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Writing in an Age of Silence Paperback – May 5, 2009

by Sara Paretsky (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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A revealing look at the power of speaking out, Writing in an Age of Silence describes Paretski’s coming of age in a time of great possibility, during the civil rights movement, the peace movement, and the women’s movement. Bestselling crime-writer Sarah Paretsky has won critical acclaim for her V.I. Warshawski novels, centered around one of the first and most popular female investigators in contemporary fiction. In this fascinating and personal account, Paretsky describes a life shaped by the desire to act. From the feminist movement—which triggered her aspirations to write and shaped the character of her female detective—to the Patriot Act and the liberties we have lost, Paretsky describes the struggle of one individual to find a voice. A moving call to action, Writing in an Age of Silence chronicles the social changes that have shaped contemporary America, and mirrors a desire for freedom, both personal and political, that many Americans will relate to today.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Verso Books
  4. Publication date
    May 5, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.06 x 0.4 x 7.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781844673773
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1844673773
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A passionate Zolaesque j’accuse.”—John Leonard, Harper’s

“In this brief, potent memoir, Paretsky proves as sharp and straight-shooting as V. I. Warshawski.”—Publishers Weekly

“The journey from love-starved childhood to adult celebrity, and the essential role of literature in the metamorphosis, makes for a powerful and anguishing kind of autobiography.”—Chicago Tribune

“This poignant and compelling personal testimony explains both the influences which made her a writer and the kind of writer she became ... both a testimony and a polemic; it is one woman’s voice among many, but it is a powerful one.”—P D James, Spectator

“Written with graceful economy, Writing in an Age of Silence is an urgent cry for dissent and a powerful reminder that liberties taken for granted may someday not be granted at all.”—Booklist

About the Author

Sara Paretsky is the author of the bestselling V.I. Warshawski novels, including, most recently, Bleeding Kansas. Paretsky is the winner of many awards, including the Cartier Diamond Dagger award for lifetime achievement from the British Crime Writers’ Association. She lives in Chicago.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1844673774
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Verso Books; Reprint edition (May 5, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781844673773
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844673773
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.06 x 0.4 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Sara Paretsky

Sara Paretsky

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Called a "genius" by Lee Child and "one of the all time greats" by Karin Slaughter, Sara Paretsky transformed the role of women in the mystery world with her detective, V.I. Warshawski. V.I. is tough, feminine and vulnerable, but above all loyal to her friends and clients. Paretsky and Warshawski share a love of singing, Golden Retrievers and Italian reds. V.I. has escaped many near-death experiences, including drowning in Chicago's swamps (Blood Shot), falling down an elevator shaft (Burn Marks), and multiple attempts to shoot her down (Dead Land). Paretsky would have retired to the Umbrian Hills after one such event, but V.I. keeps coming back for more.

Paretsky's passion for social justice is reflected in her novels but also in her support for reproductive health and the welfare of women and children. She founded Sisters in Crime, an international organization that advocates for women in the mystery/thriller field. She is one of four living writers to earn both the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers and Grand Master from the Mystery Writers of America.

Visit Sara's website, www.saraparetsky.com, find her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/SaraParetsky, and follow her on Twitter @Sara1982P.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Yours Truly
5.0 out of 5 stars No Longer Silent
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2008
Verified Purchase
I'm not much of a mystery fan, but I do love memoirs, and I am political. Paretsky's observations about the Patriot Act and FISA and other atrocities of the so-called War on Terror are actually conservative in the best sense of the word. These observations, made initially to those guardians of public trust, librarians, come at the conclusion of this book.

I found the first part an interesting study in what produces an activist with strong opinions. Paretsky grew up with four brothers and a father who favored them. She wasn't even encouraged to go to college, although the family borrowed money for the boys' education. She was justly indignant and worked in the civil rights movement of the sixties and became an ardent feminist while in graduate school.

She eventually got a doctorate in U.S. history, but the mystery writing was harder, and that's really the crux of this memoir. What enables a person to write, to voice unspeakable concerns, whether they are personal or in the public sphere? Paretsky has struggled and she speaks out whether about the role of women in history or the neglect of women mystery writers (she was a founder of Sisters in Crime) or of our First Amendment rights.

I going to take a look at some of her mysteries now, because I know I won't be assaulted by a lot of sexist and racist presumptions. And I'm going to send this memoir to a social worker I know on the South Side of Chicago.
2 people found this helpful
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C. Weinshenker
5.0 out of 5 stars I think I have read almost everything that she has written and have enjoyed every one of them
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
Sara Peretsky is such a gifted writer. I think I have read almost everything that she has written and have enjoyed every one of them. What this memoir gave me was an understanding of why her writings had the depth and humorous qualities that it did. Her working class background in the middle/working class area of Chicago is present in everything that she writes. Well crafted and well written as always. If you love Peretsky as I do you will love this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Alma (@astridfayereads/@litsavant)
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and evocative
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2023
I wish I had been present for this speech. So much was touched on, but it all makes sense. I feel much more connected to the writer.
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KLC
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
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This is a beautiful work of art, a journey, a history, a manifesto and an inspiration. The world would be better if all read it.
One person found this helpful
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LALA
4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2008
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Fascinating information on what's going on today in the USA! Well written! A courageous book in this age of information control. A must read!
One person found this helpful
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Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2007
Verified Purchase
Because I find so much of Paretsky's mysteries (especially the earlier ones) almost too grim to enjoy, I was a bit leery of this. However, I found it fascinating, absorbing, and extremely satisfying. I read it in one sitting--and I'm about to order a copy to send to my sister.
2 people found this helpful
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James O. Mayor
5.0 out of 5 stars Paraetsky in good form
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2010
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This serious, non-fiction book is a must read for any person seeking enlightenment. She tells it like it is.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars reviews before book
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2016
some of these review dates precede the publication date. odd and unexplained good book overall and getting kindle edition to re-read .
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John Doughty
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent description of writing in the world as it is now. All would be writers should read this book and others by Sara.
Reviewed in France on January 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
A good expose of today's publishing industry owned by the big corporates.
The title is very relevant and shows how many authors are not published any more.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Compulsive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2007
Verified Purchase
I came to this book as a confirmed fan of Paretsky's work. Somehow I felt I was doing so out of duty, rather than an expectation of pleasure.
In a way, I was right-there is little pleasure to be taken from reading this book, unless it is the pleasure that comes from knowing a little more about the background of and influences upon a favourite author.

Straightforward pleasure as joy, as laughs? No. This is a challenging work, not a fun read in any conventional way. Rather Peretsky sets out in a series of relatively short essays, to describe how her voice as an author [and as a woman] came to be formed and to be heard.

In doing so she covers a lot of ground in contemporary American history-from Martin Luther King Jnr in Chicago to the issues facing a writer of liberal outlook in Bush's US. Along the way, we learn of her bleak upbringing in Kansas and her involvement with the Womens' Movement.

But it is with the development and use of a writer's voice that we are most concerned in this work, and, of course, with the obverse: the voicelessness that the disadvantaged have always faced in society and which now threatens [via the so-called Patriot Act amongst other factors] to silence even the vocal and the privileged.

I cannot commend this book too highly. I read it in one sitting, and then again, an essay at a time. It handsomely repays its reader with the privilege of insight into the mind of a significant figure in American popular culture.
53 people found this helpful
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Fantasy reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Japan on July 10, 2007
Verified Purchase
Because I find so much of Paretsky's mysteries (especially the earlier ones) almost too grim to enjoy, I was a bit leery of this. However, I found it fascinating, absorbing, and extremely satisfying. I read it in one sitting--and I'm about to order a copy to send to my sister.
2 people found this helpful
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Jenny Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Writing in an age of Silence
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2013
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I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all VI Warshawski fans. It is part memoir , part explanation of how the character of VI came about and was developed and part angry critique of the Bush Administration. Very satisfying!
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A
3.0 out of 5 stars 餅は餅屋に
Reviewed in Japan on December 23, 2010
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１３８ページで５章に分かれており、文章は明快で単語も難しくない。しかし、内容となると、作家は評論家ではないということなのか、論理的な深みに欠ける憾みがある。この程度の話ならば、世界中どこにでもあり、もっとひどいところはいくらでもあると感じるだけのような気がする。実は、この作家の本はこれが初めてだったのだが、この後、小説のほうを読んですっかり嵌ってしまった。ｐａｔｒｉｏｔ　ａｃｔを笠に着た権力の横暴と、その条件下で活動せざるを得ない探偵とがスリリングに描かれているものもある。小説のほうはお勧めする。
2 people found this helpful
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