Irmo Branch Library - Multimedia Book Club discussion
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The Human, the Orchid and the Octopus
April - Jacques Cousteau
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First Questions about Cousteau's Last Book
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1) I'm enjoying this book so far! I've especially enjoyed Cousteau's discussion about risk, both personal and public, and how he understood the ethics of taking risks (or asking his team to do so) in pursuit of improving human life. He makes a salient point that risk should always be about honoring the sanctity of life, not just taking risk as an end in itself. I was also interested in his stories of encountering sharks during their dives. While shark attacks on humans are rare, his close calls with sharks impressed upon me the wild nature of the ocean. The explorers had to be brave to face the known and unknown dangers of diving to great depths, not the least of which was the peril of breathing safely! I must say that this book has not inspired me to try diving, but I am glad to live vicariously through Cousteau and his team...
2) With a good bit of the book still ahead of me, I'm just beginning to get a sense of Cousteau's philosophy regarding his life's work. At times, like when he lost a team volunteer during a dive, he seems to have wrestled with his own ethics regarding his work. Was it worth a man's life to bring up "old jars" as he called the valuable wreckage of an ancient ship? But he finds that his team appreciates the importance of the task as another volunteer takes the place of the man who died: it is worth it to understand and preserve the past in order to chart a better future. Furthermore, Cousteau definitely sees the merit in understanding the natural world as it is now because their explorations uncovered how the world changed rapidly (for the worse) in modern times. We need to understand how our actions impact that world so that we can plan for the future generations. The chapter on risk to the public especially highlights how we take for granted that unexplored areas won't be affected by our actions, as even outer space is being cluttered with detritus from new technologies. With that said, I think space is the next area for exploration, but a lot still remains to be discovered about the earth, too. I think it's going to take a new generation to create technologies that will be less wasteful and address the pollution that already exists. This book was written already many years ago, and it's daunting to think that not much progress has been made on issues about which Cousteau was sounding the alarm several decades ago.
3) & 4) Before reading this book, I was familiar with Cousteau only as the stereotype. I had seen "The Life Aquatic" without really understanding that it was based on Jacques Cousteau; from my vantage point, the French-inflected oceanographer was just another trope of pop culture. That's one thing I like to do with this book club: go deeper than the trope that is ubiquitous in media to the real person/story behind the stereotype. I'm excited to learn more about Cousteau's life and to consider his work. One thing I'd like to do before this topic ends is watch his film, "The Silent World," which won Cannes' Palme d'Or in 1956. I have seen Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" a few years ago, which expanded my understanding of just how vast the universe is (and even our own small planet). The mini-series takes on a lot (as in, all of time and space) in the spirit of Carl Sagan's original: https://time.com/13005/review-of-cosm... I am also a fan of the 2016 documentary "Born in China," comfortingly voice by John Krasinski. Though some parts are a bit sad (poor snow leopards!), I was heartened to learn that it turned out alittle better than originally expected. https://butfirstjoy.com/born-in-china...
By now you may have gotten a chance to get started with "The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus" (2007) by Jacques Cousteau and Susan Schiefelbein. If you are just joining us, this is a great week to dig in because this Thursday (April 22) is Earth Day 2021! As we continue reading, here are some questions to think about this week.
1) What do you think of the book so far? Have you learned anything new about Coutsteau's life and work? What about the natural world/ocean?
2) Based on Cousteau's viewpoint as expressed in the book, how does it benefit our future to understand the natural world as it is now? Do you think there is still the possibility of exploration in the world today?
3) What was your first encounter with a documentation of nature that captured your imagination? Were you at all familiar with Cousteau's work before reading this book?
4) Let's talk about Cousteau in pop culture! Have you encountered one of the parodies or portrayals of him as a public figure? How did this element inform your impressions going into this topic?
Next time, we'll discuss the biopic "The Odyssey" (2016) as well as more about the "The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus." Both are available on Hoopla now, and you can also watch "The Life Aquatic" (2004) for fun!