The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness

by Sy Montgomery

"In this astonishing book from the author of the bestselling memoir The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus--a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature--and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. Sy Montgomery's popular 2011 Orion magazine piece, "Deep Intellect," about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death, went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then Sy has practiced true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing these wild, solitary shape-shifters. Octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to escape enclosures and get food; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think? The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about consciousness and the meeting of two very different minds"--

• ISBN10: 1451697716
• ISBN13: 9781451697711
• Publish Date: 12 May 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Atria Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[littleread1]

This was delightful, and I learned a lot about octopuses and other marine animals. And I actually worked at an aquarium for a while! (It wasn't a good place and I tend to block out a lot of memories from it though, so ...) I also didn't need any convincing that animals, even inverts, have personalities and potentially souls, if you believe in the concept of souls. I am still on the fence. What neat creatures and you could really feel the love the author has for them.

[Beth C.]

So I came to this book not quite sure what I was going to get. I seem to have missed the "hype" surrounding, and seeing it every day at work, was just more curious about it than anything else. I finished it absolutely in awe of these amazing creatures, and wishing desperately I had a connection at an aquarium somewhere...

Montgomery has a way of writing that feels like having tea with a good friend, discussing stories. It just happens that all of her stories for this particular visit revolve around the octopus - including a few very special ones that begin to feel almost like friends themselves. She gets into some of the science, shows her feelings and amazement over these beings freely, and ties it all together into a book that had me leaving behind my novels to enjoy the stories about Octavia, Athena, Kali, and Karma instead.

At one point, Montgomery discusses maybe getting a tank setup in her home to have an octopus, and I was right there with her in thinking that might be a GREAT idea. I'll let you read the book to find out why it's not...

This is one of those books I picked up on a whim, and I am so glad I did. I borrowed this to read, but will end up - I believe - actually purchasing a copy of this in order to come back to it again and again.

[Heather]

I love octopuses.  I think they are fascinating.  I've never had the chance to meet one though like this author did.  She got to know three octopuses over the course of a few years.  It was amazing to hear about the ways their physiology lets them interact with the world. They can taste with their skin, camouflage even though they are color blind, and work through complex puzzles.

She also lets you get to know the people working behind the scenes in the aquarium who love these animals.

This book is wonderful for anyone who is interested in finding out more about these animals.  I am looking forward to reading more from this author.







Plastic pollution in the ocean is a huge problem but it doesn't manifest in exactly the ways that it has been portrayed in the press.  Most of the ocean is polluted with microparticles of plastic that make any clean up operation almost impossible.  The author's goal is to require companies to take on more of the burden for reusing or recycling plastics they produce.  Now they are freed from responsibility by requiring consumers to recycle if they don't want the plastic going into a landfill.

This book used the framework of the several month journey on Junk to tell the story of the Earth's plastic pollution problem.  It is full of ideas for making the problem better but there needs to be buy in from a lot of people to make it happen.

The stories in the book are scary.  So much damage is being done through human carelessness.  Getting the word out about what needs to be done is important.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story