Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks

Geography : not the average student's favorite subject.  Not by a long shot.  In fact, I'd be willing to wager that most (if not all) of my readers much preferred English or even Math, P.E or Music to your elementary school Geography.

If only our teachers had read this book.

Ken Jennings (Jeopardy! superstar and author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs) takes us on a journey through the art of geography.  Not science, art.  From stories about the earliest maps to the fascinating adventures one can have today with a GPS, Jennings creates an entertaining page-turner out of a class that I know I skipped on more than one occasion.

Full of wit and fascinating trivia, Maphead is a great find for map geeks and geography dunces alike!

And now, let's get personal.

Where were you on September 11th?

You remember, don't you? You remember where you were and what you were doing.  Moments like that are branded in our minds forever it seems, and Jennings explores why.  Why humans are drawn to remembering where they were, rather than when they were or how they were.  How certain memories are indelibly linked with specific places.

I tested out some of these theories with a few of my co-workers. We discussed the solar eclipse that occurred when many of us were in elementary school, and reminisced over every little detail of the day. We talked about Hurricane Katrina; the days Hussein and Bin Laden were killed; even the day the last Harry Potter book came out.

Maphead has opened my eyes (in a very bizarre way) to the idea that geography is more than just a bunch of names on a map. It's the way our minds process the "where" of things.  Pick it up on your way home tomorrow.  (Or in an airport bookstore before your flight leaves, like I did.)  You won't regret it.