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Sundial

Book Review: Secrets of the Octopus

By: Sundial


Over the past year or two, I have read three books by the author Sy Montgomery and loved them all, so I am glad to bring another book of hers to the blog to review: “Secrets of the Octopus”. This is not the first book that I have read by her about octopuses, but this is my favorite. This book starts with an introduction and then to the different fascinating parts of octopuses including their ability to camouflage, problem-solve, and finally, their social systems. This book challenged myths and brought up scientific studies and personal anecdotes to help show the power of these wonderful creatures. 

In her last book about Octopuses, Sy Montgomery writes about her experiences volunteering at an aquarium and getting to know the octopus residents. This book breaks away from that in a few ways. While it does still draw from her personal experience in some parts of the book, it draws a lot from others' experiences and scientific research to give the audience a greater understanding of the octopus and what it can do in the wild. It references a plethora of octopus species and above all what I most liked about this book was the pictures. Having been published by National Geographic, there was a picture of an octopus on at least every other page, and they were beautiful. They truly brought the wonders of the octopus to your fingertips! 

I loved this book for the information which was very fun and interesting to learn but also its pictures and generally being a short and easier book to read. It was relaxing just to settle down and read about the fascinating octopuses of the world and just how much humans can relate to these vastly different organisms. After reading both of her books about octopuses, I am extremely proud to have been able to see octopuses on my trip to Grand Cayman as a young scuba diver. Octopuses continue to fascinate me and other divers, entranced by their ability to disappear and reappear at will with the power of their camouflage abilities. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to other people. Not only will this book teach you so much about octopuses, but it is not common for a nonfiction book to have so many beautiful pictures. Because of that, even for the most fiction-loving person, this book would keep you interested, even if it was just to read enough to get to the next picture of these magnificent creatures. Additionally, I would highly recommend this to other divers. It has given me a lot of respect for octopuses and a better understanding of the creatures I have met, and love.




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