The Maps That Made You, Dear Readers

When CityLab launched The Maps That Make Us, our series of personal essays on the life-shaping power of maps, we also asked readers to write in and share stories about the maps that made a difference in their personal, professional, and public lives.

More than 100 of you did, contributing reflections on navigating transit systems, getting lost in the frontispiece maps of fantasy novels, the borders that define religious rituals, the peculiar discoveries of Google Street View, and many other topics. These stories offered a kaleidoscopic view of the power of maps, and a rich complement to our series of published essays on the subject. A diverse selection of reader submissions follows.