For almost forty years, Chet Raymo walked a one mile path from his house to the college where he taught, chronicling the universe he found by observing every detail of his route with a scientist's curiosity, a historian's respect for the past, and a child's capacity for wonder.

With each step, the landscape he traversed became richer, suggesting deeper and deeper aspects of astronomy, history, biology, and literature, and making the path universal in scope. His insights can inspire us to turn our local paths — whether through cities, suburbs, or rural areas — into portals to greater understanding of our interconnectedness with nature and history.

The Path: A One Mile Walk though the Universe has been selected as our Community Book for Lexington Reads 2011. Copies are available at Cary Memorial Library. Call 781-862-6288 ext 250 to reserve your copy.

Chet Raymo is Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, and is the author of more than a dozen books on science and nature. Raymo's weekly “Science Musings” column appeared in the Boston Globe for 20 years, and can now be found online.

Read the book and meet the author!