How Far the Light Reaches
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4.3 • 28 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating tour of creatures from the surface to the deepest ocean floor: this "miraculous, transcendental book" invites us to envision wilder, grander, and more abundant possibilities for the way we live (Ed Yong, author of An Immense World).
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, including:
·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, predatory Bobbitt worm (named after Lorena),
·the common goldfish that flourishes in the wild,
·and more.
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 shimmering, otherworldly debut that attunes us to new visions of our world and its miracles.
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE in SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award One of TIME’s 10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year • A PEOPLE Best New Book • A Barnes & Noble and SHELF AWARENESS Best Book of 2022 • An Indie Next Pick • One of Winter’s Most Eagerly Anticipated Books: VANITY FAIR, VULTURE, BOOKRIOT
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this extraordinary essay collection from science writer Sabrina Imbler, we learn how beings from some of the darkest ecosystems on earth can shine a light on the human experience. As someone who was once thrown out of a Petco for protesting the inhumane use of goldfish bowls, Imbler has a lifelong fascination with ocean life, which shines through in every passage. A warm and personable narrator, Imbler guides us along as we explore the adaptability of feral goldfish, the predatory nature of sand strikers, and the shifting environments surrounding deepwater vents. We particularly loved how Imbler finds reflections of their own experience as a queer person of color in so many corners of the deep. How Far the Light Reaches offers up a brilliant new perspective on deep-sea life—and how humanity relates to it.
Customer Reviews
Wildly inspiring, unimaginably beautiful
It’s been a while since I was so inspired by a book. As a fellow queer naturalist, so many of the seamless ties between identity and the natural world Imbler makes spoke to me in a deep level. Not only does it offer beautiful offerings of Imbler’s personal life and awakening to their self, but it also illustrates the interconnectedness between all beings in this earth. I can’t wait to read it again and again, and I can’t wait to reconnect to my own writing practice. Thank you for this amazing offering to the world.
Not good
Enjoyed the animal facts but not enough to like the book.