Reviews of The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms, by Amy Stewart

"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."—Washington Post"

Stewart ... has a keen eye for the delightfully nuanced behavior of the earthworm."—Entertainment Weekly [LINK]

"An engrossing read"—Christian Science Monitor [LINK]

"Oh, the endless virtues of worms! It took no more than 24 pages of this entertaining and informative book to persuade me that my porch needs a worm bin, too."—Raleigh News & Observer [LINK]

"A terrific new book"—Newsday

"Combining the intellectual curiosity of a scholar with the insights of a hands-in-the-dirt gardener, Stewart gives all the relevant facts and supplements them with interviews with specialists. Her ease in gliding from worms to plants to humans will remind readers of John McPhee's essays on canoes, oranges, the geology of America."—Providence Journal

"Fascinating...as enlightening as it is entertaining."—School Library Journal

"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

"Amy Stewart's new book about earthworms offers a fascinating journey into an underground world where blind, deaf, spineless creatures have a profound impact on our ecosystem."—San Jose Mercury News [LINK]

"A witty and engrossing book"—Santa Rosa Press Democrat

"Delightful...funny and charming and always thought-provoking...Stewart could turn anyone into an earthworm lover."—Albuquerque Journal

"A lucid and often humorous narrative...Filled with astounding facts, 'The Earth Moved' will become a resource you can dazzle your friends with."—Register Pajaronian

"Stewart writes clearly, and sometimes poetically. Her fondness for Darwin is unbridled and her enthusiasm for worms approaches adoration."—Baltimore Sun [LINK]

“A nifty piece of natural history. Earthworms of the world can stand a little taller.”—Kirkus Reviews [LINK]

“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.”—Anne Raver, New York Times [LINK]

“Stewart's fascination with her subject is infectious, her writing as simple and sleek as the earthworm itself.”—San Francisco Chronicle [LINK]

“An extraordinary subterranean adventure.”—Sacramento Bee

“A tender, funny and profound book... that will bring more depth to your own backyard diggings.“—The San Jose Mercury News [LINK]

“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

“Blending her own observations with those of Darwin and his contemporaries, [Stewart] offers a fascinating look at a truly unsung creature.”—Science News

“A philosophical and practical book.”—Washington Post"Stewart, a lover and owner of earthworms, has taken up the great subject and dealt with it clearly, the good and the bad, in all its complexity. This is a very fine book."—Katherine A. Powers, The Boston Globe [LINK]

“Amy Stewart understands that a good book can be about a subject as commonplace as the ground beneath our feet—if the author has the 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 in The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms.—The Dallas Morning News [LINK]

“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.”—Anthony Doerr, The Boston Globe [LINK]

“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

"Amy Stewart has uncovered the earthworm's purposeful cycle into a delightful read that also serves as a reminder to savor our curiosities."—Donna Kane, Powell's Books, Portland, OR. A Powell's 14 Favorites Pick for Winter 2004

“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 [LINK]

“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 [LINK]

“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 [LINK]

What you may not know is that 2004 is also, unofficially, the year of the earthworm. Their cause has been helped by a surprisingly popular book, "The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievement of Earthworms" by Amy Stewart, released this month.—Diane Heilenman, Louisville Courier-Journal

213 pages on worms may not be enough.—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal

Following in the muddy footsteps of Charles Darwin, who provided the inspiration for her work, garden writer Stewart eagerly (and literally) digs up the dirt on earthworms. She's obviously done her homework and in sharing her knowledge conveys a real enthusiasm about her subject. Interviews with scientists as well as anecdotes about Darwin and present-day worm farmers are delivered in an easy, chatty style.”—Library Journal [LINK]