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This Kind of Silence
Michele was a successful thirty-two-year-old school principal and married mother of two, when she woke up one morning and could no longer hear.
Doctors could offer no explanation. She spent three frustrating and desperate years searching to make sense of the medical mystery, but doctors told her there was little chance she would ever hear again. Even as she came to accept this bleak diagnosis, she never stopped looking for answers. Why would this suddenly happen to a fit young woman in her prime?
Then one day, a colleague asked, "What is it, perhaps, that you don't want to hear?"
Michele was intrigued by this question. From that moment, she opened herself with curiosity to a path of self-discovery which led her back to the many silences of her childhood in which she had left parts of herself behind. As she began to tune in to her inner voice, her well being flourished. She began expressing herself in new ways and speaking up. But her twelve-year marriage began to unravel.
What began as a mission to regain her hearing became a journey of facing unspoken truths and breaking the silences that keep us trapped in the past.
This Kind of Silence is an inspirational story about gratitude for the small blessings in life, learning to listen again, and the quiet joys of stillness amidst the noise.
Doctors could offer no explanation. She spent three frustrating and desperate years searching to make sense of the medical mystery, but doctors told her there was little chance she would ever hear again. Even as she came to accept this bleak diagnosis, she never stopped looking for answers. Why would this suddenly happen to a fit young woman in her prime?
Then one day, a colleague asked, "What is it, perhaps, that you don't want to hear?"
Michele was intrigued by this question. From that moment, she opened herself with curiosity to a path of self-discovery which led her back to the many silences of her childhood in which she had left parts of herself behind. As she began to tune in to her inner voice, her well being flourished. She began expressing herself in new ways and speaking up. But her twelve-year marriage began to unravel.
What began as a mission to regain her hearing became a journey of facing unspoken truths and breaking the silences that keep us trapped in the past.
This Kind of Silence is an inspirational story about gratitude for the small blessings in life, learning to listen again, and the quiet joys of stillness amidst the noise.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2019
3 people are currently reading
1379 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 11, 2019
I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. Knowing this was based on a true story, I did enjoy the journey with Michelle as she struggled with her past and present situations that possibly contributed to her altered hearing capacity, yet something felt off to me.
I realize that our past plays an important role in our personality -- how we perceive ourselves and our approach to life and others. Much of our outlook on life is molded and shaped by our reaction to positive (or negative) feedback we found or received as a child. The strength (or weakness) we feel within has a direct correlation to our level of confidence we hold of ourselves. But I like to think that most people, as they mature and experience both joys and hardships in life, are continually working towards being the best they can be, finding what fulfills them as a person, and ultimately their “purpose” in life. It is a process that doesn’t stop (or shouldn’t stop) under the circle of life closes.
To imply or suggest that one could lose their hearing simply because there were things they didn’t want to hear is like saying one would/could lose their eyesight because there are things they don’t want to see. Could it happen metaphorically? Of course, it can and does. Many people are blinded to the fact that they are caught in relationships that are harmful, unhealthy or unhappy. Many are those who hear only the negative spoken by others while there are those who hear only the positive and both block out words that make them uncomfortable.
Michelle’s story was thought provoking and uplifting but also felt full of repressed anger, self-doubt and courage. I was, however, elated to see that her life leveled out with happiness and inner-peace.
On a personal note: I have a great-nephew who was born deaf – not hard of hearing, not an “I can barely hear you” kind of deafness – but solid and complete, not a peep, silence. At age one he received his first cochlear implant, followed by his other ear’s implant the following year. Learning to hear for the first time at age 12 months was quite an experience. Watching an infant hear his mother’s voice for the first time and reacting fearfully to a sound (any sound) that is foreign, was a sight to behold. Today he is 15, plays baseball, plays a musical instrument (and quite well) and if you didn’t see the magnet behind his ears, you would never know he was deaf. At night when he sleeps without the use of his magnets that connect him to sound, he once again slumbers in complete and total silence. Is he lucky or cursed to have the best of both worlds? Perhaps that’s a matter of opinion, but at times I am envious that he has been given the opportunity (if only for a few short hours) to tune the world out, to be one in a world void of sound and truly enjoy a "different kind of silence”.
I realize that our past plays an important role in our personality -- how we perceive ourselves and our approach to life and others. Much of our outlook on life is molded and shaped by our reaction to positive (or negative) feedback we found or received as a child. The strength (or weakness) we feel within has a direct correlation to our level of confidence we hold of ourselves. But I like to think that most people, as they mature and experience both joys and hardships in life, are continually working towards being the best they can be, finding what fulfills them as a person, and ultimately their “purpose” in life. It is a process that doesn’t stop (or shouldn’t stop) under the circle of life closes.
To imply or suggest that one could lose their hearing simply because there were things they didn’t want to hear is like saying one would/could lose their eyesight because there are things they don’t want to see. Could it happen metaphorically? Of course, it can and does. Many people are blinded to the fact that they are caught in relationships that are harmful, unhealthy or unhappy. Many are those who hear only the negative spoken by others while there are those who hear only the positive and both block out words that make them uncomfortable.
Michelle’s story was thought provoking and uplifting but also felt full of repressed anger, self-doubt and courage. I was, however, elated to see that her life leveled out with happiness and inner-peace.
On a personal note: I have a great-nephew who was born deaf – not hard of hearing, not an “I can barely hear you” kind of deafness – but solid and complete, not a peep, silence. At age one he received his first cochlear implant, followed by his other ear’s implant the following year. Learning to hear for the first time at age 12 months was quite an experience. Watching an infant hear his mother’s voice for the first time and reacting fearfully to a sound (any sound) that is foreign, was a sight to behold. Today he is 15, plays baseball, plays a musical instrument (and quite well) and if you didn’t see the magnet behind his ears, you would never know he was deaf. At night when he sleeps without the use of his magnets that connect him to sound, he once again slumbers in complete and total silence. Is he lucky or cursed to have the best of both worlds? Perhaps that’s a matter of opinion, but at times I am envious that he has been given the opportunity (if only for a few short hours) to tune the world out, to be one in a world void of sound and truly enjoy a "different kind of silence”.
April 20, 2019
First, I want to thank Michele Susan Brown and The Nonfiction Awards for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
I commend Michele Susan Brown for being incredibly brave and sharing her deeply personal yet inspirational story with her readers in This Kind of Silence. Through this book you will see many sides of Michelle as she goes through her journey of finding herself after hearing loss. One thing is for sure she is stronger person for going through this.
Michele has a gift for writing with passionate, compassionate emotions behind the characters in particular scenes. Many of these scenes my heart strings were pulled on hard!
One thing I loved about Michele’s story is she always stayed positive even when it was hard not to be. In the long run it payed off for her.
Whomever designed this book cover did an amazing job. I thought it was the most beautiful book cover I have seen in ages!!
There is a beautiful letter to the reader in this book. This has been a dream of Michele’s of 5 years to make this book a reality!
I commend Michele Susan Brown for being incredibly brave and sharing her deeply personal yet inspirational story with her readers in This Kind of Silence. Through this book you will see many sides of Michelle as she goes through her journey of finding herself after hearing loss. One thing is for sure she is stronger person for going through this.
Michele has a gift for writing with passionate, compassionate emotions behind the characters in particular scenes. Many of these scenes my heart strings were pulled on hard!
One thing I loved about Michele’s story is she always stayed positive even when it was hard not to be. In the long run it payed off for her.
Whomever designed this book cover did an amazing job. I thought it was the most beautiful book cover I have seen in ages!!
There is a beautiful letter to the reader in this book. This has been a dream of Michele’s of 5 years to make this book a reality!
March 4, 2019
This kind of silence by Michele Susan Brown
Michele has an easy style of writing that pulls you in from the start. Her remarkable story of metamorphosis is coupled with beautiful descriptions of Antarctica. As life threw a cruel trick on the author and she was forced to look deeper into her life, we are taken along her journey of almost serendipitous self-discovery. As we flow through different timelines the story unfolds in a way that forces us to connect within our own lives. This is not a self-help book, but when you are done reading it, you will feel the power and conviction of this brave woman and you will feel that you too, can make a shift in your awareness and self-love.
I was emotionally swept away as I read about the turns and curves that Michele went through to bring her through her experience. I felt the vulnerability of life and the jokes that it plays on us. For such an easy read, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of it. You won't be sorry you bought this book.
Michele has an easy style of writing that pulls you in from the start. Her remarkable story of metamorphosis is coupled with beautiful descriptions of Antarctica. As life threw a cruel trick on the author and she was forced to look deeper into her life, we are taken along her journey of almost serendipitous self-discovery. As we flow through different timelines the story unfolds in a way that forces us to connect within our own lives. This is not a self-help book, but when you are done reading it, you will feel the power and conviction of this brave woman and you will feel that you too, can make a shift in your awareness and self-love.
I was emotionally swept away as I read about the turns and curves that Michele went through to bring her through her experience. I felt the vulnerability of life and the jokes that it plays on us. For such an easy read, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of it. You won't be sorry you bought this book.
May 30, 2019
It’s been a while since I’ve been so consumed and moved by a book. Not since reading Angela’s Ashes decades ago have I felt such a strong connection to a story, without any seemingly common ground to my own. This Kind of Silence has done the same. Michele’s story resonated deeply and had a profound effect on me. She writes seamlessly, an effortless ebb and flow, and written with such integrity and wisdom. Powerful visuals took me on her journey, as if I was right there beside her. I cried for her, and with her, feeling every frustration and triumph along the way. This memoir will stay with me forever. I’m still thinking about it days later. I’m holding off my next read. I’m not ready to let it go yet… This Kind of Silence is a memoir that will definitely be at the top of my ‘best reads of the year’ list.
March 27, 2019
One day, Michele lost her hearing. The medical profession could find no reason. Four years later, her hearing returned, again spontaneously. Without one word of pontification or explanation, she makes the reason clear, but I won’t tell you what it is.
She achieves a seamless interweaving of three time lines: A trip to Antarctica with her second husband, Gordon, showing the new Michele; the years of her deafness, during a marriage neither she nor her husband realized at the time to have been severely abusive; and flashbacks to significant, mostly traumatic memories of her childhood. This is very powerful. She not only gets the reader into her emotional world, but without explaining, shows where the pain came from.
This book is not only gripping, entertaining reading. It is far more than self-therapy. It is a recipe for building a good life for yourself, whatever your problems. On page 199 she wrote: “I honestly believe and know that my improved hearing is the result of listening better to myself—listening to my feelings, acknowledging them, being with them, and not judging them. I feel so much more in tune with who I am and what I feel, need, and want. I think I’m starting to see the results of listening to my inner voice and trusting that guidance. I’m feeling a stronger connection with the Universe—like I’m being given the opportunity to learn an important lesson here.”
If I were still seeing clients as a psychotherapist, I’d put this book on their reading list. But it’s also an enjoyable read.
She achieves a seamless interweaving of three time lines: A trip to Antarctica with her second husband, Gordon, showing the new Michele; the years of her deafness, during a marriage neither she nor her husband realized at the time to have been severely abusive; and flashbacks to significant, mostly traumatic memories of her childhood. This is very powerful. She not only gets the reader into her emotional world, but without explaining, shows where the pain came from.
This book is not only gripping, entertaining reading. It is far more than self-therapy. It is a recipe for building a good life for yourself, whatever your problems. On page 199 she wrote: “I honestly believe and know that my improved hearing is the result of listening better to myself—listening to my feelings, acknowledging them, being with them, and not judging them. I feel so much more in tune with who I am and what I feel, need, and want. I think I’m starting to see the results of listening to my inner voice and trusting that guidance. I’m feeling a stronger connection with the Universe—like I’m being given the opportunity to learn an important lesson here.”
If I were still seeing clients as a psychotherapist, I’d put this book on their reading list. But it’s also an enjoyable read.
March 11, 2019
Michele has written a beautiful and quietly powerful book which takes the reader on a journey to self-worth through the outer and inner foreign lands of silence and reminds us of the transforming power of curiosity and self-belief.
Her travels through the harsh, beautiful and otherworldly landscapes of Antarctica vividly reflect and echo her personal experiences with fear, loss and isolation as a result of her medically unexplained deafness, and the devastating and transforming effects this had on her self-worth, her relationships and on the very course of her life.
Whilst this memoir tells of Michele’s personal story, it resonated with me in so many ways and I felt encouraged and inspired by her bravery, and several of the confronting experiences she faced, to reflect on my own journey to self-worth. I think this book is a powerful reminder to anyone, but perhaps women especially, that we need first to look after ourselves before we can look after anyone else.
This is a truly uplifting book about self-discovery and the healing power of listening to ourselves, tuning into our own inner wisdom, and then taking meaningful action, especially in the face of fear.
Her travels through the harsh, beautiful and otherworldly landscapes of Antarctica vividly reflect and echo her personal experiences with fear, loss and isolation as a result of her medically unexplained deafness, and the devastating and transforming effects this had on her self-worth, her relationships and on the very course of her life.
Whilst this memoir tells of Michele’s personal story, it resonated with me in so many ways and I felt encouraged and inspired by her bravery, and several of the confronting experiences she faced, to reflect on my own journey to self-worth. I think this book is a powerful reminder to anyone, but perhaps women especially, that we need first to look after ourselves before we can look after anyone else.
This is a truly uplifting book about self-discovery and the healing power of listening to ourselves, tuning into our own inner wisdom, and then taking meaningful action, especially in the face of fear.
March 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this memoir. The author did a wonderful job with the juxtaposition of a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Antarctica with her own personal once-in-a life experience of sudden hearing loss. Plus, this loss came at a critical time with two very young sons. The story was engaging and very real. There were elements every woman can relate to regarding demands of a job, children and a marriage. Michele takes the reader on an emotional and spiritual journey of discovery and you come out the other end feeling joy, light and grateful for the world around you. When I finished the book I wanted a glass of chardonnay to have a toast to life and to see a penguin. Thank you Michele for sharing your experience with the world.
January 15, 2020
This easy style writing pulled me in one page 1 starting off with her husband planning an Antarctic vacation. Ms. Browns struggle with her hearing loss and trying to find answers, left the reader rooting for her and as the author delve deeper into her past abuses and all, it was a very powerful book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews