The Power of Listening

        Grace of Silence is a subtle title for a book.  It makes the content inside somewhat of a mystery, much like tactiturnity does.  This, I believe is related to the gray areas, the unknown, that Michele Norris felt about her family before and while writing the book.  Much of the content was about uncovering the truth related to her family's race history.  Norris talks about the silence kept by her mother and father about the demoralizing events that they experienced as a result of their race, and how it frustrated her to learn that they were kept secret.  Your family's past is an important part of who you are, and while the silence perhaps left Norris more unburdened in achieving success in the world, it also left her without critical information concerning her racial past.

        The book is about the grace, the simple beauty in listening to stories left unsaid.  The Grace of Silence is a name for the happenings in Michele Norris' family and for the daring and respectful conversations about race that are critical in establishing a more unified society.  All perspectives must be acknowledged to have a truly complete conversation about race.  Indeed, The Grace of Silence is also the power of listening.