“The moment for this book is now as we navigate this new era of virtual interactions and wonder how we got here and where we’re headed.”—Susan Orlean, author of On Animals
“Rarely does a book give you a new way of looking at social change. This one does.”—Walter Isaacson, author of The Code Breaker
“In this penetrating feat of the intellect, Gal Beckerman explains the long and complicated relationship between the envisioning of new principles and the realization of such principles in the form of social transformation. This book should be read by anyone interested in thinking.”—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree
“The Quiet Before is a splendid and singular history—great storytelling, elegant prose, spanning centuries but extremely timely, connecting dots in fresh and illuminating ways, surprising in its twists and turns, inspiring without trying too hard to inspire.”—Kurt Andersen, author of Evil Geniuses
“Gal Beckerman’s engrossing book only masquerades as a study of media and social change. It’s really a series of irresistibly readable nonfiction novellas about unwitting revolutionaries who used new communications technologies to remake the world.”—Judith Shulevitz, author of The Sabbath World
“We can’t imagine a better future because we can’t imagine anything much. Creativity will arise not from still greater frenzy, but from reflection on where we are and how we got here. Gal Beckerman shows the way.”—Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny
“The Quiet Before is a fascinating and important exploration of how ideas that change the world incubate and spread.”—Steven Pinker, author of Rationality
“What a beautiful and humane book.”—Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of Self-Portrait in Black and White
“The Quiet Before is that rare book: arresting in its premise, supported by historical examples, and relevant to right now. Beckerman takes a close look at the media that led to the ‘changed minds’ of past revolutions, then challenges us to approach today’s media with new eyes.”—Sherry Turkle, author of The Empathy Diaries
“Gal Beckerman writes with lucidity and grace, folding a formidable amount of research and original reflection into a compulsively readable narrative. This is a riveting and timely book, one that should provoke heated Zoom conversations nationwide.”—Daphne Merkin, author of 22 Minutes of Unconditional Love
“A timely and stimulating take on how the fringe infiltrates the mainstream.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An engaging treatise on the power of communication in social movements, historically and in our current moment . . . [and] an invigorating text ripe with pertinent information about the methods of connection that can lead to real change.”—Kirkus Reviews
