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Reviews tagging 'Suicide'
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
27 reviews
maddyreads89's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
When I started this book, I found all the info quite interesting and really thought this could be a 4-5 star read. However, as the book went on, I became more and more uncomfortable with the lack of discussion of any ethical implications of keeping these animals in captivity. I know that wasn’t supposed to be the main focus of the book, but if you’re gonna explore the consciousness of octopuses, a discussion of how they perceive their captive environment seems necessary. Sy Montgomery is clearly a good writer and storyteller, but unfortunately her wish to turn her experiences into a satisfying learning-adventure narrative came at the cost of giving ethical questions the weight they deserve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Suicide
frankensteinsmonster's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
One of the most insightful, beautiful books I've ever read. it inspires such love and connection for the world around us, exploring questions of what it means to be alive, to be conscious, and to have a soul. Brilliant and incredible, i would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in animals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide
eladnarra's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Chronic illness
mexigingerale's review
emotional
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Enjoyable enough, with a great start but then turns more into a memoir about her and her coworkers than an actual science books so that was disappointing. Certain parts made me feel Very uneasy about the way they were treating the octopuses, bordering on if not outright being animal cruelty, which the author just glossed over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Grief and Suicide
Minor: Suicide attempt
kayesomething's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Chronic illness, Self harm, Suicide, and Medical content
Minor: Grief
isabelmabel49's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
If you love octopuses, this book will engross you with all the funny, cute, sad, fascinating, surprising stories about these amazing cephalopods. If you're into neuroscience, the similarities between humans and other animals, or just ocean life in general, this book will also likely interest you as it delves into the complexity of octopus physiology/psychology, how humans interact with the natural world, and how much we still have left to learn about the world around us.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Self harm, and Medical content
Minor: Grief
cammiem8's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I couldn’t put this one down! I learned so much about octopuses and the author does a fantastic job of framing the information around her stories of encounters with octopuses in the wild and at the aquarium. This is a great introduction to the subject, a very quick and easy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Vomit
One section does include a character discussing the suicide of a friend, in which the manner of death is described briefly, and her own struggles with suicidal thoughts. The animal deaths in the book are sad but all are of natural causes and are not gruesome, the octopuses die of old age except for one
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