Ken Jennings’ Maphead narrates his lifelong love affair with geography and explores why maps have always been so interesting to him and to fellow fans everywhere. Jennings takes readers on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the "unreal estate" charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. He also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been.
MapHead is interesting because Jennings knew one of the ways kids learn different places are on a map. “… the inevitable map on their schoolroom wall served the same purpose: something to look at when a dull monologue on fractions or Johnny Tremain started to turn into wordless wah-wah drone of the teacher from a Peanuts TV special.” (Jennings 24) In addition the last line of the first chapter “I will go there” (Jennings 26) draws the reader in and makes the reader …show more content…
But some people go above and beyond the normal desires to know their location and surroundings. Jennings states that people who have good three-dimensional skill and are geographically literate show more brain growth than those who do not. He does however, acknowledge that not everyone has an excellent sense of direction naturally. Jennings describes how he tested this philosophy on his wife, who was a terrible navigator. They reviewed a road atlas of Washington DC, where they planned to visit that weekend. With proper preparation, she was able to lead them around the city without getting lost
MapHead is interesting because Jennings knew one of the ways kids learn different places are on a map. “… the inevitable map on their schoolroom wall served the same purpose: something to look at when a dull monologue on fractions or Johnny Tremain started to turn into wordless wah-wah drone of the teacher from a Peanuts TV special.” (Jennings 24) In addition the last line of the first chapter “I will go there” (Jennings 26) draws the reader in and makes the reader …show more content…
But some people go above and beyond the normal desires to know their location and surroundings. Jennings states that people who have good three-dimensional skill and are geographically literate show more brain growth than those who do not. He does however, acknowledge that not everyone has an excellent sense of direction naturally. Jennings describes how he tested this philosophy on his wife, who was a terrible navigator. They reviewed a road atlas of Washington DC, where they planned to visit that weekend. With proper preparation, she was able to lead them around the city without getting lost