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Maps for Curious Minds
North American Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the Continent
The Maps for Curious Minds series is back—with 100 vivid infographic maps that transform the way we understand the cultural and geographical wonders of North America
No matter how well you think you know North America, the 100 infographic maps in this singular atlas uncover a trove of fresh wonders that make the continent seem like the center of the universe. Did you know that North America is where the first T. rex was found? Or that it’s where you can visit the world’s biggest geode as well as its oldest, tallest, and largest trees—not to mention the world’s tallest and steepest roller coasters?! Brimming with fascinating insight (Who is the highest-paid public employee in each state?) and whimsical discovery (Where can you visit the world’s largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island?), this book highlights the unexpected contours of geography, history, nature, politics, and culture, revealing new ways to see North America—and the hundreds of millions who call it home.
No matter how well you think you know North America, the 100 infographic maps in this singular atlas uncover a trove of fresh wonders that make the continent seem like the center of the universe. Did you know that North America is where the first T. rex was found? Or that it’s where you can visit the world’s biggest geode as well as its oldest, tallest, and largest trees—not to mention the world’s tallest and steepest roller coasters?! Brimming with fascinating insight (Who is the highest-paid public employee in each state?) and whimsical discovery (Where can you visit the world’s largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island?), this book highlights the unexpected contours of geography, history, nature, politics, and culture, revealing new ways to see North America—and the hundreds of millions who call it home.
194 pages, Hardcover
Published November 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 2, 2022
Following the success of Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World, brilliantmaps.com has published the equally bold and colorful, North American Maps for Curious Minds. Like Brilliant…, this book contains 100 especially notable maps, just more specifically focused this time. To explain how the authors defined “North America” for this book, they opened with the map “What even is North America?”, which shows Canada, the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean, and say
These North American maps didn't excite me quite as much as those in the related Brilliant…, but that’s not to say it was hard to find favorites.
My top two were
A few others I liked were
Some maps left me with questions. “How America gets to work” could have used a paragraph explaining why certain pockets of the U.S. are so much more bike-friendly than other parts. “Who doesn’t have internet” would have been enhanced with some commentary about the lack of connectivity in some places and its relationship to things like region, poverty, geographic isolation, and so on.
For the most part, color is used well (and attractively) in this book, but pages featuring shades of the same color can be hard to interpret. One of the best examples is “Proportion of veterans by state,” which is in graduated shades of blue. Obviously if one state is dark blue and another light blue, there’s no problem, but of course this isn’t always the case. Shades that differ by only one or two degrees take a lot of work to distinguish on the map, and I’m not sure I distinguished them correctly in all instances.
Enjoyment of this book is going to vary from reader to reader, but North American Maps for Curious Minds is overall intriguing and informative--and very easy to get lost in. Despite not totally loving it, I still feel enthusiastic in recommending this, and I look forward to possibly more books from brilliantmaps.com in the future.
Read alike: Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide
If we go by physical geography, we might say it’s whatever rests on the North American tectonic plates. But where does that leave, say, the majority of the Caribbean nations? If you turn to human geography--the history, politics, and culture of places--then Greenland is arguably European. In this book, we’ll keep it simple and consider any country marked on this map to be part of North America.The inside back cover has a map of North America with each state, province, territory, and country labeled. The book is divided into a range of categories such as “Nature,” “Culture and Sports,” Lifestyle and Health,” and “People and Populations.”
These North American maps didn't excite me quite as much as those in the related Brilliant…, but that’s not to say it was hard to find favorites.
My top two were
“The can’t-miss trees of North America”
“The greatest dinosaur finds in North America”
A few others I liked were
“City names, then and now”
“Number of second homes per unhoused person”
“Indigenous homelands in 1491”
“Median age by state”
“Quality of life, happiness, and well-being in North America”
“COVID-19 anxiety and depression”
“Endangered or threatened species that live entirely within one state”Overall, I liked this book but didn’t love it. This is partly due to personal preference, but objectively speaking, some of the maps just don’t have enough factual variation for the map format to be an ideal choice. “Who pays the most for their military?” is in three colors and can be viewed in seconds. “How fast recreational marathon runners finish a marathon by state” differs by just a few seconds for the vast majority of states. “The highest-paid public employee by state” is dominated by blue (for college-head football coach). And some, such as a map showing every show The Beatles played in America, seem arbitrary and not only don’t require the map format but would be better served as simple lists.
Some maps left me with questions. “How America gets to work” could have used a paragraph explaining why certain pockets of the U.S. are so much more bike-friendly than other parts. “Who doesn’t have internet” would have been enhanced with some commentary about the lack of connectivity in some places and its relationship to things like region, poverty, geographic isolation, and so on.
For the most part, color is used well (and attractively) in this book, but pages featuring shades of the same color can be hard to interpret. One of the best examples is “Proportion of veterans by state,” which is in graduated shades of blue. Obviously if one state is dark blue and another light blue, there’s no problem, but of course this isn’t always the case. Shades that differ by only one or two degrees take a lot of work to distinguish on the map, and I’m not sure I distinguished them correctly in all instances.
Enjoyment of this book is going to vary from reader to reader, but North American Maps for Curious Minds is overall intriguing and informative--and very easy to get lost in. Despite not totally loving it, I still feel enthusiastic in recommending this, and I look forward to possibly more books from brilliantmaps.com in the future.
Read alike: Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide
February 16, 2022
I'm a geek about a lot of things but I had kind of forgotten that I can geek out over maps. Back in the days before I could endlessly scroll through social media as someone else drove on a road trip, I could entertain myself for hours with an atlas. (The concentration required for reading in the car started leaving me with motion sickness in my late teens so that isn't an option). But when I stumbled on this title at the bookstore, I had to stop and take a look. And found myself feeling that old enthrallment. I requested a copy from the library that day.
There's just so much data that can be presented on a map. My husband and I had Valentine's Day dinner at home, and is there any greater testament to the patience he has for me than the fact that he let me pull out this book when we finished eating and explain my very favorite maps to him?
And I don't even know where to begin listing those. There's the "Just Keep Swimming" map that details which country you'll reach first if you set out across the ocean from both coasts. There's a shameful map that shows that the states who've had the most female governors have only had four of them total. Huge swathes of North America haven't had a female governor or equivalent at all. There's a map for record-setting trees. Another shocker--the highest paid public employees in each state. Rates of COVID-19 anxiety and depression. And the one that should be plastered in headlines everywhere--if "Did Not Vote" were added as a third candidate in presidential elections to represent the people who never cast a vote at all, that third, fictional candidate would win even the electoral vote by a landslide. Individual votes do add up to make a big difference.
There are just so many interesting facts here. I loved poring over these pages. The one caveat I'll throw out is that the book is misnamed: the information deals almost exclusively with the United States and only rarely brings in Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. (The first map details what the authors consider to be North America). As an American, I can't honestly say that I minded too much since I'm more familiar with my own country's geography than that of any other country. But if I were from Canada, Mexico, or any of the other North American countries, I would be beyond irritated. Sorry, neighbors.
This book is going to appeal to a very specific subset of people who love maps and/or trivia. If you're part of that group, pick this one up.
There's just so much data that can be presented on a map. My husband and I had Valentine's Day dinner at home, and is there any greater testament to the patience he has for me than the fact that he let me pull out this book when we finished eating and explain my very favorite maps to him?
And I don't even know where to begin listing those. There's the "Just Keep Swimming" map that details which country you'll reach first if you set out across the ocean from both coasts. There's a shameful map that shows that the states who've had the most female governors have only had four of them total. Huge swathes of North America haven't had a female governor or equivalent at all. There's a map for record-setting trees. Another shocker--the highest paid public employees in each state. Rates of COVID-19 anxiety and depression. And the one that should be plastered in headlines everywhere--if "Did Not Vote" were added as a third candidate in presidential elections to represent the people who never cast a vote at all, that third, fictional candidate would win even the electoral vote by a landslide. Individual votes do add up to make a big difference.
There are just so many interesting facts here. I loved poring over these pages. The one caveat I'll throw out is that the book is misnamed: the information deals almost exclusively with the United States and only rarely brings in Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. (The first map details what the authors consider to be North America). As an American, I can't honestly say that I minded too much since I'm more familiar with my own country's geography than that of any other country. But if I were from Canada, Mexico, or any of the other North American countries, I would be beyond irritated. Sorry, neighbors.
This book is going to appeal to a very specific subset of people who love maps and/or trivia. If you're part of that group, pick this one up.
March 8, 2023
Another book of fun maps from the "Maps for Curious Minds" series, this time allegedly centering on North America as a whole but more frequently on just the United States.
I think this volume had a higher percentage of infographics that didn't interest me, but by just flipping a page or two I'd always find something to linger over.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Forword by Ian Wright -- Introduction -- 1. Geography -- 2. Politics and Power -- 3. Nature -- 4. Culture and Sports -- 5. People and Populations -- 6. Lifestyle and Health -- 7. Industry and Transport
I think this volume had a higher percentage of infographics that didn't interest me, but by just flipping a page or two I'd always find something to linger over.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Forword by Ian Wright -- Introduction -- 1. Geography -- 2. Politics and Power -- 3. Nature -- 4. Culture and Sports -- 5. People and Populations -- 6. Lifestyle and Health -- 7. Industry and Transport
January 16, 2022
What a fun book. Filled with facts that made me read them aloud to my husband, just a continuous “did you know that..?” Plus now I’m filled with facts for trivia night!
July 20, 2022
Found this book while browsing the "new" section at the library. It did not disappoint. So clever. 4/5 stars as there was some evolutionary content on 1 or 2 maps.
May 27, 2022
I just hated the maps that took up two pages so many information in the crease was inaccessible. Other maps I found difficult was ones with colors that used color scales to represent numbers for the map. Using that didn't just gave a rough estimate of the numbers especially if the colors falls between two points. Another color problem were maps with multiple colors that were sometimes hard to decipher. Then you got maps that was covered with information that actually made it difficult to see the map. These and other problems made me want to give up before I was halfway done.
April 27, 2023
Fascinating maps offering a unique perspective on my home continent! While there are plenty of predictable maps, there are a few left-field ones that will definitely make you say "hey look at this" to a passing stranger. For example, a map of the number of Waffle Houses per degrees of latitude (more interesting than it sounds). Or a comparison between level of happiness in U.S. states and level of LQBTQ acceptance (hellooo correlation). Or a map of North America's most famous shipwrecks (dope).
Another positive for this book compared to the other's in the series: North America is vertical, while the world map is horizontal. So there are far fewer instances where interesting factoids are stuck in the crack.
Another positive for this book compared to the other's in the series: North America is vertical, while the world map is horizontal. So there are far fewer instances where interesting factoids are stuck in the crack.
Read
February 1, 2022Nicely designed, interesting information. Not necessarily for those wanting in-depth facts, but does provide an interesting take on how the world has changed and is changing.
December 7, 2022
My favorite is Wafflography: Number of Waffle Houses by Latitude (in the US)…
July 19, 2021
Nourishing Brain Candy
There are a zillion ways to present data graphically - from straightforward x/y graphs to wildly creative artistic renderings. This book hews to the middle path and succeeds admirably.
We start with North American trivia, curiosities, and odd factoids. Later topics include geography, politics, nature, culture, sports, population, food, and health. These topics are explored in 100 maps of North America. Sometimes the maps are just used to organize factoids or to illustrate the locations of interesting tidbits. Sometimes, through the use of color or exaggeration or changes in scale or other graphical tricks trends are identified or larger points are made.
As you might expect, the maps range in appeal or interest. It turns out that sometimes the most obscure facts or the most unlikely lists lead to the most unexpected insights. (Consider how states have changed from red to blue or blue to red over the years.) In any event there is more than enough here to inform and entertain, and that is, after all, the point.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
There are a zillion ways to present data graphically - from straightforward x/y graphs to wildly creative artistic renderings. This book hews to the middle path and succeeds admirably.
We start with North American trivia, curiosities, and odd factoids. Later topics include geography, politics, nature, culture, sports, population, food, and health. These topics are explored in 100 maps of North America. Sometimes the maps are just used to organize factoids or to illustrate the locations of interesting tidbits. Sometimes, through the use of color or exaggeration or changes in scale or other graphical tricks trends are identified or larger points are made.
As you might expect, the maps range in appeal or interest. It turns out that sometimes the most obscure facts or the most unlikely lists lead to the most unexpected insights. (Consider how states have changed from red to blue or blue to red over the years.) In any event there is more than enough here to inform and entertain, and that is, after all, the point.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Read
July 3, 2021This second in a map series will be out in October! In the meantime you should check out the first book, Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World
July 5, 2021
Really interesting arrangement of maps. Excited to see the final version and check out the one that covers the globe as a whole.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 9, 2021
Such a fun book to flip through with family and friends! Entertaining to all and filled with many unique facts that I would have never thought to look into. More than worth a read !
May 1, 2022
A nice book of maps that makes ya think
July 25, 2022
Fun coffee table book with interesting maps.
March 24, 2023
I like the Maps for Curious Minds concept, but I'm not sure it works as a book. It certainly isn't the kind of book you would normally read from start to finish - it is more of a look at one or two maps when you have a few minutes to fill kind of activity. Beyond that, I don't like the North American limitation on this sequel. So many of the maps end up being just the US either literally or in effect. Many of the remainder just have Canada shoved in looking like an afterthought. Some of the maps are interesting (to me) and others weren't. Some of the data might have been interesting but a map is not the best choice to represent that data in my opinion. Entirely too many of the maps used a color gradient to represent data that I wanted to know explicit values for - is that tiny region orange or red or actually brown? The answer could represent a significant difference in numbers or percentages. Overall, I found this disappointing.
June 17, 2022
I love infographics and this book is amazing. Now I have to go back and look at some of their other Maps for Curious Minds books. Whether you want to know where the Beatles played all their North American concerts or visibly see how many senators California and other states with large populations would have if number were by population instead of two per state like sparely populated Wyoming, this is the book for you. The graphics raised many questions for me. Why is the worst commute area in North Eastern New Mexico?
Why is the highest paid public employee in most states a college head football coach followed by college head basketball coach? If you love maps and trivia pick up this book.
Why is the highest paid public employee in most states a college head football coach followed by college head basketball coach? If you love maps and trivia pick up this book.
November 7, 2022
An impulse find in the juvenile section of the library. This book makes me want to be a cartographer again. My mind was seriously amazed at some of the facts they could put on a map. 🗺️📖
August 22, 2024
Map nerds unite! Matthew Bucklan and Victor Cizek’s book North American Maps for Curious Minds was a wonderful read. They have 100 maps that show minor and major information about my continent: the length of Hawaii compared to the west coast, state-by-state cow-to-person ratios, median height by nation, America’s population centers of gravity, birth places of Oscar winning actors, the largest impact craters, highest paid public employees by state… There’s just so much! It was entertaining and educational. I recommend it.
September 14, 2024
I work as a GIS specialist mapping local natural resources and habitats. This was a TREAT!
February 16, 2022
This book shows some very interesting maps of North America in ways that are surprising yet fun at the same time. A quick read that can be done in very little time.
August 11, 2022
Excellent book for geography lovers. I checked this out from the library, but I think I might buy it!
July 31, 2025
Fun book with interesting data I didn’t know I needed or wanted to know!
August 19, 2022
There's a reason that I initially got this from the library in June and renewed it four times... it's amazing and so fun to read through! The facts are incredible; my favorite being that if every state in the US were the size of Rhode Island, there would be 2,457 states and it covers virtually every topic from sports, to politics and things in between. I'm glad there are others in this series and reading this book makes me want to take a cross-country trip as soon as I can! Loved it!
May 21, 2022
Fascinating maps!
January 25, 2022
So many interesting tid-bits expressed through these maps, fascinating. You can just pick it up and flip to any page.
Read
October 9, 2022Fun coffee table book. I like maps and data, so this is cool
January 9, 2022
Full of interesting facts like if every state were the size of Rhode Island, the US would have 2457 states
October 18, 2022
This is a FASCINATING and fabulous book. I defy anyone with a "curious mind" to put it down after even a cursory glance (unless it's to decide "oh no--this is coming home with me!"). I can't even
December 23, 2021
These are such fascinating books. I love looking at the world through different lenses and this one gets closer to home than its predecessor by staying in North America and sometimes just the US. I love that some of them seem totally innocent (number of vacation homes per county) until you turn the page and see the homelessness rate per vacation home…
It’s not all dire, such as detailing the Waffle House belt and telling me which states I shouldn’t visit if I want to avoid children (damn, Dakotas…damn…). But be prepared for some hard learning alongside a lot of levity. And prepare yourself for “happiness index” next to “LGBTQ acceptance” and the sassiest and snarkiest “correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation” that I’ve ever heard. I literally felt like I read a wink emoji and I, for one, am here for it. ;)
It’s not all dire, such as detailing the Waffle House belt and telling me which states I shouldn’t visit if I want to avoid children (damn, Dakotas…damn…). But be prepared for some hard learning alongside a lot of levity. And prepare yourself for “happiness index” next to “LGBTQ acceptance” and the sassiest and snarkiest “correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation” that I’ve ever heard. I literally felt like I read a wink emoji and I, for one, am here for it. ;)
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