This is an interesting book. It somehow came across my computer screen from somewhere – not sure where, but I was intrigued by the the author’s challenge. Alexandra Horowitz lives in New York City and walks around her neighbourhood daily – running errands, walking her dog and escaping the confines of her apartment.
She set out to enhance these walks by walking with eleven experts to see if she might have missed something or if they could add more depth to her daily routine. To start with, the author is a psychologist, interested in Science, exceptionally well-read, and writes very clearly with a good deal of humour. You will not be bored.
I walk a lot and I walk a particular 10kms path – Mud Creek – a lot. I felt I might enjoy my forested walks in the centre of a busy city, with a little more information. I ordered her book from the library. I loved it. The author walked with a geologist, an artist, a city planner, a medical doctor, a blind woman, a sound technician, a naturalist, a city planner, a typographer, her 19 month-old-son and her dog. For everyone it was a different walk – OK, some were in different places, but they were all city walks.
“On Looking” is one way to grow within a limited space and to see what you may have missed repeatedly.