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James Nestor's Deep "Blue Mind"
One more brilliant summer reading recommendation
Posted on Jul 12th, 2014
Here's another wonderful addition to your "Blue Mind' library: DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves by James Nestor.
Based on my own freediving expereinces, I can relate to both the pain and the euphoria, as well as the fear and pull of "the deep". I feel right there with Nestor as I read about how he pushed himself deper under the water in pursuit of...well...his blue mind.
"We are water. We move around in air, so we think we are air. We forget about the watery world we came from."
- Hanli Prinsloo
Put the books DEEP, Healing Places, Blue Mind, and Blue Urbanism together and you've got the makings of a solid group of texts for a fascinating grad seminar: "Our brain near, in, on and under water". Someone really should dive into that this fall. I'm sure all authors and many of the researchers described in the books would welcome the chance to participate.
"The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therin and the people who observe them...through his eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking." -- New York Times Book Review
KIRKUS REVIEW
Nestor takes readers around the world as he explores the ocean’s mysterious and revealing depths—and what the deep might reveal about mankind’s origin and future. We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper. Take free diving, for example: Historical accounts suggest that humans have been diving hundreds of feet deep for centuries, with no equipment and holding just one breath of air. Our bodies are capable of withstanding the crushing pressure in deep water, and we have a built-in instinct called the “master switch of life” that activates to give human bodies amphibious skills. Nestor goes into great detail about his own free-dive training, and his writing is sharp, colorful and thrilling. Equally magnetic is the account of his adventure in a deep-sea submarine, a cramped contraption that dove to 2,600 feet below the surface, where light can’t penetrate the water but a variety of organisms thrive. Perhaps the most memorable chapter covers the author’s experience diving with sperm whales, whose enigmatic vocalizations may be the most complex language we can imagine. Throughout, scientific mini-lessons and lively character profiles give context to the author's anecdotes, bringing the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one.
An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat.
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