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Quick answer: If you read Other Minds, read Safina's Beyond Words, Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus, Frans de Waal's Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? and Ed Yong's An Immense World. All explore how animals, from octopuses to birds, experience the world.
Peter Godfrey-Smith's 2016 book is a philosopher's journey into the minds of cephalopods, asking how intelligence evolved on a separate branch of life, with diving trips to watch octopuses and cuttlefish. It is thoughtful, readable and full of wonder. The books below offer similar looks at animal minds, behaviour and the ways other species sense the world.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Soul of an Octopus | Sy Montgomery | Adult | octopus friendship |
| Remarkably Bright Creatures | Shelby Van Pelt | Adult | novel with an octopus |
| Beyond Words | Carl Safina | Adult | animal emotions |
| Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? | Frans de Waal | Adult | animal cognition |
| An Immense World | Ed Yong | Adult | senses of animals |
| I Contain Multitudes | Ed Yong | Adult | microbes |
| The Genius of Birds | Jennifer Ackerman | Adult | bird intelligence |
| What It's Like to Be a Dog | Gregory Berns | Adult | brain scans of dogs |
| Mama's Last Hug | Frans de Waal | Adult | animal emotions |
| Entangled Life | Merlin Sheldrake | Adult | fungi |
| Braiding Sweetgrass | Robin Wall Kimmerer | Adult | science and story |
| The Hidden Life of Trees | Peter Wohlleben | Adult | forest science |
| Children of Time | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Adult | evolution and first contact |
| The Overstory | Richard Powers | Adult | trees in fiction |
| Lab Girl | Hope Jahren | Adult | science memoir |
1. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
Montgomery befriends octopuses at an aquarium. Warm, curious and moving.
Best for: octopus friendship.
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A widow and a giant Pacific octopus form an unlikely bond. Gentle and funny.
Best for: novel with an octopus.
3. Beyond Words by Carl Safina
Safina studies elephants, wolves and whales. Rich and thoughtful.
Best for: animal emotions.
4. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
De Waal argues that animals are smarter than we assume. Clear and persuasive.
Best for: animal cognition.
5. An Immense World by Ed Yong
Yong explores how animals sense the world in ways we cannot. Wide-ranging and beautifully written.
Best for: senses of animals.
6. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Yong shows how microbes shape life. Funny and fascinating.
Best for: microbes.
7. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Ackerman explores the minds of birds. Clear and surprising.
Best for: bird intelligence.
8. What It's Like to Be a Dog by Gregory Berns
A neuroscientist scans dogs' brains to understand them. Warm and curious.
Best for: brain scans of dogs.
9. Mama's Last Hug by Frans de Waal
De Waal explores emotions in primates and other animals. Moving and wise.
Best for: animal emotions.
10. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
Sheldrake explores the hidden world of fungi. Beautiful and surprising.
Best for: fungi.
11. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A botanist and Potawatomi writer blends plant science with Indigenous knowledge. Warm and wise.
Best for: science and story.
12. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
A forester explains how trees communicate and support each other. Charming and surprising.
Best for: forest science.
13. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Humans and uplifted spiders share a world. Inventive and moving.
Best for: evolution and first contact.
14. The Overstory by Richard Powers
Nine people are changed by trees. Large, patient and full of ideas.
Best for: trees in fiction.
15. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
A geobiologist writes about her work with plants and friendship. Funny and honest.
Best for: science memoir.
How to Choose
For octopuses choose The Soul of an Octopus or Remarkably Bright Creatures. For animal minds pick Beyond Words, Mama's Last Hug or Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? For senses and microbes read An Immense World or I Contain Multitudes. For plants and fungi try Entangled Life or The Hidden Life of Trees. Other Minds is thoughtful and calm, so these picks suit readers who like science with wonder. Godfrey-Smith has a background in philosophy of biology and is also a scuba diver, which is why the book combines careful ideas with vivid underwater scenes. Documentaries about octopuses make a good companion. Readers interested in animal minds often enjoy pairing a book with a visit to an aquarium or a nature documentary. If you want something lighter, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a charming novel. If you want more science, An Immense World is thorough. Audiobooks suit these books well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Other Minds about?
The evolution of intelligence, seen through octopuses and cuttlefish.
Who wrote it?
Peter Godfrey-Smith, a philosopher of science.
When was it published?
2016.
Is it a science book or a philosophy book?
Both, written for general readers.
How smart are octopuses?
The book argues they are highly intelligent, with a distributed nervous system.
Is it a quick read?
About 250 pages.
Is there a documentary about octopuses?
Yes, My Octopus Teacher is widely watched. Check current listings.
What should I read next?
Try The Soul of an Octopus or An Immense World.
Are octopuses really intelligent?
Research shows they solve puzzles, use tools and recognise individual humans.
Is the book hard to follow?
No, Godfrey-Smith explains ideas clearly with examples from his dives.