'Montgomery's journey of discovery encourages the reader to reflect on his or her own definition of consciousness and 'soul.' In the end, the book leaves one with the impression that our way of interacting with the world is not the only way or the most superior way and that sentience similarly comes in a variety of equally astounding forms, all worthy of recognition and compassion.'- 'Shelf Awareness, Best Book of 2015 List'

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. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know 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. 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. 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.

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. About the Book 'An investigation of the emotional and physical world of the octopus'-īook Synopsis Finalist for the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction New York Times Bestseller 'Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk did for raptors.' - New Statesman, UK Starred Booklist and Library Journal Editors' Spring Pick 'One of the best science books of the year' - Science Friday, NPR A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year One of the Best Books of the Month on Goodreads Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of 2015 An American Library Association Notable Book of the Year 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-a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature-and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.

The soul of an octopus