The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
By Sy Montgomery
272 pages – ages 14+
Published by Atria Books on May 12, 2015
Synopsis- What makes you think? What makes you have your own thought process, that is different from all other animals? Wait. What if animals do think? How could we tell? Sy Montgomery was determined to find the answer – and to look in the most unlikely place: an octopus. Could these creatures really have an independent, unique thought process?
What I Thought- This was an interesting book. I was given it as a gift and at first I wasn’t really jazzed about reading a nonfiction book about octopuses – but I gave it a try. As I was reading, I felt that the book was enlightening. I was seeing things in a different perspective. The book is a chronicle of Ms. Montgomery’s experiences with octopuses, and how they are different from us, yet similar in so many ways. I found that I enjoyed it thoroughly. Montgomery’s writing style has an enjoyable flow to it. She mixes science with narration and spins it into a story-like product that kept me entranced. The text itself brings up a lot of questions that are thought-provoking, and makes you appreciate the odd lifeforms that are octopuses.
I give this book five out of five bookworms!
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Categories: Age 12+
“Odd Lifeforms?” Sounds interesting.
They are! No bones, 3/5s of their neurons are in their appendages; seems pretty odd to me! 😉
Octopuses are my all time favorite invertebrates. They are cute, smart, clever, and, in a few cases accurate predictors of the World Cup. (Go ahead and YouTube it; I’ll wait.)
What’s not to love about these guys?
They are pretty awesome! 😀
Sounds spectacular, Erik. Thanks!
It’s a great book! 🙂
I’m interested in the various levels of consciousness in animals especially in elephants, apes and dolphins. But never thought about it in octopuses. Sounds like an interesting read.
I didn’t think about them either until now!