Book Review: 'The Soul of an Octopus' by Sy Montgomery

✰✰✰✰ Award-winning author Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, who has written several books for children and adults. In this book, she delves into the mysterious world of the octopus. The octopus is an invertebrate with mind boggling skills like camouflage. They grow up alone and teach themselves how to survive. Montgomery had the amazing opportunity to get to know several octopuses up close and in person at the New England Aquarium. [Visit the website here.] 

Each octopus she encounters has a very different personality. How can this be? Aren’t they all the same? Do they have a soul? Montgomery thrills at receiving her first octopus hug and experiences despair when one escapes and dies. Over the course of her research, Montgomery is able to watch the life cycle of the octopus, and shares all the wonders with us. Filled with curiosity, Montgomery even takes up scuba diving. This book is filled with both engaging and heartfelt experiences that the author shares with the reader. And on a final note, using the bottom corner of the book as a flip-book is really cool. Try it, and you’ll see. 

The Bottom Line: The author becomes enamored with (of all things) octopuses as she does research on whether these intelligent creatures have a soul or not. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the author’s enthusiasm for all things octopus. She even learns to scuba dive in order to see these creatures in their natural habitat. At its heart, this is a book about obsession. This was an enjoyable read for a non-swimmer, and I learned a few things. Recommended with enthusiasm for individuals interested in animal intelligence, science, and oceans. Also, recommended for book clubs looking to discuss something different. 

Book Club Notes: I’ve wanted to pick a book in the 500s for a very long time. However, it had to be just the right book. Sy Montgomery’s writing style is approachable and interesting, and a book about an ocean creature seemed to be the ticket for this year. Still, I wasn’t sure how it was going to be received. Overall, we enjoyed this book. On a scale from 1 - 5, ratings ranged from 3 - 4.5; that’s an average of 3.847. We found the book to be scientific, but interesting. The author captured more feelings between humans and animals. Some of our members liked the second half of the book better because of the scuba diving references. In sum, this is a quick, easy read; we appreciated the pictures in color and the Fisherman’s Prayer. The author does include herself a whole lot in the book, so it’s a bit autobiographical. And on a final note, many of us will think twice before eating these intelligent creatures. 

To supplement the discussion, some of our members watched the following: Masterminds: Secrets of the Octopus and an author talk.

And here is a list of links to discussion questions for book clubs interested in tackling this scientific book: Author webpage, LitLovers, Dare County Library Book Club, Las Vegas Nonfiction Book Club, The Reading Bug, and BooKey. 

Details: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. Paperback published by ATRIA paperback in 2015. 272 p. ISBN: 978-1-4516-9772-8