Things went swimmingly Monday evening for organizers of the 2016-2017 Common Read, “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness.”
“I’m amazed. Who would’ve thought that octopuses would pack the house,” said Bill Loftus, science writer for Educational Communications at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Kenton Bird, director of General Education at the University of Idaho, said 500 seats were initially set up in the International Ballroom of the Bruce Pitman Center to accommodate the expected audience for author Sy Montgomery’s keynote address. When those seats were filled, Bird said another 150 were added.
People of all ages, interests and majors listened to Montgomery’s stories of connections she made with octopuses in aquariums across the country.
“I don’t want to be alone in my species,” Montgomery said. “And I love the fact that you can be friends with someone that’s different from a human being as an octopus.”
Junior Emily Lundquist said she attended the address for a school assignment, never having heard of Montgomery. However, she left the speech with a newly purchased book in hand, waiting in line for the author to sign it.
“Personally, I feel like I kind of relate to her a lot,” Lundquist said. “Like, relationships with animals and stuff like that, I just feel like I get them a lot more than I get humans sometimes.”
Montgomery is an award-winning author of 20 books. She has written and narrated documentaries for National Geographic TV, including one based on her book, “The Spell of the Tiger.”
Montgomery said of all the books she’s written, “The Soul of an Octopus” made her the happiest.
“This was one of the easiest books I’ve ever written,” Montgomery said.
Audience members were given an opportunity to ask Montgomery questions. Inquiries came from students of all majors and ISEM courses.
“The questions this year touched on all the different dimensions of the book,” Bird said.
Freshman Ali Davies is enrolled in the “Jupiter, Venus and Mars” ISEM course and came to the speech having read the book. Davies said she loved reading it, though she knew others who did not enjoy it because it was a requirement. But not everyone in attendance was there by requirement.
Freshman James Zillinger entered the ballroom in a bright purple squid-shaped hat. A self-described cephalopod fanatic, Zillinger said he read the book over the summer, and it hit home.
“When I see octopuses in the aquarium, they’re always really cool to me,” Zillinger said. “So when I read this book, just how she attached with them and how they bonded with her just really met me on a personal level.”
The address was part of the Runstad Lecture series, which Bird said is in its 12th year.
As a member of the Common Read committee, which picks what book will be featured each year, Bird said the committee saw many qualities in “The Soul of an Octopus” that touched on topics from marine biology to climate change and philosophy to psychology.
Bird said there are over 1,200 students enrolled in 30 ISEM courses that focus on different topics such as “Politics of War,” “Musical Rhythms of the World” and “Love and Happiness.”
“The Common Read has to have something that will connect with all of these topics, at least tangentially,” Bird said.
Taylor Nadauld
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