The Soul of an Octopus
Books | Nature / Animals / Marine Life
3.7
(537)
Sy Montgomery
Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction * New York Times Bestseller * A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year * One of the Best Books of the Month on Goodreads * Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year * An American Library Association Notable Book of the Year “Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk did for raptors.” —New Statesman, UK “One of the best science books of the year.” —Science Friday, NPR Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this “fascinating…touching…informative…entertaining” (The Daily Beast) book explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, she has befriended octopuses with strikingly different personalities—gentle Athena, assertive Octavia, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Each creature shows her cleverness in myriad ways: escaping enclosures like an orangutan; jetting water to bounce balls; and endlessly tricking companions with multiple “sleights of hand” to get food. Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures” (Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.
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More Details:
Author
Sy Montgomery
Pages
272
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2016-07-12
ISBN
1501161148 9781501161148
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"A beautifully, touching, book that dives into the personalities of Octopuses and how they inspire humanity. A truly sweet narrative filled with incredible Octopus facts. It is an entertaining book that gets you thinking and will give you a newfound respect and interest in our 8 armed aquatic friends."
"I found the story about the Octopus and the sprinkling of scientific facts about the octopus very interesting and enjoyable. However, I felt the author provided excessive effusive detail especially in the last third of the book, much of which did not fit the general theme of the book and read like someone else's vacation journal. Some people would love this, but it was too syrupy for me."
M O
Mandy Olsen
"A study on marine life, but mostly octopuses. And how alien and differently their minds work and yet how amazingly similar their personalities can be to humans in variation and temperament.
If I knew someone that was about to meet an alien extraterrestrial, I would highly recommend that they read this book. It would give insight in the differences in how a brain is organizes and where it can be located. And yet with all the differences there can still be connections."
"One of my favorite reads! I loved the mix of storytelling and marine life facts, which were clearly backed by research and supplemented with extremely memorable anecdotes. I laughed, I cried, and I bugged the hell out of my girlfriend by constantly interrupting reading time to tell her the awesome thing I had just learned about lumpfish, eels or octopuses. This story was so enjoyable and a great read for anyone who loves animals, the ocean, and learning new things. Great for people who are fascinated about marine biology but unlikely to ever take a class in it or too scared to take up scuba diving. "
Z V
Zoe Vais
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