I've known that I had hearing loss for the better part of two decades, but it wasn't until 2020 that I decided to pursue treatment. Like most people, I started searching online and realized just how much I didn't know about my ears.
That first Google search led me down a long rabbit trail of research, conversations with experts, and ultimately this website.
In the middle of one of my information binges, someone recommended reading Volume Control by David Owen.
David is a staff writer for the New Yorker and has been recognized as one of America's 50 funniest writers. An aspirational title for the dad jokester in me.
When I spoke to David in late 2021, he described himself as kind of an anti expert. Instead of playing insider, he likes to be an outsider and ask all the questions no one else will.
David has written more than a dozen books on topics ranging from high school (he spent four months pretending to be a high school student as research) to golf and sustainable living. He told me that he once let someone shoot him point-blank while he wore a bulletproof vest.
Truly the kind of guy you want to get a beer with.
Volume Control is well researched and decidedly no-nonsense. I listened to the book on Audible and finished the 288 pages of content in a week. David brings his tenacious, relatable, and sometimes humorous style to this topic that affects millions of Americans every day but doesn’t often get talked about.
He shared that he wasn't entirely sure what sound was when he began the project.
The book opens by talking about soundwaves and breaking them down in understandable terms.
Volume Control ventures into the biology of the ear with a few chapters dedicated to how our brain and ears interact. Throughout the book, David shares present-day and historical examples of hearing loss to illustrate the experience that so many have every day.
Of course, the book also explores the sprawling and quickly changing world of hearing health.
David spent time at top hearing aid manufacturers, audiologists, and industry disruptors.
It's in this section that David's outsider status shows. The book doesn't concern itself with industry politics and gives a direct and unapologetic report of the hearing health landscape.
Don't read Volume Control for the latest products or industry news (it's likely already outdated) but do read it if you want to understand the science behind sound, your ears, and the broad dynamics of hearing healthcare.
