Earth Moved

On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms

By: Amy Stewart

Narrated by: Heather Henderson

They destroy plant diseases. They break down toxins. They plough the earth. They transform forests. They’ve survived two mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaur. Not bad for a creature that’s deaf, blind, and spineless. Who knew that earthworms were one of our planet’s most important caretakers? Or that Charles Darwin devoted his last years to studying their remarkable achievements?

Inspired by Darwin, Amy Stewart takes us on a subterranean adventure. Witty, offbeat, charming, and ever curious, she unearths the complex web of life beneath our feet and investigates the role earthworms play in cutting-edge science—from toxic cleanups to the study of regeneration.

©2004 Original material © 2004 Amy Stewart. Recorded by arrangement with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2012 (p) 2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

“Stewart’s fascination with her subject is infectious, her writing as simple and sleek as the earthworm itself.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

“Using Darwin’s research as a starting point, [Stewart] delves into their incredible abilities and offers useful tips for the green thumbs in her audience.” ( Entertainment Weekly)

"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)

I thought I knew a lot about worms but I was wrong

Would you listen to Earth Moved again? Why?

I have listened to it already multiple times, there is a lot of information in there

What other book might you compare Earth Moved to and why?

I don't know of any other

What about Heather Henderson’s performance did you like?

she did a good job, lots of hard to pronounce latin names.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

documentary about earthworms- the whole world depends on them

Any additional comments?

Lots of information that is excellent, unfortunately there is also a LOT of praise and adoration for Darwin, but even with all that this is an excellent book. I learned a lot.

Interesting read.. some new material

Any additional comments?

This book is okay. It starts with a review of Darwin's work on worms, and circles back to Darwin for the entire book. The author provides some antidotes from her garden, and does a bit of investigation in the field. The authors affection for worms is a little much at times, but this is a book on worms. Can feel a little representative, but doesn't feel long. Overall an easy, interesting read.

Not so interesting

I suppose it's difficult to write an entire book on earthworms There is interesting stuff in the book, but lots of filler and detail that I found to be beyond my average layman's interest in the subject.
I made it through and am glad to have learned quite a bit, but I had to skip parts of some chapters because I wasn't interested in the detail.

What a Surprise!

I am so glad I discovered this book because I love books about quirky and unusual subjects, especially ones about our natural world.
This was so charming and so personal and I learned so much about the earthworms that I struggle to save from puddles during my walks outside after a rain.
I also learned about Darwin's interest in earthworms that I found fascinating.
And although I draw the line about having my own worm bin, I truly appreciate those who do and I will certainly continue to save the worms from those puddles.

Great read on unsung heroes underground

I cannot help but admire the author's passion for the subterranean wigglers. It was great learning about the giant worms in Australia. I visited the warm museum down under long time ago, which the book covered quite extensively. It was fascinating to know the behind-the-scenes stories about building of that museum. The meticulous ways the author keep her worms also won my admiration. There's something noble about people who dedicate themselves to things that many others consider to be totally insignificant or even repulsive. Many thanks to the author and the performer for the edifying journey.

Nice book, but dragged at the end

Narration great, but the book could have wrapped up towards the end. Will probably not relisten.

A Surprisingly Fascinating Topic

While not a subject one would expect to be interesting to the casual listener, this book is well written and well presented. This makes for a compelling and enjoyable experience.

Excellent

The content of the book was excellent. I didn't realize how complex earthworms were and just how big a role they play in their environments. Like Ms. Stewart's other books, this was excellently researched and easy and fun to listen to. Other than the corny Australian accent that the narrator put on at points where Australians were supposed to be speaking, her narration was excellent

Not bad, interesting, perfect length

Good stuff, interesting and not too long - you can only talk about worms so much and keep my attention. But just good, not great. Not written by a scientist, so the author is just relaying her second hand version of the research with some unnecessary editorial comments. And every time the author offered an opinion, I was like "But who are you? Give me the opinions of the scientists and spare me yours." But I am kind of cranky and that may not be fair she did do a lot of research.

Amazing and Exciting presentation of worms

Would you listen to Earth Moved again? Why?

I would absolutely listen to this again. It's absolutely fascinating. I have learned a lot and have a new perspective on worms!

What did you like best about this story?

The story was very personal so I felt connected to the author, Darwin, and the other people (including the worm people and by that I mean worms as people). Considering I have ADHD and it's hard for me to sit still I didn't want to leave or stop the book because it was presented in this way.

Which scene was your favorite?

It was all very fascinating although I did enjoy hearing about Darwin and the Authors love of the worm.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me extremely happy. I'm glad I'm not the only animal nut. I say animal nut because it is hard to find people who think about animals on this level. I appreciated the extreme consideration and detail to attention given to the worm in this book.

Any additional comments?

There is a lot of beneficial information and a good perspective given on the worm. It takes someone who has spent a lot of time on a subject and has a passion for understanding the intercate details. The author did an absolutely amazing job of showing me both. This makes me confident the knowledge she is passing on is well informed and has nothing but the best intentions. This is not to mention I spent some time looking up facts for myself.
Great job Amy Stewart!