Background
Sy Montgomery was born on February 7, 1958, in Frankfurt, Germany. However, she grew up in Westfield, New Jersey. She is a daughter of Austin James and Willa Zane (Brown) Montgomery.
Sy Montgomery
550 Dorian Rd, Westfield, NJ 07090, USA
Westfield High School where Sy Montgomery studied.
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States
Syracuse University where Sy Montgomery received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
A rare visit from Sinbad, a wild kakapo – a critically endangered, nocturnal, flightless parrot – on New Zealand’s Codfish Island.
Sy Montgomery with her editor, Leslie Meredith, at NBA gala in 2015.
Sy Montgomery got up close and personal with the tree kangaroos at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.
Sy Montgomery reads her book in Winter With the Writers.
Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.
Sy Montgomery with Banshee, a peregrine falcon at New Hampshire School of Falconry.
Sy Montgomery and Temple Grandin.
Sy Montgomery at Peterborough Elementary School tells about animals.
Sy Montgomery visits Sy, a giant Pacific octopus named in her honor at the New England Aquarium.
A pinktoe tarantula looks over Sy’s shoulder.
Sy Montgomery communes with a Pacific Day Octopus in Moorea: credit David Scheel.
550 Dorian Rd, Westfield, NJ 07090, USA
Westfield High School where Sy Montgomery studied.
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States
Syracuse University where Sy Montgomery received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
A rare visit from Sinbad, a wild kakapo – a critically endangered, nocturnal, flightless parrot – on New Zealand’s Codfish Island.
Sy Montgomery with her editor, Leslie Meredith, at NBA gala in 2015.
Sy Montgomery got up close and personal with the tree kangaroos at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.
Sy Montgomery reads her book in Winter With the Writers.
Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.
Sy Montgomery with Banshee, a peregrine falcon at New Hampshire School of Falconry.
Sy Montgomery and Temple Grandin.
Sy Montgomery at Peterborough Elementary School tells about animals.
Sy Montgomery visits Sy, a giant Pacific octopus named in her honor at the New England Aquarium.
A pinktoe tarantula looks over Sy’s shoulder.
Sy Montgomery communes with a Pacific Day Octopus in Moorea: credit David Scheel.
(Here is the story of three gifted women trained by the fa...)
Here is the story of three gifted women trained by the famed Louis Leakey. This book, "a sensitive and revealing contribution to the legend of a unique sisterhood", tells of three women who each gave her mature life to the love, study, and defense of another primate species.
https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Great-Apes-Goodall-Galdikas/dp/160358062X/?tag=2022091-20
1991
(Citing the predatory relationship between India Bay's Ben...)
Citing the predatory relationship between India Bay's Bengal tigers and the natives of Sundarbans, a study notes how the tigers are worshipped by the people there and recounts the many legends that associate the tigers with supernatural qualities.
https://www.amazon.com/Spell-Tiger-Man-Eaters-Sundarbans-Montgomery/dp/160358059X/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(This gathering each spring in the forests of Manitoba, Ca...)
This gathering each spring in the forests of Manitoba, Canada, is one of the most extraordinary events of the natural world and is the subject of study for Dr. Mason, a.k.a. the Snake Scientist.
https://www.amazon.com/Snake-Scientist-Scientists-Field/dp/0618111190/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(The author recounts her search for the pink river dolphin...)
The author recounts her search for the pink river dolphins of the Amazon, describing their history and habits, threats to their survival, and their role as shapeshifting guides to another realm in the lore of local peoples.
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Pink-Dolphins-Amazon-Quest/dp/1603580603/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(Award-winning author Sy Montgomery takes you on an explor...)
Award-winning author Sy Montgomery takes you on an exploratory adventure through the seasons, into the woods, along the seashore, over frozen lakes, and right outside the back door.
https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Naturalist-Natures-Everyday-Mysteries/dp/0892725109/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(Search for the Golden Moon Bear recounts Montgomery's que...)
Search for the Golden Moon Bear recounts Montgomery's quest – fraught with danger and mayhem – to reconstruct an evolutionary record and piece together a living portrait of her little-known subject. This beautiful animal is not just a scientific eureka! It is also a powerful symbol of conservation.
https://www.amazon.com/Search-Golden-Moon-Bear-Adventure/dp/1603580638/?tag=2022091-20
2002
(Follows tarantula scientist, Sam Marshall, through the ra...)
Follows tarantula scientist, Sam Marshall, through the rainforests of French Guiana. Spectacular, rare photographs reveal these ancient spiders up-close, showing the way tarantulas hide, eat, and shed their skin.
https://www.amazon.com/Tarantula-Scientist-Scientists-Field/dp/061891577X/?tag=2022091-20
2004
(It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as e...)
It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey— but isn’t a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what’s a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie’s tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea’s cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals.
https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Tree-Kangaroo-Expedition-Scientists/dp/054724892X/?tag=2022091-20
2006
(A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own...)
A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from nourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inkling that this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not only survive but flourish—and she soon found herself engaged with her small-town community in ways she had never dreamed possible. Unexpectedly, Christopher provided this peripatetic traveler with something she had sought all her life: an anchor (eventually weighing 750 pounds) to family and home.
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Pig-Extraordinary-Christopher-Hogwood/dp/0345496094/?tag=2022091-20
2007
(With a dazzling as-it-happens narrative and spectacular p...)
With a dazzling as-it-happens narrative and spectacular photographs, readers, young and old, will be fascinated as they discover why these mysterious cats are called ghosts of the mountain. Readers will also be stunned by how much perseverance it takes to research and protect this endangered, little-understood species.
https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Ghost-Mountain-Expedition-Scientists/dp/0547727348/?tag=2022091-20
2009
(Birdology explains just how very "other" birds are: Their...)
Birdology explains just how very "other" birds are: Their hearts look like those of crocodiles. They are covered with modified scales, which are called feathers. Their bones are hollow. Their bodies are permeated with extensive air sacs. They have no hands. They give birth to eggs. Yet despite birds’ and humans’ disparate evolutionary paths, we share emotional and intellectual abilities that allow us to communicate and even form deep bonds. When we begin to comprehend who birds really are, we deepen our capacity to approach, understand, and love these otherworldly creatures.
https://www.amazon.com/Birdology-Adventures-Cantankerous-Hummingbirds-Murderously/dp/1416569847/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(What could be better than watching the natural world out ...)
What could be better than watching the natural world out your window or on your television? Going out and experiencing it firsthand. In these fifty essays, acclaimed nature and science writer Sy Montgomery takes her readers on a season-by-season tour of the wilderness that is often as close as the backyard.
https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Out-Your-Window/dp/0892725753/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(When Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew she was di...)
When Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew she was different. Years later she was diagnosed with autism. Temple’s doctor recommended institutionalizing her, but her mother believed in her. Temple went to school instead. Today, Dr. Temple Grandin, a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, is an autism advocate and her world-changing career revolutionized the livestock industry. This compelling biography and Temple's personal photos take us inside her extraordinary mind and open the door to a broader understanding of autism.
https://www.amazon.com/Temple-Grandin-Embraced-Autism-Changed/dp/0547443153/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(In this arresting nonfiction picture book, Sibert winners...)
In this arresting nonfiction picture book, Sibert winners Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join a tapir-finding expedition led by the Brazilian field scientist Pati Medici. Aspiring scientists will love the immediate, often humorous “you are there” descriptions of fieldwork, and gadget lovers will revel in the high-tech science at play, from microchips to the camera traps that capture the “soap opera” of tapir life.
https://www.amazon.com/Tapir-Scientist-Americas-Largest-Scientists/dp/0544809084/?tag=2022091-20
2013
https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Octopus-Surprising-Exploration-Consciousness/dp/1451697724/?tag=2022091-20
2015
(Sy Montgomery and Keith Ellenbogen report on this thrilli...)
Sy Montgomery and Keith Ellenbogen report on this thrilling turning point in marine research and travel to Guadeloupe, Mexico, to get up close and personal with the sharks. This daring expedition into the realm of great whites shows readers that in order to save the planet and its creatures, we must embrace our humanity and face our greatest fears.
https://www.amazon.com/Great-White-Shark-Scientist-Scientists/dp/054435298X/?tag=2022091-20
2016
(Join the award-winning author Sy Montgomery and the photo...)
Join the award-winning author Sy Montgomery and the photographer Keith Ellenbogen as they traverse the river and rainforest to discover how tiny fish, called piabas, can help preserve the Amazon, its animals, and the rich legacy of its people. Amazon Adventure is an eye-opening – and ultimately hopeful – exploration of how humanity’s practices are affecting and shaping not only the Amazon, but our entire environment.
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Adventure-Largest-Rainforest-Scientists/dp/0544352998/?tag=2022091-20
2017
(Timely and inspiring, The Hyena Scientist sets the record...)
Timely and inspiring, The Hyena Scientist sets the record straight about one of history’s most hated and misunderstood mammals, while featuring the groundbreaking, pioneering research of a female scientist in a predominately male field in this offering by Sibert-winning duo Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop.
https://www.amazon.com/Hyena-Scientist-Scientists-Field/dp/0544635116/?tag=2022091-20
2018
(This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and...)
This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of thirteen animals – Sy’s friends – and the truths revealed by their grace. It also explores vast themes such as the otherness and sameness of people and animals, the various ways we learn to love and become empathetic, how we find our passion, how we create our families, coping with loss and despair, gratitude, forgiveness, and most of all, how to be a good creature in the world.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Good-Creature-Thirteen/dp/0544938321/?tag=2022091-20
2018
naturalist scriptwriter writer
Sy Montgomery was born on February 7, 1958, in Frankfurt, Germany. However, she grew up in Westfield, New Jersey. She is a daughter of Austin James and Willa Zane (Brown) Montgomery.
Sy Montgomery attended Westfield High School. She studied at Syracuse University where she received a Bachelor's degree in Magazine Journalism from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a Bachelor's degree in French Language and Literature and in Psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Sy Montgomery was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Keene State College in 2004, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Franklin Pierce University and also from Southern New Hampshire University in 2011.
Sy Montgomery started her career as a writer in 1991 when her first book Walking with the Great Apes was published. She wrote 28 books for both adults and children. She has traveled all over the world in order to learn more about animals and shares her experience through books. Montgomery is also a contributor to journals, including International Wildlife, Geo, Nature, Animals Magazine, Orion, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and Ranger Rick’s Nature Magazine, and to Encyclopedia Britannica. She worked as the author of a monthly column for the Boston Globe, of radio commentaries on nature for National Public Radio’s Living on Earth program, and of scripts for “National Geographic Explorer” television programs. Sy Montgomery has lectured on conservation topics at the Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, California Academy of Sciences, and other schools, universities, and conservation organizations.
Sy Montgomery is an American naturalist writer who is famous for her books about animals. Her most famous books are The Soul of an Octopus and The Good Good Pig. The Soul of an Octopus was on the New York Times Best Seller list and was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Sy Montgomery received Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award in 2010 and the Sibert Medal in 2011, for Kakapo Rescue. She also received the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science Book and Film Award in 2013. In 2016, Montgomery won the American Association for the Advancement of Science / Subaru SB&F Prize and the New England Book Award.
(Timely and inspiring, The Hyena Scientist sets the record...)
2018(Citing the predatory relationship between India Bay's Ben...)
1995(Join the award-winning author Sy Montgomery and the photo...)
2017(The author recounts her search for the pink river dolphin...)
2000(Search for the Golden Moon Bear recounts Montgomery's que...)
2002(With a dazzling as-it-happens narrative and spectacular p...)
2009(Award-winning author Sy Montgomery takes you on an explor...)
2000(A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own...)
2007(Sy Montgomery and Keith Ellenbogen report on this thrilli...)
2016(In this arresting nonfiction picture book, Sibert winners...)
2013(This gathering each spring in the forests of Manitoba, Ca...)
1999(This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and...)
2018(What could be better than watching the natural world out ...)
2012(Birdology explains just how very "other" birds are: Their...)
2010(Follows tarantula scientist, Sam Marshall, through the ra...)
2004(Here is the story of three gifted women trained by the fa...)
1991(When Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew she was di...)
2012(It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as e...)
2006
Quotations:
"How to be a good creature. How do you be compassionate?… I think that animals teach compassion better than anything else and compassion doesn’t necessarily just mean a little mouse with a sore foot and you try to fix it. It means getting yourself inside the mind and heart of someone else. Seeing someone’s soul, looking for their truth. Animals teach you all of that and that’s how you get compassion and heart".
"I think all animals have souls. I feel certain that if we have souls, octopuses have souls, too. If you grant something a soul, it demands a certain level of sacredness. Look around us. The world is holy. It is full of souls."
Sy Montgomery is a member of the Society of Women Geographers and New England Environmental Educators.
Sy Montgomery is a very enthusiastic, positive and kind person.
Quotes from others about the person
Beth Kephart: "Few writers—or human beings—fuse intelligence and heart as completely as Sy Montgomery."
Farley Mowat: "Sy Montgomery has insight into the Others that every nature writer on this continent envies. I am no exception. Clear, emotionally telling and always right to the point, her accounts of the other forms of life are without peer."
Sy Montgomery married Howard Mansfield on September 1987.
