"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 "Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight.he may just change how you look at the world around you.

" - TODAY Show "I love this book. Brilliant concept, excellent storytelling. My neighborhood looks different now. My own daily walk is more interesting. Things I've ignored all my life--manhole covers, telephone poles, even blades of grass--now have a history and meaning." - Gary Wentz, editor at Family Handyman magazine.