The title emphasizes maps, but this is also a book of lists, reminiscent of the 1977 best-selling selling Book of Lists by brother and sister David Wallechinski and Amy Wallace. Maps appear in each of the 100 entries, and some include a brief explanatory paragraph, but most consist of a list of entries and a map. The noteworthy information appears in the text, often in list form, and the maps are unnecessary in many.

Numerous problems are apparent with the maps in this book. The first entry asks, “What even is North America?” The authors adopt an expansive definition that includes Central America and the Western Caribbean islands. However, most maps include only the United States and Canada, while a few include parts of Europe or Asia. Some, like entry #8, “Just keep swimming,” are difficult to understand because the material is not well-suited for display on a map. Many (e.g., #58, “Bees expertise”) have so many gradations the colors used to signify the levels are almost impossible to distinguish. The information in a few is enhanced by depicting the entries on a map (e.g., #7, “Doing a double take,” and especially #28, “Living on the edge”), but those instances are rare.

The book’s saving grace is the lists. Like other books of lists, some lists are of passing interest, and others not so much. North American Maps for Curious Minds can be read in a couple of hours or an entry at a time whenever the spirit moves you. ( )

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 ( )

If you love maps and statistical oddities, this book is for you. The book is divided into 7 chapters: Geography; Politics and Power; Nature; Culture and Sports; People and Populations; Lifestyle and Health; Industry and Transport. Somewhat arbitrarily defining North America as everything that sits on the North American or Caribbean tectonic plates, the authors offer 100 maps that present data in ways you may not have considered.

For example, one map is titled "Did Not Vote" ends winning streak. In 2020, 67% of all voting-eligible citizens participated in the US presidential election. If "Did Not Vote" could win electoral votes, the result would have been 280 electoral votes for Biden, 139 for Trump, and 119 electoral votes from 12 states for Did Not Vote. That is actually an improvement from 2016, when Did Not Vote would have won, with 454 electoral votes to 64 for Hillary Clinton and 20 for Trump.

Doing a Double Take compares the geographic location of cities: Detroit is farther east than Atlanta; Reno is farther west than Los Angeles; Portland ME is south of Portland OR; Tijuana is north of Savanna. Other maps reveal North American weather extremes, less famous things that drop or rise on New Year's Eve, and a statistically significant correlation between latitude and the number of Waffle Houses. ( )

Bold and colorful, North American Maps for Curious Minds is a fun read that really held my attention. Its maps didn't appeal to me quite as much as those in the related Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds (North American Maps... was maybe 70% interesting to me, whereas Brilliant Maps... was more like 95%), but that just comes down to personal preference. I still really enjoyed the book and enthusiastically recommend it to every cartophile.

Full review on Goodreads. ( )