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How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures
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About This Book
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
"Imbler's first-rate science writing glistens with the same sheen as the best of Oliver Sacks' essays."
"The author's ability to locate connections across seemingly disparate topics...is both unique and engaging."
"Imbler mixes careful fragments of biography with selected bits of marine science to produce a unique and powerful debut, an alluring series of metaphors to describe what it means to be young and trans ..."
"But, as the subtitle suggests, this is also a memoir, although probably not like any other memoir you've encountered."
"Beyond their metaphorical significance, though, it's the actuality of the sea creatures that Imbler beautifully captures and renders meaningful ..."
"Imbler's ability to balance illuminating science journalism with candid personal revelation is impressive, and the mesmerizing glints of lyricism are a treat."
"Stunning and thoughtful ..."
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