been about the books. ALL kinds of books from 95 cent children\'s paperbacks to five figure rare and collectibles. A merging of the old and new is where we started, and it is where we are today. Our retail stores have always been places where a reader can rush in looking for a title needed for a term paper that is due the next day, or where bibliophiles can get lost \"in the stacks\" for as long as they wish. In 2002 USAToday recognized us as \"1 of 10 Great Old Bookstores\", and we have been featured in numerous other newspaper and TV stories including Washington Post and CSpan.
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From the publisher
John Francis is founder and director of the non profit environmental education organization Planetwalk, and author of Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking, 17 Years of Silence (National Geographic Books, 2008). John has led environmental walks in many countries and consulted on environmental management and sustainable development. He travels the world speaking on pilgrimage and change. As a National Geographic Education Fellow, John is developing Planetlines, an environmental studies curriculum for grades K-12 and universities.
Excerpt
Silence, no matter how much we speak, is a necessary occurrence. Throughout the day, it dwells between our words and sentences. When we listen closely, the silence lays a fabric to clothe our thoughts, punctuated with words that linger on the tongue, until it finds its ragged edge. Silence, when held between us, is the most profound force in existence.
Still, I was afraid that while my parents thought my decision not to ride in motorized vehicles was merely eccentric, their reaction to my silence might be a little more severe. When I wrote to explain why I wouldn’t be calling for at least a year, my mother explained that my father would be coming to California immediately. They figured that either I had been entrapped by some California religious cult they had read about in Life magazine or I’d been imprisoned for
selling drugs.
I suppose there was reason to fear. Synanon, a drug rehab group, had moved to Tomales Bay with shaved heads and talk of establishing the promised land; instead, they harassed local residents and stockpiled assault weapons while threatening anyone who disagreed with their philosophy. In southern California, the Manson family had gone on a killing spree. And then there were a half dozen other groups who promised salvation in one form or another, if only you would sign over all your worldly possessions.
Jean picked up my father at the airport and drove him to Inverness in her old blue VW van. She and my dad had met a few years earlier when I had taken her to Philadelphia. She had gotten sick and stayed in my old bedroom for a few days while I went to New York City to try to get a record contract for the music group I represented. My parents liked Jean, who had compelling stories of being black, white, and Native American, though they were a little concerned about her being 20 years older than I. Jean and Dad found me walking alone along the road that skirts
Tomales Bay and the San Andreas Fault. I was trying to get home from Point Reyes Station before they got there. The van stopped, and my father looked at me through the open window. We were both surprised to see each other out of the context of Philadelphia.
Fragrant laurel trees bent their heads in an arch and whispered in the wind above us. I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t have words, naturally. And my father and I no longer had that easy bond we had enjoyed when I was growing up.
Media reviews
“Compelling.” –The Midwest Book Review
About the author
John Francis is founder and director of the non profit environmental education organization Planetwalk, and author of Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking, 17 Years of Silence (National Geographic Books, 2008). John has led environmental walks in many countries and consulted on environmental management and sustainable development. He travels the world speaking on pilgrimage and change. As a National Geographic Education Fellow, John is developing Planetlines, an environmental studies curriculum for grades K-12 and universities.