This illuminating book weaves personal stories of a multilingual upbringing with the latest scientific breakthroughs in interspecies communication to show how the skill of deep listening enhances our curiosity and empathy toward the world around us Third Ear braids together personal narrative with scholarly inquiry to examine the power of listening to build interpersonal empathy and social transformation. A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Rosner shares stories from growing up in a home where six languages were spoken to interrogate how psychotherapy, neurolinguistics, and creativity can illuminate the complex ways we are impacted by the sounds and silences of others. Drawing on expertise from journalists, podcasters, performers, translators, acoustic biologists, spiritual leaders, composers, and educators, this hybrid text moves fluidly along a spectrum from molecular to global to reveal how third-ear listening can be a collective means for increased understanding and connection to the natural world. Literary Hub , A Most Anticipated Book of the Year "A lively, perceptive book about how and what we hear." —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times "Pay attention. That’s the core message of the Berkeley writer’s brisk, collage-like book, a blend of memoir, her interviews with attentive people from various professions and findings from scientific studies . . . This book exudes an irresistible brand of eagerness—for knowledge, for the perspectives of strangers, for tomorrow and the day after. As quoted by Rosner, a scientist who works with endangered elephants says the animals 'need more people to care about them.' Caring, in Rosner’s appealing formulation, is indistinguishable from listening." —Kevin Canfield, San Francisco Chronicle "[Rosner's] expansive, fluid meditation on so-called third-ear listening—a deeply attuned, intuitive way of perceiving the world that transcends the physically audible—is rooted in personal experience, but the contemplative vignettes explore our sonic universe . . . This poignant exploration of the hidden depths of the soundscapes around us reveals the importance of listening with more than just our ears." —Dana Dunham, Scientific American "Throughout the historical and personal stories, Rosner’s easy warmth and effervescent curiosity rise like air bubbles in water, making a book in which robust science-backed research and the voices of experts are found on almost every page also a delightful, intimate read." —Lou Fancher, East Bay Magazine " Third Ear does not follow the constraints of a traditional narrative. Instead, the book is written in a hybrid form . . . As a book dedicated to listening, Third Ear also explores the inverse of listening, silence, as well as sound, and, in particular, language, and how we are joined by all of the earth’s creatures in making sounds, from the microscopic noisemakers underground to the songs of whales and language of elephants who can respond to news from far-away family members by listening through their feet." —Joanne Furio, Berkeleyside "This lovely book is a wide-ranging meditation on one of the key ways we take in the world—by listening . . . Interviewing avant-garde composers, 'horse whisperers' and podcasters, Rosner builds a sensitive portrait (or maybe it’s a soundscape, too) that helps her make sense of her own family’s communication styles and find a way to bridge them." —Amy E. Schwartz, Moment Magazine "Rosner’s gift is an ability to weave a wide variety of source material and her personal experiences into an examination of subjects that are more closely related than we might imagine . . . Reading it is a little like spending time with someone who has both studied and experienced the subject matter and who, most importantly, is a gifted storyteller. It’s thought provoking and emotionally moving." —Bill Wolfe, Read Her Like an Open Book "Page by page, it is often a sur­prise to see what Ros­ner will write about next: it might be the ecosys­tem of trees, the impact of COVID on the glob­al and local sound­scape, or her par­ents’ sur­vival dur­ing the Holo­caust. Rosner’s writ­ing is asso­cia­tive, and her voice, reflec­tive and hope­ful. Third Ear is a book that is need­ed now more than ever. It urges us to live in (and lis­ten to) this very moment." —Katha­ri­na Hadas­sah Wendl, Jewish Book Council "A beautifully braided text combining [Rosner's] experience as a daughter of Holocaust survivors with research on whale song, trauma processing, and even improvisational music. In addition to its wide-ranging content, the book’s fractured form encourages readers to both dive in and step back." —Elizabeth McNeill, Chicago Review of Books "To masterfully blend memoir with science writing is to create one of the most compelling kinds of book—one whose insights are both cerebral and emotional." —Jessie Gaynor, Literary Hub "Deeply sourced, devotedly researched, and refreshingly candid, Rosner’s searing ob