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Judgmental Maps: Your City. Judged.
A sharp tongued and fierce witted full-color collection of maps of America’s greatest cities in all their brutally honest glory.
Your City. Judged.
When you move to a new city you look at a map to get you where you need to be, but a Google Map of San Francisco won’t tell you where you can get “Real Dim Sum” or where “The Worst Trader Joes Ever” is. Or if you’re visiting Chicago, you might want to see the Magnificent Mile, but not know it’s right next to where “Suburbanites Buy Drugs” and “Retired Mafioso.” This is where Judgmental Maps comes in – a no holds barred look at city life that is at once a love letter and hate mail from the very people who live there.
What started as a joke between comedian Trent Gillaspie and his friends in Denver, quickly grew into a viral sensation with a rabid and enthusiastic community labeling maps of their cities with names and descriptions we all think of, but are a bit too shy to say out loud. Collected here in a full color, beautifully packaged book with all new, never before published material, Judgmental Maps is laugh out loud funny from New York to Los Angeles, Minneapolis to Atlanta and offending everyone else in between.
Your City. Judged.
When you move to a new city you look at a map to get you where you need to be, but a Google Map of San Francisco won’t tell you where you can get “Real Dim Sum” or where “The Worst Trader Joes Ever” is. Or if you’re visiting Chicago, you might want to see the Magnificent Mile, but not know it’s right next to where “Suburbanites Buy Drugs” and “Retired Mafioso.” This is where Judgmental Maps comes in – a no holds barred look at city life that is at once a love letter and hate mail from the very people who live there.
What started as a joke between comedian Trent Gillaspie and his friends in Denver, quickly grew into a viral sensation with a rabid and enthusiastic community labeling maps of their cities with names and descriptions we all think of, but are a bit too shy to say out loud. Collected here in a full color, beautifully packaged book with all new, never before published material, Judgmental Maps is laugh out loud funny from New York to Los Angeles, Minneapolis to Atlanta and offending everyone else in between.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published November 8, 2016
8 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Trent Gillaspie
1 book4 followersTrent Gillaspie is a comedian, technology product manager, graphic designer by hobby, and a self-proclaimed cartography nerd living in Austin, Texas. His JudgmentalMaps.com blog has been seen by millions of people around the world, and has been featured in The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Complex Magazine, Someecards, Fast Co.Design, The Atlantic's CityLab, and was named one of Tumblr's Top Trending Blogs of 2014. He is a firm believer that running through a city is a nice way to discover all of its best-hidden secrets. He has a goal of one day buying a house in Denver's People's Bosses neighborhood, and he is on a quest to visit all 50 states. As of fall 2016, his state count is at 48, and he asks, "Is West Virginia really worth it?"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
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December 1, 2016my hometown did not make the list. which is not unexpected - i'm from a teeny tiny village, after all. however, it would have been nice if my freaking STATE had made the list.
apparently little rhody is exempt from judgment! too awesome to mock! too cool for school!
or maybe ... forgotten?
as for where i live now, this is the big picture overview:
and this is roughly where i live:
and it's more or less accurate: many ethnic people to sell me food, many low-flying planes to compromise my teevee-watching, and poop everywhere. a city of poop and food resulting in even more poop...
apparently little rhody is exempt from judgment! too awesome to mock! too cool for school!
or maybe ... forgotten?
as for where i live now, this is the big picture overview:
and this is roughly where i live:
and it's more or less accurate: many ethnic people to sell me food, many low-flying planes to compromise my teevee-watching, and poop everywhere. a city of poop and food resulting in even more poop...
reviews-of-books-i-didnt-read
July 19, 2017A great idea but I'm thinking maybe one page of this would be all you need...
If there was a judgemental map of Sherwood , Nottingham where my road was it would say
DULL PEOPLE
ONE QUIET GOODREADS REVIEWER
LOTSA MAGPIES AND A WHOLE TON OF CATS
If there was a judgemental map of Sherwood , Nottingham where my road was it would say
DULL PEOPLE
ONE QUIET GOODREADS REVIEWER
LOTSA MAGPIES AND A WHOLE TON OF CATS
February 12, 2017
Before I stumbled upon this book, I had never heard of Trent Gillaspie. And I may never learn any more than this irreverent book's tagging of SOME American cities. He had help from friends and people who follow his blog with the labeling of the areas in communities chosen for this book. Take it tongue in cheek and you won't be offended. From absurd to indignant you will laugh at some maps and cringe at others(probably your community). It appears that I live of "soccer moms" and "uptight pricks". Where's Las Vegas? Why did he skip some states entirely? You will not come away with any useful or new knowledge from this title. Thumb through it at the library or book store and leave it on the shelf.
November 14, 2016
No OC? No Phoenix? If it's not in this book, does it even exist??
September 4, 2019
It's a book based on one of Tumblr's Top Global Trending Blogs of 2014!
I think on-line about five years ago is the best format for this.
Informative, but not enough.
Entertaining, but not enough.
I think on-line about five years ago is the best format for this.
Informative, but not enough.
Entertaining, but not enough.
February 21, 2017
Fun book. I read it and looked at all the maps on the treadmill at the gym. Made time go a little faster and have had fun showing friends in other states/cities.
September 7, 2017
funny idea. made me wish i were more well-traveled so i could relate to more of the maps. but eh, got some chuckles.
February 25, 2017
Well, if I went by this book, I would never visit any of these cities but I am an optimist and love to trVel so I would just ignore this book . Although there is certainly some truth in his judgments.
December 11, 2016
A funny read. Every once in awhile it's nice to relieve some stress by taking the low road. These maps were a hilariously crafted reminder that despite all our pretensions we all have plenty of issues.
November 21, 2016
uproariously funny!
December 25, 2016
Utterly. Hilarious.
September 21, 2017
Wow! This is definitely the best book I've ever written!
December 26, 2017
snarky fun.
November 7, 2020
Save yourself time. I bought this because it was recommended based on another book I had purchased. I regret that decision. I knew it was going to be a problem when A) they said "hey, when we opened this up on Twitter, we encouraged you to comment anonymously so you can't get into trouble" (paraphrased obviously) and B) if you had any complaints you were invited to "go F**K yourself." If I had to hide from what I am saying, I should examine why I am hiding...and then wonder if that's a hill to die on. For nearly 100% of these, the answer would be "no."
Okay...so the author is supposed to be a comedian. This comes across very, very bigoted...as if it is okay, since we're all supposed to be laughing here, to diminish whole scads of people based on skin color, interests, origins, orientation. There were so many places marked with "gay guys" and "black neighborhood" (or some brand of this) and the implication was that these were neighborhoods to avoid. Areas are commonly branded "poor people," "white trash," "Jewish," "Koreans," again, with hints that these should be avoided.
I'm sure the defense will be "somebody else said this, we're just reporting it," but doing so with "humor" reveals more about the compilers than anything else. You can see I normally do not go at length with reviews, but this was so crass, it was deserved. If I could give negative stars, I would. I also realize I'm opening myself up to this Goodreads "author." Spare me.
Okay...so the author is supposed to be a comedian. This comes across very, very bigoted...as if it is okay, since we're all supposed to be laughing here, to diminish whole scads of people based on skin color, interests, origins, orientation. There were so many places marked with "gay guys" and "black neighborhood" (or some brand of this) and the implication was that these were neighborhoods to avoid. Areas are commonly branded "poor people," "white trash," "Jewish," "Koreans," again, with hints that these should be avoided.
I'm sure the defense will be "somebody else said this, we're just reporting it," but doing so with "humor" reveals more about the compilers than anything else. You can see I normally do not go at length with reviews, but this was so crass, it was deserved. If I could give negative stars, I would. I also realize I'm opening myself up to this Goodreads "author." Spare me.
August 25, 2019
This kind of book is hard to review. First, it is funny and completely satirical. Think The Onion mixed with geographic stereotypes. I laughed a lot as my current city is included and fairly accurately depicted. (The book is NSFW, too, so fair warning.)
So why the middling review?
First, I think some key areas were missed- I was surprised that St. Louis, Kansas City, Vegas, Phoenix, etc. were missing. Second, some areas were really used a lot- Ohio, the Southeast, and others. Third, this isn't a cover to cover read. It's too repetitive for that. It's more of a casual occasional flip-through. Lastly, there was an inconsistent use of apostrophes (that's really nitpicking, though).
All in all, this is a funny flipping through kind of book... definitely not to be taken seriously!
So why the middling review?
First, I think some key areas were missed- I was surprised that St. Louis, Kansas City, Vegas, Phoenix, etc. were missing. Second, some areas were really used a lot- Ohio, the Southeast, and others. Third, this isn't a cover to cover read. It's too repetitive for that. It's more of a casual occasional flip-through. Lastly, there was an inconsistent use of apostrophes (that's really nitpicking, though).
All in all, this is a funny flipping through kind of book... definitely not to be taken seriously!
July 7, 2017
Based on a blog. Equally offensive to all cities listed and totally not PC, approach with the sense of humor needed. My thought is if you read them one at a time in a blog they would be far less redundant than one after the other in a book. Then of course, if you don't know the city it is hard to "get" the judgmental map for that city. That being said Gillespie hit the nail on the head with Grand Rapids and Detroit; no maps at all for any city in Indiana.
December 31, 2020
2 stars overall. 5 stars for the descriptions of any city you know and have lived in because the snark is spot on. It accurately perpetuates all the stereotypes of a city/community. I’ll be honest... i chose to read this to get me to a goal of 30 books in 2020. I read it in just a few hours. A good book to flip through and make fun of your favorite cities. Full of Snark and sarcasm.
April 2, 2021
It’s a very original concept, but the maps are only funny if you know the cities REALLY well! I enjoyed the map for my hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and NYC because I’ve been there several times, but otherwise I just skimmed or skipped the rest. Definitely a book you could just check out from the library!
September 13, 2018
Meh
He has obviously gotten a lot of his commentary from ill informed people. I insist that he redo New York City, THE ENTIRE CITY, not just the areas he wasn’t afraid to go to. I can’t believe he only did LESS than half of Brooklyn and Queens! What a snot!
He has obviously gotten a lot of his commentary from ill informed people. I insist that he redo New York City, THE ENTIRE CITY, not just the areas he wasn’t afraid to go to. I can’t believe he only did LESS than half of Brooklyn and Queens! What a snot!
June 5, 2017
Quite funny and very biting (but not in a Mike Tyson way...in a great way).
March 24, 2019
It’s cute for a few moments, but really a 1-2 note joke.
August 16, 2019
Must have!
November 6, 2019
Totally irreverent and totally entertaining. Snarky, witty and amazingly accurate for the cities I'm familiar with.
November 22, 2019
Funnier if you are familiar with the area(s) being judged, but still good.
July 14, 2022
It was a fun book.
August 19, 2023
It was amusing, but I wanted more.
June 18, 2019
Judgmental review! Your book: judged.
I’ve always been a sucker for maps and funny infographics type stuff, so when this book passed by the circ desk a week or so ago, I was like, “hey, Judgmental Maps, I remember that was a thing!” and checked it out for a quick, funny summer read. Well, it was quick.
I recalled the Minneapolis map causing a bit of a stir on social media in town here a few years back, but I guess I was unaware that it was merely one among many “judgmental maps” dishing up “blunt truths” (i.e., unexamined perceptions) of city neighborhoods, compiled by a Denver comedian for a Tumblr blog (apparently still live, but barely). But this is a review of the book, not the blog.
Sadly, there weren’t many laughs to be found here. Arranged by region, Judgmental Maps the book judges a few dozen US cities from coast to coast, introduced by rather boring, cliched stereotypes we've all heard before. From what I can tell, at least, many of the maps included are original for the book, or are expanded. For instance, the Minneapolis map now includes the entire Twin Cities metro. So it's not just a cash grab! Also, a few user comments add addendums to certain maps, generally the best jokes in the book. On that note, the author still relies on others to supply him with everything outside of Denver or Austin, sooo. The maps in the book, themselves, suck. They are barely legible blobs of words floating around a white emptiness of nameless highways and bodies of water that do little to help situate oneself in any given city, even if you happen to be familiar with it.
Also, they are even more openly racis, er, I mean, edgy, than the ones online. I mean, just look at that entry for Milwaukee. Yikes. We’re talking literal racial slurs here. How funny. Yep, when talking about this brand of satire, “everyone” is a target, and it’s all “equally offensive" to everyone, a phrase which is literally dropped in the introduction. As if all the variations on “obnoxious/boring rich/white people enjoying life” versus “poor people/people of color up to crimes (they will shoot you)” are equal opportunity jokes, “equally offensive.''
And these two “jokes” are really what the bulk of the maps boil down to, along with the random homophobia or antisemitism of course. These maps are, in a word, repetitive. From Boston to Oklahoma City to Seattle, we see the same old labels being used across the country. At best, they are inside jokes that mean nothing to someone who doesn’t live in that certain city. At worst, well... What the f***, for instance, is meant by Denver’s “King Jewpers?” Nothing good, I’d imagine. Nothing good.
What, I have to ask, if really being satirized here?
Okay, that’s probably, like, five paragraphs too much to waste on this fluff. Admittedly, I can be pretty judgey when it comes to boring attempts at edgy humor and hey, just my two cents, right?
I’ve always been a sucker for maps and funny infographics type stuff, so when this book passed by the circ desk a week or so ago, I was like, “hey, Judgmental Maps, I remember that was a thing!” and checked it out for a quick, funny summer read. Well, it was quick.
I recalled the Minneapolis map causing a bit of a stir on social media in town here a few years back, but I guess I was unaware that it was merely one among many “judgmental maps” dishing up “blunt truths” (i.e., unexamined perceptions) of city neighborhoods, compiled by a Denver comedian for a Tumblr blog (apparently still live, but barely). But this is a review of the book, not the blog.
Sadly, there weren’t many laughs to be found here. Arranged by region, Judgmental Maps the book judges a few dozen US cities from coast to coast, introduced by rather boring, cliched stereotypes we've all heard before. From what I can tell, at least, many of the maps included are original for the book, or are expanded. For instance, the Minneapolis map now includes the entire Twin Cities metro. So it's not just a cash grab! Also, a few user comments add addendums to certain maps, generally the best jokes in the book. On that note, the author still relies on others to supply him with everything outside of Denver or Austin, sooo. The maps in the book, themselves, suck. They are barely legible blobs of words floating around a white emptiness of nameless highways and bodies of water that do little to help situate oneself in any given city, even if you happen to be familiar with it.
Also, they are even more openly racis, er, I mean, edgy, than the ones online. I mean, just look at that entry for Milwaukee. Yikes. We’re talking literal racial slurs here. How funny. Yep, when talking about this brand of satire, “everyone” is a target, and it’s all “equally offensive" to everyone, a phrase which is literally dropped in the introduction. As if all the variations on “obnoxious/boring rich/white people enjoying life” versus “poor people/people of color up to crimes (they will shoot you)” are equal opportunity jokes, “equally offensive.''
And these two “jokes” are really what the bulk of the maps boil down to, along with the random homophobia or antisemitism of course. These maps are, in a word, repetitive. From Boston to Oklahoma City to Seattle, we see the same old labels being used across the country. At best, they are inside jokes that mean nothing to someone who doesn’t live in that certain city. At worst, well... What the f***, for instance, is meant by Denver’s “King Jewpers?” Nothing good, I’d imagine. Nothing good.
What, I have to ask, if really being satirized here?
Okay, that’s probably, like, five paragraphs too much to waste on this fluff. Admittedly, I can be pretty judgey when it comes to boring attempts at edgy humor and hey, just my two cents, right?
November 19, 2016
Snarky and amusing.
December 28, 2016
A snarky coffee table book.
January 7, 2017
How could they skip Baltimore?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews