STFU The power of keeping your mouth shut in an endlessly noisy world

Bold is the author/narrator who starts an audiobook by explaining how overstimulated people are by sound and media and how they need more silence. Listeners who stick with this audiobook will learn how hard it was for journalist Lyons (Lab Rats: How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us), a self-proclaimed talkaholic, to keep his desire to talk under control. He is honest about the problems overtalking has caused. Social media, screens everywhere, and even background music contribute to sensory overload. His prescription is to not only speak less but listen more. Lyons's research covers mansplaining, personal relationships, and work. Concrete suggestions for turning down the noise in people's lives are helpful. It is difficult to choose silence in a world where people value getting the last word and where two million podcasts have produced 48 million episodes. And yet, as Lyons points out, many hugely successful people have managed to shut up. Lyons is an able narrator who brings self-deprecation and humor to parts that may lose their impact in print. His emphatic delivery is dynamic, and listeners may find themselves nodding along in agreement. VERDICT Lyons covers causes and solutions for everyday interactions and provides a persuasive argument for silence. Recommended for all audio collections.--Christa Van Herreweghe

A recovering talkaholic urges us to stop talking constantly and learn to appreciate reticence. "We live in a world that doesn't just encourage overtalking but practically demands it, where success is measured by how much attention we attract," writes tech journalist Lyons, who notes that these circumstances are turning all interactions into pointless shouting matches and creating an epidemic of anxiety and depression. The author admits that, for many years, he was one of the main offenders, prone to "going off the rails, monologuing like Hamlet on crystal meth." After damaging his personal and professional lives, he realized that his chattering had become an addiction, and he set out to change. He tells his own story as well as looking at the bigger picture, drawing on the expertise of therapists and offering a series of self-assessment tests and exercises. He devotes several chapters to social media, which he sees as one of the primary causes of the problem. Think before you tweet or post, he suggests. Does the world really want your opinion on everything? Do you really need to argue with strangers who disagree with you? Intense use of social media underlies the sociopolitical polarization that is gripping the U.S., notes the author, so turn it off or turn it down. At the very least, disconnect your phone from social media platforms. Do some meditation or take a walk in a forest to recapture the beauty of silence. In conversations, be willing to accept pauses for reflection, avoid interrupting others, and listen more than you speak. A less noisy life is not easy to achieve, Lyons advises, but improvements can be made with small, gradual steps. Think of it as a workout for your mind. Take it easy, let yourself relax, and, most of all, STFU. In an era when shouting is the norm, this is a sage guide to a quieter, more considered, and more enjoyable life. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.