The Soul of an Octopus

Posted on 03 January 2018 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 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 beingknow 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. Best Read The Soul of an Octopus Author Sy Montgomery For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I m kind of eh on this book It bills itself as a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness, I guess because it shares a few fun facts about octopus neurology e.g THEY HAVE NEURONS IN THEIR ARMS and references a few philosophers of mind e.g Thomas Nagel in passing Maybe it s the former philosophy major in me, but IMHO saying Hmm, I REALLY wonder what it would be like to be an octopus Can we even know does not qualify as an exploration into the wonders of consciousne I m kind of eh on this book It bills itself as a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness, I guess because it shares a few fun facts about octopus neurology e.g THEY HAVE NEURONS IN THEIR ARMS and references a few philosophers of mind e.g Thomas Nagel in passing Maybe it s the former philosophy major in me, but IMHO saying Hmm, I REALLY wonder what it would be like to be an octopus Can we even know does not qualify as an exploration into the wonders of consciousness Also, the answer is N...It s such a beautiful book, such an incredible story I already loved octopuses, but this book deepened and strengthened my love for them, and all cephalopods It s an easy read, and by the time you re finished, you ll be asking yourself questions about cons...I had previously read Journey of the Pink Dolphins AnQuest by this author and had to give it up because it contained very little fact, an awful lot of conjecture and far too much about Sy Montgomery who obviously finds the preoccupations of her spiritual soul farfascinating than I do So this time, wanting to read about octopuses I though...Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend Although occasionally repetitive, The Soul of an Octopus is a tearful, informative, and memorable love note to octopuses those strange yet wondrous creatures, intelligent and ...I had to read this book today because it was due back on Overdrive, so this is going to be a short review until I get my OWN paperback copy This book made me cry The creatures and the people both had me torn up at times I m a wildlife lover and activist so I try to branch out into different books on creatures I know nothing about I was worried this was going to be another textbook style read and I don t like those This is about a woman the author who gets to study octopuses not I had to read this book today because it was due back on Overdrive, so this is going to be a short review until I get my OWN paperback copy This book made me cry The creatures and the people both had me torn up at times I m a wildlife lover and activist so I try to branch out into different books on creatures I know nothing about I was worried this was going to be another textbook style read and I don t like those This is about a woman the author who gets to study octopuses not octopi at The New England Aquarium I never even thought an octopus could have such a wonderful memory, could play, could hug you in their own way...3.5 Though simply written I found this book to be both informative and delightful I knew nothing about the octopus except for pictures in National Geographic, so this was all new to me So surprising to learn how clever these creatures are, the variations in size, from six inches with 23 inch tentacles to the giants of the sea How they use these tentacles like conveyors belts to feed, how they change colors based on mood, how they can show displeasure How clever they are, escape artists, can 3.5 Though simply written I found this book to be both informative and delightful I knew nothing about the octopus except for pictur...When I started this I expected a scientific journal watered down for the non scientific reader I did not expect it to be a personal journal with some scientific facts thrown in I was looking forscience,facts then offered I was a bit miffed at the personal moments, her diving lessons, her ear troubles, relationships of companions I wantedinformation on the octopus and it fascinating life Fascinating they are, and there is so muchthat we still are far from understandin When I started this I expected a scientific journal watered down for the non scientific reader I did not expect it to be a personal journal with some scientific facts thrown in I was looking forscience,facts then offered I...It was interesting reading other GR reviews about this book Some folks complained it wasn t sciency enough, or that it claims to do things that it doesn t, finally, do I can understand folks frustration with Montgomery s approach For people looking for a hard core science book, maybe this isn t the one Montgomery is essentially telling the story of her journey of studying octopuses, which can t stop at the octopus, because they are part of a larger world I think that s some...The only surprising thing about this exploration into the wonder of consciousness is that the author so thoroughly convinces us of Octopuses beauty, intelligence and individual personalities yet sees no conflict with keeping them captive, often in cruel conditions Most of the Octopuses intimately investigated in the book we...This was a lovely book both fascinating and deeply kind, with a lot to interest a broad swath of readers The science is accessible without being dumb, and at the same time Montgomery brings the octopuses NOT octopi and their personalities yes, they have em really vividly to life Plus I love reading about any interest that attracts the oddb...

English
03 January 2018

Sy Montgomery