Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea
- Downloads：2899
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-23 03:19:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edith Widder
- ISBN：B08NCVDCYM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Peter Tillman
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NY Times review: https://www。nytimes。com/2021/08/20/bo。。。Maybe？ TMI about her personal & health problems ？？ Read more reviews first。 NY Times review: https://www。nytimes。com/2021/08/20/bo。。。Maybe？ TMI about her personal & health problems ？？ Read more reviews first。 。。。more
Onceinabluemoon
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4。5 only dinged because I wasn't by the ocean while listening to the audio。。。 I have lived by the sea and adore ocean books while walking on the sand， instead I listened in a hot， smoke filled garden from the rampaging fires and it cut my enjoyment level。 If at my beach house would have been a solid 5！ 4。5 only dinged because I wasn't by the ocean while listening to the audio。。。 I have lived by the sea and adore ocean books while walking on the sand， instead I listened in a hot， smoke filled garden from the rampaging fires and it cut my enjoyment level。 If at my beach house would have been a solid 5！ 。。。more
Katie Bruell
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This was very interesting （giant squid！ bioluminescent poop！）， full of good stories and not too much science （my eyes might have glazed over once or twice）。 A great read。
Shawn
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A wonderful look into the life of a marine biologist。 Dr。 Widder writes about her inspirations， her work， her tribulations， and her successes in a way that is not only readable， but enjoyable。 It is such a good read that my daughter， who has mentioned a desire to be a marine biologist， will be treated to reading it when she is ready。 Thank you Dr。 Widder for such a good book。 Were I still teaching， it would certainly find its way into the curriculum。 Also， thank you to the publisher and Netgalle A wonderful look into the life of a marine biologist。 Dr。 Widder writes about her inspirations， her work， her tribulations， and her successes in a way that is not only readable， but enjoyable。 It is such a good read that my daughter， who has mentioned a desire to be a marine biologist， will be treated to reading it when she is ready。 Thank you Dr。 Widder for such a good book。 Were I still teaching， it would certainly find its way into the curriculum。 Also， thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Chuck Sanborn
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Science for EverybodyThe author gives good examples and explanations from everyday life that frequently had me saying ， "Oh， that works for me。" This could be a required reading for future biologists because it gives scientific answers while being much more readable than most texts books。 Science for EverybodyThe author gives good examples and explanations from everyday life that frequently had me saying ， "Oh， that works for me。" This could be a required reading for future biologists because it gives scientific answers while being much more readable than most texts books。 。。。more
Mary Foxe
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DNF。 It's me， not the book。 DNF。 It's me， not the book。 。。。more
Sneed III
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Edith Widder's new book not only adds a much-needed， ahem， depth to our understanding of the oceans， it provides an entertaining， personal， and insightful narrative of a scientist's journey。 In a time when science is so maligned and discounted， Widder reminds us that science is basically just pursuing our curiosity and fascination with this incredible world we are lucky enough to live in。 In between recounting her almost unlimited encounters and adventures with everything from comb jellies to gi Edith Widder's new book not only adds a much-needed， ahem， depth to our understanding of the oceans， it provides an entertaining， personal， and insightful narrative of a scientist's journey。 In a time when science is so maligned and discounted， Widder reminds us that science is basically just pursuing our curiosity and fascination with this incredible world we are lucky enough to live in。 In between recounting her almost unlimited encounters and adventures with everything from comb jellies to giant squid， she shares remarkable information about the nature of our undersea world， a world that we have still only begun to explore but is in imminent danger from human activities。 。。。more
Ruth
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INCREDIBLE！ Edith Widder is amazing。 She is a deep-sea explorer， submersible pilot， conservationist， and one heck of a story teller！ If you don't know Dr。 Widder， then now is the time。 In her new book， The Edge of Darkness you will follow her extraordinary and exciting career。 The book is filled with true stories about her deep-sea exploration and amazing discoveries。 It is an exciting read and includes so many beautiful photos。 If you love the the ocean， watching nature documentaries， or want t INCREDIBLE！ Edith Widder is amazing。 She is a deep-sea explorer， submersible pilot， conservationist， and one heck of a story teller！ If you don't know Dr。 Widder， then now is the time。 In her new book， The Edge of Darkness you will follow her extraordinary and exciting career。 The book is filled with true stories about her deep-sea exploration and amazing discoveries。 It is an exciting read and includes so many beautiful photos。 If you love the the ocean， watching nature documentaries， or want to emulate someone with dogged determination， then this is the book for you！ 。。。more
Meaghan Babin
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I was so excited to read this book when I saw it on NetGalley！ Below the Edge of Darkness is a really amazing memoir into bioluminescence and finding light and life in the ocean。 This book is really mesmerizing and thrilling with just enough scientific to really keep you interested。
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an advanced copy of this science memoir。 One of the great thrills is reading a book about smart people doing smart things and making a difference in the world either scientifically or physically and having a fun time while doing it。 A new publisher trend I am enjoying is the popular science/memoirs that seem to be appearing。 Especially the books where you can tell the writer is having as much fun writing as My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an advanced copy of this science memoir。 One of the great thrills is reading a book about smart people doing smart things and making a difference in the world either scientifically or physically and having a fun time while doing it。 A new publisher trend I am enjoying is the popular science/memoirs that seem to be appearing。 Especially the books where you can tell the writer is having as much fun writing as they did researching and doing the science， and love to explain to laypeople what and how they do。 Edith Widder in Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea does that and more。 Dr。 Widder starts the book on a tension filled moment， goes into some science， then into ther childhood， and more science。 I enjoyed this as it made the science less daunting， too many facts sometimes get in the way of a good narrative。 In addition the scenes of her growing up and learning about the world， her sharing of her medical problems in college， plus the chauvinism she had to deal with later and her sheer persistence at becoming the person she became is interesting in itself。 And inspiring。 You learn a lot about the creatures under the seas， and the fact that they might not have much time left， if we continue to treat the world the way we do。 However Dr。 Widder has some hope and that comes across too。For fans of Lab Girl， or for fans of a different kind of memoir， more science based than look at what I've done。 Without a doubt a great read for those that love the sea and all the creatures that glow and shine underneath it。 Oh and read the footnotes， there is a lot of interesting material in them。 t 。。。more
Elizabeth
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As seen in the New Yorker: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 As seen in the New Yorker: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 。。。more
Ula Tardigrade
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What is a recipe for a great popular science book？ A lot of adventures， thrill of discovery and hair raising experiences seasoned with a healthy dose of mind-blowing scientific facts and mixed with a moving memoir。 All this and more you can find in this brilliant volume。I have to admit that I chose it because of my interest in science rather than familiarity with the author， so I was pleasantly surprised not only by her accomplishments but also beautiful， witty， tongue-in-cheek style （remember t What is a recipe for a great popular science book？ A lot of adventures， thrill of discovery and hair raising experiences seasoned with a healthy dose of mind-blowing scientific facts and mixed with a moving memoir。 All this and more you can find in this brilliant volume。I have to admit that I chose it because of my interest in science rather than familiarity with the author， so I was pleasantly surprised not only by her accomplishments but also beautiful， witty， tongue-in-cheek style （remember to read the footnotes， it’s pure gold！）。 Edith Widder spent her life in the lab and on the ocean， fully dedicated to marine biology， never losing her curiosity and spirit， despite leaking submarines （with Hitchcockian touch， she starts the book with such a scene）， lack of funding nor fights with TV producers。 In some ways this book reminded me of my favorite ‘Lab Girl’ by Hope Jahren， as both are inspiring stories of female scientists， though here the balance between describing the research and memoir is reversed。 And that’s a good thing because bioluminescence and deep sea ecology are little known but fascinating topics， especially with such an exceptional guide as Edith Widder。Many thanks to the publisher， Random House， and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Rachel
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Incredible。 If I wasn't a full time mom to littles I might have been convinced to become a Marine Biologist。 Widder explains the beautiful light under the ocean in such a beautiful and mysterious way。 I was so entranced。 I loved learning about her accident and how that influenced her discovery of the importance of light and vision。 Definitely recommend this book。 Fair warning， it's difficult to read when you are tired or with distractions around。 I had to reread paragraphs several times。 This wa Incredible。 If I wasn't a full time mom to littles I might have been convinced to become a Marine Biologist。 Widder explains the beautiful light under the ocean in such a beautiful and mysterious way。 I was so entranced。 I loved learning about her accident and how that influenced her discovery of the importance of light and vision。 Definitely recommend this book。 Fair warning， it's difficult to read when you are tired or with distractions around。 I had to reread paragraphs several times。 This was a higher level read than I am used to reading。 It definitely stretched me and gave me more knowledge。 I received a free ebook copy from Netgally in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Angela McCollister
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Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:This was a phenomenal memoir of a scientist who has spent her professional life searching for bioluminescent light in our vastly under-explored oceans。 She suffered a serious illness that almost killed her and could have wrecked her plans but she persevered and has led an inspiring life。 I love marine biology so it was amazing to learn more about this subject and to have an inside peek into what this research is really like was such a bonus。 I received Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:This was a phenomenal memoir of a scientist who has spent her professional life searching for bioluminescent light in our vastly under-explored oceans。 She suffered a serious illness that almost killed her and could have wrecked her plans but she persevered and has led an inspiring life。 I love marine biology so it was amazing to learn more about this subject and to have an inside peek into what this research is really like was such a bonus。 I received a vicarious thrill when she was wrote about her work on the expedition in 2013 to find and film giant squid because I remember that documentary like it was yesterday。 I remember being so excited that it was the woman scientist who was the first to be successful with her equipment compared to the other scientists on board。 With an easy， conversational writing style and plenty of wit， this book is a must-read for anyone with even the slightest interest in marine biology。 。。。more
Sarah Stevens
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I wanted to like this book。 I have never read a book about the deep sea and I was FASCINATED with some of the information Dr。 Widder discussed。 Regardless of this book， Dr。 Widder is a badass。 She succeeds in a male-dominated industry and is one of the best in her field。 I liked learning about her throughout the book。 However， the overall writing felt very scattered。 We’d be talking about an interesting deep sea creature， then all of a sudden jump to Dr。 Widders childhood， then back to a sea cre I wanted to like this book。 I have never read a book about the deep sea and I was FASCINATED with some of the information Dr。 Widder discussed。 Regardless of this book， Dr。 Widder is a badass。 She succeeds in a male-dominated industry and is one of the best in her field。 I liked learning about her throughout the book。 However， the overall writing felt very scattered。 We’d be talking about an interesting deep sea creature， then all of a sudden jump to Dr。 Widders childhood， then back to a sea creature。 The combination of memoir and science can work well， but it was just not quite the best fit here。 I would have preferred less jumping back and forth between her life and the creatures every paragraph or so。 Again， that is my preference， so perhaps it is not yours！ Regardless， this book was full of unique information and told the story of someone I admire。 Thank you Net Galley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Text Publishing
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The following reviews have been shared by Text Publishing - publisher of Below the Edge of Darkness‘Edith Widder’s subject is light itself—the manufacture of light by strange and eerie denizens of the deep sea—and her scintillating style is worthy of it…A book of marvels， marvellously written。’Richard Dawkins‘Edie’s story is one of hardscrabble optimism， two-fisted exploration and groundbreaking research。 As I’ve said many times， I’d have wrapped my submersible， the Deepsea Challenger， in bacon The following reviews have been shared by Text Publishing - publisher of Below the Edge of Darkness‘Edith Widder’s subject is light itself—the manufacture of light by strange and eerie denizens of the deep sea—and her scintillating style is worthy of it…A book of marvels， marvellously written。’Richard Dawkins‘Edie’s story is one of hardscrabble optimism， two-fisted exploration and groundbreaking research。 As I’ve said many times， I’d have wrapped my submersible， the Deepsea Challenger， in bacon if it would have lured the elusive giant squid from the depths。 In Below the Edge of Darkness， Edie tells you how she did it。’ James Cameron‘My experience of exploring the deep ocean and its alien life with Edie Widder was fabulous。 She enthralls us with many such stories in her book。 I recommend it。’ Ray Dalio‘Personal and page-turning， adventurous and awe-inspiring， Below the Edge of Darkness sparkles with the thrill of exploration and glows with an urgent plea for the future of our precious seas。 Comparisons to Jacques Cousteau spring to mind， as Edith Widder shares the profound journey of her life—one as unique and important as the unexplored realms of our very own planet。’ Juli Berwald， author of Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone‘Luminous—the topic， the heroic journey， and the author herself。 Dive in with Edith Widder， trail-blazing scientist and explorer， as she reveals the galaxy of light and life in the universe below the surface of the sea， out-shining sceptical male colleagues with dignity， grace and a robust sense of humour。’ Sylvia Earle， oceanographer， founder of Mission Blue and National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence'Widder illuminates life in the dark depths of the ocean in her fascinating debut…Informs and electrifies in equal measure。'Publishers Weekly'Captivating…Widder's enthusiastic， joyful memoir amply describes the “wonder and exhilaration of discovery”。 Inspiring for science-loving readers and environmentalists young and old。'Kirkus'A superbly captivating writer， Widder fluently elucidates complex scientific inquiries and findings…She also renders the ludicrous， the terrifying， and the enthralling with equal vim and vigor…Widder dazzles readers with dramatic tales of expeditions…passionately and expertly arguing that it is urgently important for us to understand the oceans， which are severely imperiled and essential to our survival。'Booklist （starred review）‘Widder’s passion is so contagious…Her enthusiasm is matched by her sense of humor…Readers of Below the Edge of Darkness will become staunch champions of the spectacular bioluminescent world that thrives in the ocean’s depths。’ BookPage‘This book illustrates the careful， curious， years-long quest of a scientist in love with her work。 Widder peppers her text with witty asides as footnotes that invite readers into her passion。 Highly recommended。’ Library Journal‘Stylish， eloquent…A unique view of the denizens of the deep。’ Guardian‘Enthralling。。。The science throughout the book is fascinating as Widder repeatedly revolutionizes her field， but there is much more than science here。 Widder is also an explorer， an inventor and a captivating storyteller whose life has been uncommonly adventurous， both on land and at sea。’ StarTribune‘A thrilling adventure story as well as a scientific revelation， Below the Edge of Darkness reckons with the complicated and sometimes dangerous realities of exploration。 Widder shows us how when we push our boundaries and expand our worlds， discovery and wonder follow。’ Book Riot‘This autobiography is an adventure story as well as a scientific one， as Widder navigates tense equipment malfunctions while exploring questions about our largest ecosystem， one that is increasingly threatened。’ Gazette 。。。more
Literary Redhead
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