How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-02 06:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sabrina Imbler
- ISBN：0316540536
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Summary
A queer， mixed race writer working in a largely white， male field， science and conservation journalist Sabrina Imbler has always been drawn to the mystery of life in the sea， and particularly to creatures living in hostile or remote environments。 Each essay in their debut collection profiles one such creature: the mother octopus who starves herself while watching over her eggs， the Chinese sturgeon whose migration route has been decimated by pollution and dams， the bizarre Bobbitt worm （named after Lorena）， and other uncanny creatures lurking in the deep ocean， far below where the light reaches。 Imbler discovers that some of the most radical models of family， community， and care can be found in the sea， from gelatinous chains that are both individual organisms and colonies of clones to deep-sea crabs that have no need for the sun， nourished instead by the chemicals and heat throbbing from the core of the Earth。 Exploring themes of adaptation， survival， sexuality， and care， and weaving the wonders of marine biology with stories of their own family， relationships， and coming of age， How Far the Light Reaches is a book that invites us to envision wilder， grander， and more abundant possibilities for the way we live。
Reviews
Clara Ward
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“…Communities in need will always find one another and invent new ways to glitter， together， in the dark。” Whether reflecting on hydrothermal vents or dance parties for queer people of color， Imbler’s empathic observations find beauty in the parallels between sea lives and our own。 Some difficult subjects （both ecological and social） are discussed and will resonate differently with readers depending on their gender， sexuality， race， and possibly neurodiversity。 While there are reluctant readers “…Communities in need will always find one another and invent new ways to glitter， together， in the dark。” Whether reflecting on hydrothermal vents or dance parties for queer people of color， Imbler’s empathic observations find beauty in the parallels between sea lives and our own。 Some difficult subjects （both ecological and social） are discussed and will resonate differently with readers depending on their gender， sexuality， race， and possibly neurodiversity。 While there are reluctant readers I will try to tempt with just one chapter （“Pure Life” and “Morphing Like a Jellyfish” are amazing on their own）， there’s more to appreciate if each chapter is viewed within the creative ecosystem that is this memoire。 。。。more
Luke Gorham
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Really formally impressive。 Plus I'm a nerd for weird animals。 Really formally impressive。 Plus I'm a nerd for weird animals。 。。。more
Jamie Canaves
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Just ruined myself for all other books this year。 But seriously， this is where pockets of publishing is now and it’s an amazing， beautiful， creative， and smart place to be。
Kris Springer
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Beautiful collection of essays that juxtapose the author’s search for their identity and self-love with the stories of underwater animals that find inventive ways to thrive and survive in the face of physical threats and hatred and ignorance。 Inventive and incredibly brave writing。
Karen
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Loved this very quick read that's between a biography and a nonfiction story about sea creatures。 Creative， thought-provoking and heart wrenching all at once。 Really beautiful。 Loved this very quick read that's between a biography and a nonfiction story about sea creatures。 Creative， thought-provoking and heart wrenching all at once。 Really beautiful。 。。。more
Kelly Risinger
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Very different but fast read。 Love the Biology！
Wei Han
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Transcendent -- pushes the boundaries of memoir and science writing。 Imbler so smartly shows us how nature can serve as a metaphor for our own doubts and wishes。
Karly
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If there was a type of book that has affected me as close to spiritually as I can imagine it would be this type of book。 Where the author looks into nature， into how the natural world works and says "this is like me， like my body， like us， like my family。" Soul of the Octopus and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek are books that have left such a mark on my mind and changed how I relate to the world， and left me feeling joyful and connected to the earth。 But those books are written by white women， and this If there was a type of book that has affected me as close to spiritually as I can imagine it would be this type of book。 Where the author looks into nature， into how the natural world works and says "this is like me， like my body， like us， like my family。" Soul of the Octopus and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek are books that have left such a mark on my mind and changed how I relate to the world， and left me feeling joyful and connected to the earth。 But those books are written by white women， and this book is written by a queer non-binary person of color。 So it was a perspective we needed。 In some of the descriptions of the sea creatures， the metaphors are clear （even Imbler calls one metaphor "cheap" for being so obvious） in others it's like a discovery slowly unfurling。 Favorite stories to note: Pure Life， We Swarm， and Morphing Like a CuttlefishBasically any story where Imbler compared a community of sea creatures to the queer community or the story of a morphing cephalopod to exploring gender identity and expression。 Things that felt so relevant and real and important to me， personally。 I also learned a lot！ For someone so afraid of the ocean， I know a lot about it。 I thought I would know most of the creatures。 But I was fascinated by the salps and immortal jellyfish。 5 stars。 。。。more
Avril Lyons
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This is really a 3。5 for me and I am undecided on which way to round。 I thought that the author wrote this beautifully。 The writing really brought the sea creatures described to life as I listened。 Where I struggled was the way the story went back and forth between their life and the sea creatures。 Although I understand why they structured the book this way， I often wanted to hear more about their life or more about the animal described and the bouncing back and forth felt disengaging at times。T This is really a 3。5 for me and I am undecided on which way to round。 I thought that the author wrote this beautifully。 The writing really brought the sea creatures described to life as I listened。 Where I struggled was the way the story went back and forth between their life and the sea creatures。 Although I understand why they structured the book this way， I often wanted to hear more about their life or more about the animal described and the bouncing back and forth felt disengaging at times。The last two chapters were absolutely the best part of the book。 The author dug more deeply into their life and also the cuttlefish and the immortal jellyfish were insanely interesting。 Overall， worth the read both for memoir lovers and for science and animal lovers。 。。。more
Kelsey Weekman
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“A dumped goldfish has no model for what a different and better life might look like， but it finds it anyway。 I want to know what it feels like to be unthinkable too， to invent a future that no one expected of you。”Overflowing with brilliance and heart。 I am absolutely floored。 I was so touched by Sabrina's gorgeous writing about themself and their family， met with genuinely informative and fascinating info about sea creatures？！ it satisfies the very human curiosity and longing for connection wi “A dumped goldfish has no model for what a different and better life might look like， but it finds it anyway。 I want to know what it feels like to be unthinkable too， to invent a future that no one expected of you。”Overflowing with brilliance and heart。 I am absolutely floored。 I was so touched by Sabrina's gorgeous writing about themself and their family， met with genuinely informative and fascinating info about sea creatures？！ it satisfies the very human curiosity and longing for connection within all of us。 I am recommending this to everyone。 Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the free review eARC。Post: https://www。instagram。com/p/Cmo1argLiYp/ 。。。more
Miguel
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One is promised some degree of science journalism in the synopsis here and on the library landing page， yet it’s an overwrought semi-autobiographical bore that delivers virtually zero in the area of actual science interest。 I was really dumbfounded to see this on some of the top ’22 non-fiction lists。 If you want to find out more about the oceans you could do fathoms better with Helen Scales’ “The Brilliant Abyss”。 Thankfully quite short。
Nicholas Conlon
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Some intersting stories about the sea creatures that， at times， really wowed with how unusual and otherworldly they areBut I just couldn’t get past the format of jumping each set of paragraphs between the info on the sea creatures and the author’s own personal stories， often which has little real link to the wildlife， and more than anything just kept losing flow
Jeremy Anderberg
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This new memoir-in-parts by Sabrina Imbler is a beautiful collection of linked essays connecting ten sea creatures （you probably haven’t heard of most of ‘em） to formative experiences in their life。The writing is as effervescent as those creatures they profile。 Imbler is immensely creative and writes with poetic sensibilities that aren’t often found mixed with science。
Bronwyn
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This book is well written and evocative。 The audio narration is excellent。 The science is described in clear and poignant detail。 Their descriptions of growing up queer and biracial are woven into the science in skillful ways at first。 But， the text needs some content warnings， particularly for sexual assault and alcohol abuse described on page。 I wanted more of the biology of the animals。 And the last essay， in particular， was disjointed。
Reb
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“How shall you regrow， and in how many ways”favorite essays: we swarm， my mother & starving octopus， how to draw a sperm whale， hybrid， us everlasting
Ray Faure
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An amazing meld of personal examination and aquatic science。 These essays manage to move and wonder at the same time。
B。 Rule
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Well， this was just lovely。 Imbler deftly combines natural history with personal history， and the result is more than the sum of the parts。 Through chapters tracing the strange， wondrous， and transformative lifeforms of ten different animals， Imbler tells the story of their own comings-out。 Imbler describes the conflicting pulls of their mixed-race background and their queer and gender identities in ways that are supple yet as sharp as an octopus' beak。 I loved the essays about their time on Rii Well， this was just lovely。 Imbler deftly combines natural history with personal history， and the result is more than the sum of the parts。 Through chapters tracing the strange， wondrous， and transformative lifeforms of ten different animals， Imbler tells the story of their own comings-out。 Imbler describes the conflicting pulls of their mixed-race background and their queer and gender identities in ways that are supple yet as sharp as an octopus' beak。 I loved the essays about their time on Riis Beach in New York， a haven for queer bodies， or the experience of finding a bar or club that feels like home。 I read a lot of science and natural history books， and this spin breathes new life into the genre。 However， for aficionados of that genre， I will note that the details on the animals are fascinating but not deep。 Imbler doesn't really geek out on the minutiae of their subjects， but uses facts about each species as a prompt for their own personal musings。 I didn't really mind， especially once I was caught up in the flow， but it's probably my only minor quibble with this otherwise triumphal project。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
krispy
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i’m someone who really likes aquatic animals， particularly ones with funny shapes， dazzling colors， and astonishing abilities。 i love how these attributes that are so remarkable to me are just a part of their lives — maybe things they can’t or don’t really care to notice as anything beyond what they are， but things that inspire wonder in a mere human like me。 imbler’s essays， profiles of different sea creatures interwoven with stories from their own life， underscore this feeling。 rather than try i’m someone who really likes aquatic animals， particularly ones with funny shapes， dazzling colors， and astonishing abilities。 i love how these attributes that are so remarkable to me are just a part of their lives — maybe things they can’t or don’t really care to notice as anything beyond what they are， but things that inspire wonder in a mere human like me。 imbler’s essays， profiles of different sea creatures interwoven with stories from their own life， underscore this feeling。 rather than try to anthropomorphize the animals to make them easier for us to understand or draw exact parallels between our ways of life， imbler appreciates and highlights how different sea creatures live as their own entities。 but through imbler’s personal stories， which recall the lives of the creatures in big and small ways， we also get a glimpse into what we share with them， what we can learn from them， and what potential our own existence holds。 as animals， we all have strengths and limitations， and i like how this book not only celebrates sea creatures but also explores how imbler has reframed and reinvigorated aspects of their life and identity by celebrating those creatures。 。。。more
Justin Martin
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A vulnerable and fun and ever-curious braided biography of several amazing sea-creatures and a biracial queer science writer。 The marketing copy compared this to Ed Yong which gives any book a tall tall order， but what this book sometimes lacks in his awe and scientific clarity it makes up for in joy and self-discovery and all the contours of a shared and nuanced secret。
Sara
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Wish author had concentrated on the ocean animal study in this book and made the personal memoir a separate project。
Jennifer Koskinen
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I’m more than a little obsessed。 It’s not often a book can inspire curiosity and compassion for sea creatures from gestating octopus to cuttlefish， while at the same time drawing parallels to share profound wisdom to our discourse around gender， race and sexuality。 I dearly treasure hybrid writing like this。 The intimate connections Imbler observes between the natural world and their incredibly personal experiences struck with surprising resonance， especially considering how different my own lif I’m more than a little obsessed。 It’s not often a book can inspire curiosity and compassion for sea creatures from gestating octopus to cuttlefish， while at the same time drawing parallels to share profound wisdom to our discourse around gender， race and sexuality。 I dearly treasure hybrid writing like this。 The intimate connections Imbler observes between the natural world and their incredibly personal experiences struck with surprising resonance， especially considering how different my own life experience is。 As I read， I stored away topics about which I now want to learn more， and I started actively wondering where the parallels were going at the start of each braided essay。 Imbler made these braids appear effortless， each enlightening in the way only the best writing can。 What a gift to a reader， to inspire their own active observational skills。 I’m so grateful Sabrina shared these essays with the world and definitely look forward to reading more of their work。 。。。more
britt_brooke
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Not like anything I’ve ever read！ Part science writing， part memoir。 Conservation journalist， Sabrina Imbler， relates their pivotal life experiences to that of ten sea creatures。 Each essay profiles a creature that thrives in especially challenging environments， not unlike human beings。 It’s about survival and adaptation。 Absolutely brilliant concept and flawless execution。
Lindsay
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The author is a journalist and writer who covers science and queer issues。 They are both queer in terms of sexuality and gender as well as being mixed race。 This brilliant collection of essays covers many of these elements of their identity by contrasting them with sea creatures that illustrate key elements。From a brooding octopus mother that starves herself while looking after her eggs we get the author's thoughts on their relationship with their mother and their unhealthy body image。 From the The author is a journalist and writer who covers science and queer issues。 They are both queer in terms of sexuality and gender as well as being mixed race。 This brilliant collection of essays covers many of these elements of their identity by contrasting them with sea creatures that illustrate key elements。From a brooding octopus mother that starves herself while looking after her eggs we get the author's thoughts on their relationship with their mother and their unhealthy body image。 From the life of a Chinese Sturgeon we get their thoughts on their grandmother and mother's origins in China and their family's immigration to the US。 Particularly harrowing is their essay on the Sand Striker Worm （formerly named after an abuser whose penis was severed by his victim） and their thoughts on consent and sexual assault in their own life。 There are many more essays here as well， each fascinating for the illustrations they provide for all the identities that the author embodies。Brilliant， scientifically interesting， deeply personal and highly recommended。 。。。more
Cristina
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A unique and poetic mixture of autobiography and scientific non fiction。 Very intersectional and an enjoyable read。 The author is a child of a Chinese mother and is queer/non binary。 This books offers perspectives from a unique point of view。
Adam
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Not at all what I was expecting， but marvelous nonetheless。 An incredibly unique blend of bizarre sea creatures and LGBTQ+ issues。 It blew my expectations out of the water。
Rusty
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Not what I expected 。。。
Shannon
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This was as beautiful as it was powerful as it was informative。 If you love memoirs and also The Deep you should read this。 （I want memoirs the blend self and subject to be more of a thing pls）
Ben Schilling
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A brilliant read that will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt different or out of place， regardless of why they may have felt that way。 Less of a science book and more of a memoir that uses the author’s love of sea creatures as a mechanism to investigate themself in a deeply personal way。
Jeimy
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Hands down my favorite nonfiction book of the year and one of my favorite memoirs period。 I love how Imbler casts a queer lens into the lives of these different species and how they are able to tie the creatures attributes to experiences in their own life。I listened to the audiobook this morning and stopped by a book shop before heading to work because I wanted this one in my collection。
Aixe
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