The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness

Author: Sy Montgomery | Paperback

Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this "fascinating...touching...informative...entertaining" ( 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.

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**Kristen's Staff Pick**

A book written with surprising warmth and genuine adoration for the ocean's most fascinating creature. Naturalist Sy Montgomery explores the neurocomplexity of octopuses and the remarkable relationship they form with humans, both in captivity and in the wild. Lovingly researched and artfully shared: The Soul of an Octopus is a celebration of these amazing cephalopods.