The Soul of an Octopus
Books | Nature / Animals / Marine Life
3.7
(541)
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 A 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."
Cheyanne
"There was some borderline psychotic fascination with the octopuses here. The author watched one sleep for seventy eight minutes and was a spectator to the mating of two others for SIX HOURS. What would you do for a Klondike Bar, amiright?"
jared lane
"Bafflingly heartfelt and deeply thought-provoking, this book gives a whole new look into ocean life as well as the wider living world."
Sasha Gray
"I listened to the e-audiobook and I thought the author/narrator was great. She had a pleasing voice that expressed many emotions as she described meeting and interacting with octopuses at an aquarium and in different oceans. She was in awe of octopuses and observed much intelligence and awareness and many other human characteristics in them the more time she spent observing and interacting with octopuses. I enjoyed this book and learned more about octopuses' abilities to problem-solve and express feelings and react to various people and environments."
P I
Pamela Inskeep
"This book is great for everyone: scientists, divers, animal lovers, as well as those looking for spiritual guidance and romance. There are a lot of great scientific facts about octopuses and their life cycles through the eyes of the author. You really get the up close and personal details of what they are like. It is also a love story of how one human falls in love with a species so different than us but yet so much the same. It is a very touching book and will make you think twice before ever eating an octopus again. <br/><br/>The only reason I took away a star is because these animals should be left in the wild and it bothered me to read they were being plucked from their natural habitat for our study and enjoyment. But that is not the fault of the author and I am glad she was honest on how they were obtained."
Jen Marin
"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."
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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."
Lupita S-O'Brien
"This book has given me tons of information and a look into the world of these amazing creatures. I have a new respect and love for octopuses. This book had me in tears, brought joy and happiness and a thirst to get back onto the ocean. I love this book!"
Ashley Prokop
"I loved it. It created a new obsession with octopuses!"
Michelle Blanchette
"Astonishing! This book is written with such love and reverence, it’s now hard not to think of myself as an octopus lover. The revelations about this sea creature (and others!) were jaw-dropping. You might not think a book by this name could have broad appeal. I read it on a whim, having nothing to draw me to this subject matter other than minor curiosity. I’m still finding it haunting weeks later. So lovely and important. "
Pam Negrie Kramer