Reviews tagging 'Death'
Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea by Edith Widder
4 reviews
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Confinement, Vomit, Excrement, and Cannibalism
Minor: Death and War
beholderess's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Minor: Death
billyjepma's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
An excellent, insightful, and an ultimately hopeful memoir about science, discovery, and perseverance. Widder isn't a writer by trade, which she admits to, so the writing of her memoir is somewhat of a mixed bag, but the quality and richness of her material make up for it. The memoir bits aren't integrated into the scientific aspects as smoothly as I had hoped. Still, they complement each other and give the book a level of accessibility it probably wouldn't have had otherwise.
I love the ocean and have been enchanted by its mystery and impossible vastness since I was a kid, so it's not like this book would be a hard sell for me. I love Widder's passion for her work, and her enthusiasm is infectious even in the denser, more jargon-heavy sections (of which there are several). I'm so glad the book exists and hope it sells a lot of copies because more people, myself included, need resources like this one that can educate them on the incredible (and increasingly fragile) nature of our planet and inspire them to action.
I love the ocean and have been enchanted by its mystery and impossible vastness since I was a kid, so it's not like this book would be a hard sell for me. I love Widder's passion for her work, and her enthusiasm is infectious even in the denser, more jargon-heavy sections (of which there are several). I'm so glad the book exists and hope it sells a lot of copies because more people, myself included, need resources like this one that can educate them on the incredible (and increasingly fragile) nature of our planet and inspire them to action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Death
rorikae's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
'Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea' by Edith Widder is a memoir of Widder's experience as a marine biologist, particularly her study of bioluminescence, paired with information on how animals use bioluminescence. It pairs accessible discussions on bioluminescence with Widder's passion for marine biology.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book and learning about bioluminescence but I found that it fell flat because it focused so specifically on Widder's marine biology work without incorporating more of her life and personality. We learn a lot about her specific dives and the breakthroughs that she was a part of but we don't get as much of her personality as I would have hoped. This book was pitched to me as an exploration of deep sea life and bioluminescence colored by the author's experience with partial blindness. Though this is touched on, it was far less important to the story than I was expecting.
I think this book would have benefited from Widder incorporating more of her personal experience and life outside of her biology work and how that weaves into who she is as a person. Ultimately, it felt more like a textbook but told through her experiences, which was less engaging than I had hoped. I didn't love the audiobook narration either, which didn't help.
I would love to read more about this subject in the future but I would seek out a book that is either strictly an informational book about the subject or one that better weaves the memoir aspects into the wider story.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book and learning about bioluminescence but I found that it fell flat because it focused so specifically on Widder's marine biology work without incorporating more of her life and personality. We learn a lot about her specific dives and the breakthroughs that she was a part of but we don't get as much of her personality as I would have hoped. This book was pitched to me as an exploration of deep sea life and bioluminescence colored by the author's experience with partial blindness. Though this is touched on, it was far less important to the story than I was expecting.
I think this book would have benefited from Widder incorporating more of her personal experience and life outside of her biology work and how that weaves into who she is as a person. Ultimately, it felt more like a textbook but told through her experiences, which was less engaging than I had hoped. I didn't love the audiobook narration either, which didn't help.
I would love to read more about this subject in the future but I would seek out a book that is either strictly an informational book about the subject or one that better weaves the memoir aspects into the wider story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Confinement
Minor: Death
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