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A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
by Sy Montgomery
Another 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.
What’s the best nonfiction book you read in 2025?
Two stands outs for me - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
-Mari_A
What are your favorite books about animals, both fiction and nonfiction?
The Soul of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery was delightful. (She has a new book out about the octopus but the first one is a fav). Additionally, Nat Geo has a fascinating 3 part documentary "Secrets of the Octopus" you might enjoy.
-Gabi_J
Name three nonfiction books you absolutely loved and would recommend
Me again with a few more favs for non-fiction sub-categories I didn't see a lot of mentions for: Non-fiction (Animal/Environment): Soul of an Octopus (Sy Montgomery) Birding to Change the World (Trish O'Kane) Running with Sherman (Christopher McDougall) Non-fiction (Sports - even if you aren't sp...
-Gabi_J
Good nonfiction books for book clubs?
I love non-fiction. In addition to Grann and Larson, here are a few other books/authors that I think would be great for bookclub discussions: The Swans of Harlem (Karen Valby) Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA (Liza Mundy) The Six - The Untold Story of America's First Women Astro...
-Gabi_J
"Naturalist Montgomery writes exceptionally affecting and enlightening books inspired by both rigorous scientific curiosity and enraptured wonder and empathy for all living beings...In prose as gripping and entwining as her subjects' many arms, Montgomery chronicles the octopus' phenomenal strength, dexterity, speed... She also tells funny and moving stories about her friendships... Montgomery's uniquely intimate portrait of the elusive octopus profoundly recalibrates our perception of consciousness, communication, and community." ―Booklist (starred review)
"With apparent delight, Montgomery puts readers inside the world of these amazing creatures. A fascinating glimpse into an alien consciousness." —Kirkus Reviews
"Sy Montgomery's joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures will have you rethinking that order of calamari." ―Library Journal
"Enter the mysterious intelligent alien world of the octopus. Experience a real intelligence based on a sense of touch that humans can barely imagine." ―Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
This information about The Soul of an Octopus was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, adventurer, and author of more than thirty acclaimed books of nonfiction for adults and children, including The Hummingbirds' Gift, The Hawk's Way, the National Book Award finalist The Soul of an Octopus, and most recently, Of Time and Turtles, which was a New York Times bestseller. The recipient of numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, and a border collie.
If you liked The Soul of an Octopus, try these:
by Claire Fuller
Published 2024
From the award-winning author of Our Endless Numbered Days, Swimming Lessons, Bitter Orange, and Unsettled Ground comes a beautiful and searing novel of memory, love, survival—and octopuses.
by Sabrina Imbler
Published 2024
A queer, mixed race writer working in a largely white, male field, science and conservation journalist Sabrina Imbler has always been drawn to the mystery of life in the sea, and particularly to creatures living in hostile or remote environments.
by Ray Nayler
Published 2023
Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future.
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