Monday, July 24, 2017

Getting to Know Four Octopuses

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

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was actually about the souls of four octopuses: Athena, Octavia, Kali and Karma. All were intelligent and friendly with humans. Each had a distinctive personality. Unfortunately for the aquarium employees and volunteers who care for and love them, these creatures have surprisingly brief life spans of about four years. My feelings about octopuses changed from "ick" to "awesome" while reading this book. I admired the determination of the middle-aged author to persist in her efforts to master underwater diving so she could meet wild octopuses face to face--this, despite the pain in her ears that would force her to resurface reluctantly more than once. She also introduced her readers to some truly outstanding volunteers at the New England Aquarium. Despite the presence of several colored photos and tiny sketches on the bottom corners of the pages, I wished the book had also included a pen-and-ink textbook-type drawing of an octopus. The author would refer to such octopus body parts as its suckers, arms, beak, funnel and mantle. Mental pictures of some of these came readily to mind. Others, not so much.


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6 comments:

  1. What an interesting book! I will have to try to read it! I talk a. Little bit about octopi and squid in my ethology course. The book may give me some deeper insights!

    PipeTobacco

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  2. Drawings would have been most helpful, I agree. I've been watching a lot about ocean life on PBS and it is very interesting.

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  4. This sounds like my next must read! It is fun to learn about books I might never would have heard of otherwise and as I love anything related the natural world, I am excited about this!

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  6. The book WAS wonderful! I do miss your posts however.

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