Wow, this is a nerdy book. Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy! fame) is absolutely obsessed with maps, but he's not alone. He tells of different groups of people that share this passion of his - geocachers, road map geeks, clubs of members with geography goals like trying to visit every country on earth or the highest point in each state. My favorite was the chapter about the geography bee. I love watching the national spelling bee, but I'm going to have to check out the national geography bee because it sounds like it may be even more fun. Jennings is a good writer. He obviously has a wide knowledge base, but he is also funny and is connected to current ideas and trends. I hope to read more of his books. I read this with a neighbor book group. I honestly would have never picked up this book on my own, but it was surprisingly very entertaining and thought provoking. While there is no plot, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this read - although I didn't quite finish it in time and have yet to read the end. It definitely made me want to break out my atlas and maps for my kids to learn from as he says that today's schools focus so much on language and mathematics that they neglect some things like geography - which helps with spacial skills, etc. Ken Jennings' memory is amazing - his stories pretty captivating.
I hardly ever read books like this, but for maps. . . it was worth a try. I was greatly rewarded. I took my time, soaked up all it had to offer. From discovering my deeply suppressed childhood love of maps was perfectly normal to learning how to expound on that love now as an adult! Every couple pages I was looking something up on the internet. "I didn't know this existed!" or "How do I get involved?" Thank you, Ken Jennings, for opening my eyes to this accepted world of mapheads.
—miyuki
I've always been a map aficionado, although more for their historic value than for memorizing state capitals, so Jennings book had an immediate appeal to me. There are others like me, they have clubs! Overall, it was quite good. For someone know primarily for winning a quiz show, he is a rather talented writer and handles the topic lovingly with a sense of humor. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in maps or geography, or even if you don't.
—elisamaza76
Very good book. Accessible for an intro audience.
—sami
hardcopy LFPL
—danya_1997
