Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake: Life Lessons from Sixty Sea Creatures
Oct 2025 · Quirk Books
Ebook
128
Pages
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About this ebook
Sixty bizarre and beautiful marine creatures offer affirmations for self-confidence, serenity, and fulfillment—drawn from real-life facts about our fascinating natural world.
If you sometimes wish you could sink back into the depths of the ocean, great news—the strange little guys who still live down there will receive you with open arms (and fins, claws, and tentacles). But if you’re not quite ready to take to the sea, these friendly denizens of the deep offer solid advice for living on dry land, such as the following:
Beautifully illustrated with striking watercolor portraits of the ocean’s most eccentric creatures, Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake will make you long to return to the seas—but it will also help you bring a freewheeling, relaxed, self-actualized ocean spirit to even the driest life.
If you sometimes wish you could sink back into the depths of the ocean, great news—the strange little guys who still live down there will receive you with open arms (and fins, claws, and tentacles). But if you’re not quite ready to take to the sea, these friendly denizens of the deep offer solid advice for living on dry land, such as the following:
- “If you’re happy and you know it, digest your brain.”—The star tunicate, who avoids anxiety by digesting much of its own body
- “Never be afraid to set—and enforce—your boundaries.”—The gloomy octopus, who protects its personal space by throwing dirt at anyone who bothers it
- “It’s good to get it all out.”—The fire-breathing shrimp, who vomits bioluminescent goo when threatened
- “If you love someone, absorb them into your bloodstream.”—The fanfin anglerfish, who expresses love by fusing with its mate
- And more wonderfully wacky undersea weirdos who really know how to live!
Beautifully illustrated with striking watercolor portraits of the ocean’s most eccentric creatures, Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake will make you long to return to the seas—but it will also help you bring a freewheeling, relaxed, self-actualized ocean spirit to even the driest life.
About the author
Cara Giaimo is a science journalist who loves writing about our fellow species. You can find her work in the New York Times, Atlas Obscura, The Plant, and elsewhere. Cara lives in Somerville, MA, above sea level.
Vlad Stankovic is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Sydney, Australia.
Vlad Stankovic is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Sydney, Australia.
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