"The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data" by Carissa Carter is a thought-provoking exploration of the power of maps as a means of visual storytelling. Carter's expertise and passion for the subject shine through, offering readers a comprehensive guide to creating compelling and informative maps. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of data visualization and narrative.

One of the book's standout features is Carter's emphasis on the narrative potential of maps. She expertly guides readers through the process of transforming data into meaningful visual stories, providing practical tips and techniques along the way. The inclusion of real-world examples and case studies adds depth to the narrative, demonstrating the effectiveness of visual storytelling in conveying complex information.

Carter's writing style is clear and engaging, making even the most technical aspects of map-making accessible to a wide audience. Her thoughtful explanations and step-by-step guidance provide a solid foundation for readers looking to embark on their own map-making journey. The book's structure is well-organized, allowing for a seamless progression from basic concepts to more advanced techniques.

While the book covers a wide range of topics related to map-making, some readers may find themselves wanting more in-depth discussions on specific advanced techniques or tools. However, "The Secret Language of Maps" serves as an excellent starting point for those looking to harness the power of visual storytelling through cartography. Carissa Carter's expertise and passion for the subject make this book a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in data visualization and map-making.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been fascinated with maps, so I had to read this.

It's a perfect mix of how maps should be laid out, what they can tell us and show us and the secrets they hold.

I was hoping for more history about map making a geography and how country lines have been redrawn over the centuries, but this book was a still a good read, nonetheless.

The goal of The Secret Language of Maps is to learn how to identify hidden meanings of data to tell compelling stories. The book uses storytelling to guide the reader and elaborate on its objective. It helps the reader understand how effective maps are at displaying and understanding information.

The format of this instructional guide is intriguing. I like how it starts with a who-done-it murder mystery woven throughout the book. The mystery uses maps to support and discuss significant concepts like craft, bias, and data. Overall, the book uses a lot of imagery besides maps, which makes it less monotonous.

For me, the most significant takeaways were the techniques to make data moveable and modular to make observations and develop insights. I believe you can apply the methods to any research to help you gather all the findings you've worked on and process what you've read.

My only concern is how "map" is defined. In the book, Carter references informational and geographical maps. However, several varieties of maps exist, which she acknowledges. Nevertheless, I think the author should have dedicated a chapter in the book to providing more context as to what maps are and what they are not and addressing the different types of maps.

Overall, I found the book's presentation and delivery of information impressive and fascinating, and I look forward to applying the techniques I've learned.

A fascinating approach; how to map information of ANY KIND. The primary example provided here is a cold case of a murder. From identifying maps vs random bits of writing, to labeling and constructing different forms, types, and styles of maps. As well as the motivations and agendas of the map makers.

Whether you are viewing or creating a map, your bias transfers to it, and the viewer’s interpretation is altered by theirs. Who is the map meant for? Where and in what context? If it says “You Are Here,” it works best in the proper location. Is it for a crowd, a group, or an individual? A special target group, or anyone who sees it?

As you can see, it’s a lot to cover, but the author does it skillfully—with pages of the murder mystery interspersed—through the text and chart/map examples. I could be confusing, but it isn’t.

I was excited to read this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the familiar and new, as we explored why and how we map information for ourselves as a reference, and others as a tool or guide.

5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the free preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.

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Who is this book for? There were moments where it seemed to be a teaching help for high schoolers and other moments where it seemed geared toward businesses. I have a degree in Geography, so I know maps, and this book is pretty useless. It gives a basic overview of the idea that maps are a way to visually express data and explains bias in both map making and map viewing but has no real depth to it. It gives no practical information about how to view and understand maps or how to actually make a map. It gives a bizarre narrative about a girl solving a mystery with maps and other data, which cool, but also seemed like a very odd way to express what it was trying to say. This book just annoyed me.

this was a very unusual and interesting book - carissa carter threads a short mystery story through an explanation of maps, how to read them, how to make them, how to get the most out of them. i loved all the graphics and the way she pulled everything together into the story, which in and of itself was very interesting! definitely one to read as you have a fun mystery as well as learning about maps!!

Quite an interesting book, with many visuals, easy to read content and a nice story to complement

This is a quick read and light read. I would definitely recommend getting a paper copy instead of a digital one due to the great visuals it has. I can see it as being a cool decoration book to have as well. It gives a nice introduction to data visualization, great for those people without any knowledge on the subject and who want to tip their toes on it. Though a enjoyed the short story she used to explain the content, I felt the back and forth a little hard to get into - personally, I would've preferred maybe if the whole content was put first followed by the short story as a study case at the end.

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

The Secret Language of Maps offers a breath of fresh air of how to approach data visualization. Through a short fiction story, the reader gets to learn about the different components for approaching mapping including how to identify and explore any bias when creating or deconstructing maps / visualizations. A strong recommendation would be that this book also enters the curricula of data visualization university courses as not only is it informative, it's also written in a way that makes the reader want to find out more.

I didn't know what to expect with this book. It was somehow both captivating and educational. I truly enjoyed the graphics, the explanations and, of course, the engaging story. It's a great book that I'm glad to have in my home library.

This was a really fun book. I enjoyed the idea of a fictional story to help explain the concepts. This book would be good any kind of information literacy, not just maps.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

This book is largely narratively lead. The fictional story within the book is then dissected throughout the book to show how that data can be presented. There's beautiful infographics and break downs of how to collect information and various ways to share that information. The book touches on how colors and format can play a role and talks about bias in data mapping.

Overall an interesting book, but not what I was expecting.

Oh, I didn’t realise that there would be 16 chapters (albeit short) of fictional narrative to read through to see how to make maps based on data from the story. I’m afraid that totally spoiled it for me. There’s lots of good info on map making still and I spotted a few great infographics but overall, this book was just not for me.