Praise for The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms:
“An engrossing read.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible.” —The New York Times
“[Rachel] Carson’s legacy is proof that science books matter, that good prose can change the world. On its own scale, Stewart’s book paddles along in Carson’s wake. Read her book and you’ll start to see how the rhododendron bed in front of your house is a kind of Mars for frontier science.” —The Boston Globe
“A terrific new book.” —New York Newsday Marketeer
“[Stewart] has a keen eye for the delightfully nuanced behavior of the earthworm. . . . Using Darwin’s research as a starting point, she delves into their incredible abilities and offers useful tips for the green thumbs in her audience.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Stewart awakens the idea that worms are not only partners but teachers, instilling a regard for the least considered and most important part of our green world.” —The Washington Post
“Stewart’s fascination with her subject is infectious, her writing as simple and sleek as the earthworm itself.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“I challenge you: However repulsive you believe earthworms are, if you read this book, they will emerge your friends—earning genuine affection and respect.” —The Baltimore Sun
“Fascinating. . . . Stewart’s research takes us into some strange and environmentally critical territory: the subterranean kingdoms of red wigglers, nightcrawlers, and other blind, deaf and eminently hardworking worms.” —Time Out New York
“A fascinating look at a truly unsung creature.” —Science News
“[Stewart’s] ease in gliding from worms to plants to humans will remind readers of John McPhee’s essays on canoes, oranges, the geology of America.” —The Providence Journal
“Delightful. . . . Funny and charming and always thought-provoking. . . . Stewart could turn anyone into an earthworm lover.” —Albuquerque Journal
“213 pages on worms may not be enough.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
“Writing soulfully, with a deliberate, placid pace, she evokes the humble, probing nature of the worm itself, and like Darwin, she articulates the profound importance of this long-disrespected life form. You may still associate them with maggotty death and decay, but after reading this book, you will surely come to admire these inspiring creatures teeming quietly under the soil.” —Bust magazine
“[Stewart] weaves an engrossing tale, warm in tone and free of scientific trivia.” —Seattle Weekly
“An extraordinary subterranean adventure.” —The Sacramento Bee
“The Earth Moved is part humorous, part serious, and 100 percent informative. It is a must-read for gardeners.” —The American Gardener
“A tender, funny and profound book . . . that will bring more depth to your own backyard diggings.” —San Jose Mercury News
“A real pleasure.” —The Roanoke Times
“Read it not only for the wealth of information on earthworms, but also for a pleasant afternoon journey.” —The Oakland Tribune
“Don’t let anyone tell you that a writer who dishes the dirt on earthworms isn’t a spellbinder. Garden columnist Amy Stewart definitely has the inside tract on these remarkable creatures’ subterranean world, and she shares it with the reader in a thoroughly engaging manner.” —The Sanford Herald
“Amy Stewart pays joyous homage to Darwin and the creepy crawlers he adored. . . . A book filled with intriguing details.” —The Raleigh News & Observer
“Amy Stewart understands that a good book can be about a subject as commonplace as the ground beneath our feet—if the author has a passion to share it. She knows an enticing title will draw readers to the bait, and a pleasant, idiosyncratic style will keep them hooked. She delivers those elements enchantingly.” —The Dallas Morning News
“The most significant book on earthworms to come out in over a century.” —Mary Appelhof, author of Worms Eat My Garbage
“An entertaining and affectionate tribute to a creature most people rarely think twice walking all over.” —Portland Tribune
“Amy Stewart sees the worm in detail and glory. . . . We are, then, indebted to these blind and spineless creatures wiggling underneath our feet.” —Tampa Tribune
“Amy Stewart has written a worthy successor to [Darwin’s] On the Formation of Vegetable Mould. In lucid, fluent prose, Stewart chronicles her own exploration into the life of Lumbricus and its kin.” —California Wild
“Stewart, with Darwin as her main character and a host of other scientists in supporting roles, gives us the big picture in writing that is active and clear as a bell. . . . Stewart [is] an articulate, funny woman who made her passion for earthworms seem perfectly reasonable. I plopped down with her book and didn’t look up for two hours. I don’t even do that with a good mystery.” —The Oregonian
“Read Amy Stewart’s book and your perception of earthworms will forever be changed.” —The Olympian
“The Earth Moved wormed into me. . . . It’s a literate, engaging read that left me with a newfound respect for this deaf, dumb and blind creature. Amy Stewart has shown me my inner worm.” —North Bay Bohemian
“A witty and engrossing book.” —The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
“A lucid and often humorous narrative. . . . Filled with astounding facts, The Earth Moved will become a resource you can dazzle your friends with.” —The Pajaro Valley Register-Pajaronian
“[Stewart’s] enthusiasm and investigative spirit are easily caught. After a read, you may find you take more time in the garden, in fields, with compost, observing and learning. Most enjoyable for this reader are the reminders to consider the relationship between organisms, to think in entire ecosystems.” —Worm Digest
“This compact book informs and surprises us by turn, leaving us with a desire to run into the garden, shovel in hand, to investigate. . . . A fascinating read for any gardener.” —Pacific Horticulture
“A wonderful new book.” —Plants & Gardens News (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
“A nifty piece of natural history. Earthworms of the world can stand a little taller.” —Kirkus Reviews
“In this fascinating book, readers are taken on a journey underground. . . . A book that is as enlightening as it is entertaining.” —School Library Journal
“No less a scientist than Charles Darwin wrote one of his most popular books on how earthworms were responsible for creating the rich uppermost layer of soil, and garden columnist Stewart’s equal fascination for this spineless, subterranean earth mover (and ingestor) shines through in the chatty text.” —Booklist
“Stewart writes in a charming, meditative but scientifically grounded style that is informed by her personal relationship with the worms in her compost bin. In her telling, worms become metaphors—for the English working class, for the process of scientific rumination, for the redemption of death and decay by life and fertility—and serve as a touchstone for exploring the ecological view of things.” —Publishers Weekly
“Amy Stewart is fascinated by earthworms, and she is such a fine writer that you will quickly find that you are fascinated, too.” —Sue Hubbell, author of A Book of Bees and Waiting for Aphrodite
“When it comes to earthworms, it’s hard to imagine a more watchful and affectionate observer than Darwin. Yet the lowly worm has found its twenty-first-century bard in Amy Stewart. . . . By the end of this beguiling book, you’ll be so carried away by Stewart’s enthusiasm—and her kindly rendered but precise descriptions of worms and their habitats—that you may find yourself ordering your own backyard vermicomposter.” —Orion