Move Like Water: My Story of the Sea | 
pickI liked this nature-based memoir less than I expected to. Something about the way it hangs together doesn‘t flow (ironic, given the title). I read it slowly, never feeling compelled to pick it back up, but I had no specific complaints whenever I did & enjoyed my time spent within its pages.
Stowe writes of her experience as a young, female sailor in her 20‘s, working largely on research vessels or going it alone, studying marine ecology. 👇🏻
monalyisha 1/4: She tells of growing up on the coast of Wales, days spent swimming & investigating tide pools, a nearby lighthouse serving as her nightlight while she dreamed. She talks about a serious back injury she suffers while surfing in college, which goes untreated for too long & becomes more serious still due to doctors‘ dismissal of her complaints given her age and gender. After her eventual surgery, she conquers a (brief) addiction to pain killers. 4w
monalyisha 2/4: She writes of adventure & education, traveling aboard Song of the Whale, conducting acoustic surveys. She relays her own struggles but focuses on the impact humans are having on the seas & on the planet, and how we might turn it around. This is done through the lens of studying 7 creatures: Fire Crow, Sperm Whale, Human, Wandering Albatross, Humpback Whale, Shearwater, & Barnacle. Unexpectedly, “Human” was my favorite chapter. 4w
monalyisha 3/4: In it, we learn more about her mother, an artist, and about the Selkie tales she shared with her daughter. I was surprised when, in the last few pages of her book, Stowe reveals that her mother is writer/illustrator Jackie Morris. Suddenly, I understood how the book came to be (which feels like a real asshole thing to say but it did provide clarity). (edited) 4w
monalyisha 4/4: I think Stowe is very cool. I think she‘s worked incredibly hard. I think she‘s dedicating her life & efforts to the right things, has the right role models (Sylvia Earle, Rachel Carson), & I believe she could make a real difference in our world. Despite a second book deal, I‘m not sure this is the BEST fit for her talents, however (although it isn‘t a pure mismatch, either). As a piece of literature, Move Like Water is good but not Great. 4w
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