Unruly Places Audiobook By Alastair Bonnett cover art

Unruly Places

Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies

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Unruly Places

By: Alastair Bonnett
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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At a time when Google Maps can take you on a virtual tour of Yosemite's remotest trails and cell phones double as navigational systems, it's hard to imagine there's any uncharted ground left on the planet. In Unruly Places, Alastair Bonnett goes to some of the most unexpected, offbeat places in the world to reinspire our geographical imagination. Bonnett's remarkable tour includes moving villages, secret cities, no man's lands, and floating islands. He explores places as disorienting as Sandy Island, an island included on maps until just two years ago despite the fact that it never existed.

An intrepid guide down the road much less traveled, Bonnett reveals that the most extraordinary places on Earth might be hidden in plain sight. Perfect for urban explorers, wilderness ramblers, and armchair travelers struck by wanderlust, Unruly Places will change the way you see the places you inhabit.

©2014 Alastair Bonnett (P)2014 Tantor History & Theory Human Geography Political Science Politics & Government Public Policy Social Sciences Sociology Travel Writing & Commentary Middle East Latin America Africa Urban Planning
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He starts with a discussion of islands that have been removed from maps, and discusses how islands get on maps, and then how they get off maps; there is a discussion of lands not claimed by any recognized country, and what that means to the people who live there; and he discusses the effect and meaning of borders. There are lost spaces from underground tunnels to islands in the middle of highways; and floating islands. Thought the narrator was perfect. Found the text lively and smart.

Fascinating look at places you never thought of

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I liked the book - it was though provoking and made me want to do more research into some of these places. I am fascinated by maps and obscure locations and it was neat to hear about these different places. Good listen!

Good listen

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It was a series of personal meditations on the meaning of space. It claimed to be an reminder of the inherently human need for Place, but it was threaded through with unexpected, somewhat jarring biases. We got a rant against Mt Athos; a chapter vaguely on favor of outdoor sex; and a brief essay on the relationship between pirates, economics, and anarchy. Mecca was not about holy places, or a space being set aside, but was instead used to muse on the role of architecture in manipulating and reconstructing history.

For a series diving into the meaning of Place, it was also telling what was NOT included, such as places that are deliberately destroyed and rebuilt; sense of place for nomadic people; or place for people that move to a starkly new location. Despite multiple references to religious spaces, the sacred-set-aside was never discussed. Nature was never discussed.

The focus was always the man-made nature of man-made spaces, which ignores a lot about how humans root themselves in Place.

It was..ok. Not horrible, but. Not the most interesting or reliable thing I've listened to recently.

Not Compelling

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