DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Listeners might chuckle along as Daniel Henning gives voice to Spike Carlson's indignant feelings about a frozen water line. Henning's tone of self-deprecation might strike a chord with listeners as Carlson discovers he doesn't know how water gets to his faucets. Thus, listeners are drawn into Carlson's quest to find the stories of things he takes for granted in his everyday life. Henning brings listeners into Carlson's feelings of confidence, then embarrassment, as his recycling habits are audited. Carlson visits with recyclers, then offers tips to help listeners improve their own habits. Elsewhere, Henning becomes an energetic candidate as Carlson puts forth a tree's campaign speech, proving its value. Carlson's field trips study graffiti, pigeons, sewers, energy, and even the pavement he walks on. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight…he may just change how you look at the world around you.” — TODAY Show
"No neighborhood walk will ever be the same after Spike Carlsen reveals to you the extraordinary origins of your ordinary surroundings. His grand storytelling style will make you wonder why you’ve always taken for granted alleyways, asphalt, and manhole covers, and how your ancestors could ever have lived without them." — Rebecca Martin, technical editor, Mother Earth News and Grit
"Writing in the mode of Edward Humes, David Owen, and Mary Roach, Carlsen offers an eye-opening and exuberantly informative walk-around-the-block tour that is made-to-order for this time of necessary at-homeness." — Booklist (starred review)
"Carlsen takes 'mundane' objects and illuminates their importance to society, creating a unique book that will have readers looking at everyday objects in different ways." — Library Journal
“An entertaining and informative read” — Physics Today
“A Walk Around the Block succeeds in making the mundane fascinating, opening our minds (and front doors) to an everyday world easily taken for granted.” — Bookpage (starred review)
“This book is going to make you observe your world differently, which will lessen your stuck-at-home boredom.” — Philadelphia Tribune
Booklist (starred review)
"Writing in the mode of Edward Humes, David Owen, and Mary Roach, Carlsen offers an eye-opening and exuberantly informative walk-around-the-block tour that is made-to-order for this time of necessary at-homeness."
Physics Today
An entertaining and informative read
Bookpage (starred review)
A Walk Around the Block succeeds in making the mundane fascinating, opening our minds (and front doors) to an everyday world easily taken for granted.
TODAY Show
Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight…he may just change how you look at the world around you.
Rebecca Martin
"No neighborhood walk will ever be the same after Spike Carlsen reveals to you the extraordinary origins of your ordinary surroundings. His grand storytelling style will make you wonder why you’ve always taken for granted alleyways, asphalt, and manhole covers, and how your ancestors could ever have lived without them."
Philadelphia Tribune
This book is going to make you observe your world differently, which will lessen your stuck-at-home boredom.
Library Journal
10/01/2020
When Carlson (A splintered History of Wood) encounters a plumbing problem, he begins to reflect on how his water is consistently delivered to him. He realizes that he knows very little about where his water comes from, which leads him into an existential awakening about not knowing enough about the world right outside his front door. Reflecting on the fact that many of us don't realize the engineering and natural marvels that are an integral part of our daily life, this book is an investigative journey to helping us better understand common elements of daily living that most of us take for granted. Carlson's story becomes less about things and more about people. He spends time with postal workers and trash recycling operators in an effort to better understand the world that exists in many of our day-to-day lives. It becomes a practical experience that imparts advice and wisdom we all can use to better understand the world we live in. VERDICT Carlson takes "mundane" objects and illuminates their importance to society, creating a unique book that will have readers looking at everyday objects in different ways.—Gary Medina, El Camino Coll., Torrance, CA
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Listeners might chuckle along as Daniel Henning gives voice to Spike Carlson's indignant feelings about a frozen water line. Henning's tone of self-deprecation might strike a chord with listeners as Carlson discovers he doesn't know how water gets to his faucets. Thus, listeners are drawn into Carlson's quest to find the stories of things he takes for granted in his everyday life. Henning brings listeners into Carlson's feelings of confidence, then embarrassment, as his recycling habits are audited. Carlson visits with recyclers, then offers tips to help listeners improve their own habits. Elsewhere, Henning becomes an energetic candidate as Carlson puts forth a tree's campaign speech, proving its value. Carlson's field trips study graffiti, pigeons, sewers, energy, and even the pavement he walks on. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
