Soul of an Octopus

A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

By: Sy Montgomery

Narrated by: Sy Montgomery

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. 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.

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. 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. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. 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.

©2015 Recorded by arrangement with Atria, a Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Insightful.

This story is beautiful and well written, with interesting insight into the personalities of octopuses. Throughout the narration, I find myself longing to switch places with the author, so that I may experience the things written if first hand.

Mispronunciations!

Not a good performance. The word "aquarist" is consistently mispronounced "aquary-ist."

The book itself is fair -- as natural histories go, it's not very compelling, especially given how fascinating the topic.

Beautiful, inspirational and emotional listen

I’ve learned a great deal about octopuses. How smart they are, how engaging they can be, and how much we can learn from them. This book is not only full of stories and educational content but also it’s a wonderful listen. The author does not just read the book, like so many others do, she tells the story in a very loving and engaging manner. Sy Montgomery’s calm voice, passion and love for octopuses shines through each chapter. She made me feel like her friend with whom she shares her personal experience. The book inspired me to do further research about these amazing creatures, watch videos available online and visit my local aquarium. It even crossed my mind to become a volunteer at the aquarium.
Great job Ms. Montgomery, you’ve just made me a fan of the Giant Pacific octopuses. Thank you!

A must read for any person who loves animals

Being a scuba diver for many years, I laughed and laughed at Sy’s experiences as a new diver.

A wonderful book on all fronts, and I have long believed that animals have consciousness.

Changes how you look at the world

A beautifully written book that changes how you look at the living beings that share it with you and makes you wonder how we could ever understand them, all while giving you myriad of facts scout octopus and other sea creatures.