Beneath the exterior of a city lie secrets a plenty. In The 99% Invisible City, the host of the popular 99% Invisible podcast, Roman Mars, discusses the hidden inner workings our cities and how they impact society. From hostile design to concealed machinery, Mars reveals elements of our cities, and what makes them tick.

Squirrels are not native to cities. For a long time, these forest denizens stayed far away from our urban setting, until the 1800s, when they were introduced to give the city a more natural feel. What is now considered a ubiquitous creature, was not always so prevalent. This is just one example of many stories Mars discusses in his book and is accompanied by many other fascinating tales.

Mars writes well and presents these many stories with wit and intelligence. The accompanying artwork by Kurt Kholstedt creates a unique and refreshing style that brings the book to life. The author thoroughly researched the subject matter and provides us with many fascinating stories.

Any reader can enjoy this book, as it is written comprehensibly and well. Listeners of his podcast will likely appreciate this novel, as well as those curious about obscure facts and history. I recommend some of Bill Bryson’s books such as The Body and At Home to readers that liked this novel.