Into the Blue Book Club's next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 10 at 8 pm ET! Have any book suggestions? When you join the Into the Blue Book Club, you'll have the option to suggest some of your favorite ocean-themed books on our registration page.
Into the Blue Book Club will be reading captivating books about the ocean and marine life. Books can range from fiction, ocean-themed adventures to educational, non-fiction conservation topics. The goal of each choice is to select a book that will not only inform members on a variety of topics regarding marine science and conservation but also bring together like-minded individuals who share a common admiration for our blue planet.
Click here to register for our upcoming meeting!
The book of discussion for our next meeting on April 10, 8 pm ET will be:
Underjungle
By: James Sturz
"Strange, beautiful, and brilliant!" —Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus Deep below the surface, our world is cold, dark and content. Colors are fickle. Red disappears first as you descend, followed by the yellow of the sun. The hundred shades of blue last the longest, but eventually there is only black—and the candied ooze of the ocean floor... In Underjungle , an intelligent life form known as the yc exist in the ocean’s depths, an apex predator among most fish. Long ago, this species fractured from a single group into seven distinct tribes, each with their own dialect and cultural idiosyncrasies. Now, one tribe, the Gjala, has stumbled across a most intriguing and unusual a sunken corpse. As news travels across the ocean, and the other tribes converge to investigate, the consequences and questions raised will reverberate for generations to come. Underjungle asks readers to give themselves up to another to step outside not just of themselves, but of their species. A broad metaphysical story of fantastical world-building from accomplished journalist and nature writer James Sturz, Underjungle is a lyrical tale of love and war, encompassing the marine environment, science, art, philosophy and grief—as deep and surprising as life on the seafloor, where much of this story is set. Buoyed by humor and tinged with the unshakeable melancholy of loss is the existential question that forever ties the novel to our human what is our purpose?
A full synopsis of the novel is available on GoodReads.
Be sure to come prepared with questions or email them to books@REEF.org beforehand!
Discussion Questions:
1) All the science in UNDERJUNGLE is accurate, except for the existence of the undersea creatures, or yc. At a scientific level, what, if anything, did UNDERJUNGLE teach you about the ocean and ocean life?
2) Many books about the ocean discuss its chemical composition, currents, increasing hazards, and marine life. But beyond the science, what does UNDERJUNGLE tell you about what the ocean’s like—and what it might be like to live in it?
3) What lessons can we surface dwellers learn from the undersea creatures in UNDERJUNGLE?
4) What do you think the undersea creatures, or yc, look like?
5) It’s not spelled it out in the novel—that’s why it’s important to come to book events like this one—but I’ve named the undersea creatures in UNDERJUNGLE “yc” both because it is the Mongolian word for water and because it sounds a lot like “us.” What else do you think the author might have called them?
6) What are your thoughts about chapter 76, written entirely in the yc language?
7) Would you like to read a sequel? What do you think happens next?
If you have any questions, please email us at books@REEF.org or call 305-852-0030. You can also join in discussions about the book club and other fishy, ocean-themed, book-loving topics through our Facebook group.
We look forward to seeing you at our next virtual meeting on April 10, 2025, at 8 pm ET.