How Far the Light Reaches
Books | Science / Essays
4.4
Sabrina Imbler
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
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More Details:
Author
Sabrina Imbler
Pages
320
Publisher
Little, Brown
Published Date
2022-12-06
ISBN
031654051X 9780316540513
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was a beautiful piece, switching between personal essays and science/history of a selection of sea creatures and examining the connections drawn between both worlds. The reverence they show these creatures from a vast unknowable world and being curious about the possible realities draws a direct line to their queer experience and the curiosity and grace they’ve extended to themself and their beautiful, still unfolding growth and journey. "
C
CaitVD
"Actually so good, one of few books that I found myself really really enjoying reading and coming back to read more frequently"
Florian
"I'm not really the biggest memoir reader. It's not that I don't like them, but I find a lot just can't hold my attention enough to make me super invested in them. This book though has absolutely subverted my expectations when I started reading it. It was probably a combination of the how short the book was and just how much science and life were brilliantly mixed together. I started each chapter excited to see where it would bring me and just how each chosen animal would be intertwined with the author's life. <br/><br/>The only complaint I have is that I wished some parts of the author's life got the same treatment as the wildlife parts. For example, the author just briefly mentions that they had a talk in public with their mother about their gender and it's so glossed over that I almost missed it. Not that I'm saying we're entitled to know it, it just feels weird as each science section is so colorfully written and explained that the real-life stuff is almost over shadowed. <br/><br/>Overall, this was great read and a great way to introduce memoirs to people who may not give them a chance. <br/>"
Glimmerbugz
"This is such an amazing read. I love the ocean and the raw facts mixed with metaphors for their experience as a queer person of color was done so well. I appreciate that their writing doesn’t spell the message out and cradle the reader and instead lets us relate from our own experiences and perceptions. "
Ray Tibbetts
