Tantalizing subject matter sprouts up throughout: the internal compass, the reaction of brain waves to the Earth’s magnetic field, dead-reckoning ... Kemp also shares brief, strange, and sometimes sad stories of people who get lost. Finding our way is a basic necessity of life, yet it is mostly taken for granted. Kemp effectively explains just how complex and astonishing that task really is.
Chock-full of scientific information conveyed by a skilled storyteller, Kemp’s book is recommended for readers interested in the neurological differences between those who have an internal compass and those who get hopelessly lost.
[A] sharp survey ... Kemp debunks numerous myths, including the idea that females possess poorer navigational skills than males ... Kemp peppers in accounts of his own poor navigational abilities and colorful stories of people getting lost, which keep things moving along. The result is both enjoyable and accessible.
This short book delivers an expert education in how the brain guides us ... Except for two illustrations, Kemp relies on prose to explain a complex process involving dozens of structures and specialized neurons throughout the brain. Readers with a well-developed hippocampus will have an easier time, but everyone will appreciate the author’s stories of how some Indigenous cultures learn their territory (they get lost, too) and concluding sections on how to become a better navigator and how to behave if lost in the wild ... An intense lesson in the neuroscience of getting around.
