arts & entertainment

Beneath the ocean waves just offshore is an amazing world that few are privileged to witness.

You can get a look into this unseen world At a Book Review Breakfast at 9:30am on Monday, February 2, featuring Dr. Edith Widder—world-renowned deep-sea explorer, bioluminescence expert, and CEO and Senior Scientist of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), which she co-founded in 2005. Based in Vero Beach, ORCA uses cutting-edge applied science to identify pollution problems and help restore the health of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Sponsored by the Vero Beach Branch of the American Association of University Women, the free Book Review Breakfast is in the Richardson Center of Indian River State College in Vero Beach.

Dr. Widder will discuss her book, Below the Edge of Darkness, a memoir hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a thrilling blend of hard science and high adventure.” With her remarkable combination of scientific expertise and captivating storytelling, Dr. Widder will illuminate the wonders of the deep sea — and the urgent need to protect our coastal waters.

Below the Edge of Darkness takes readers deep into our planet’s oceans as Widder pursues her questions about one of the most important and widely used forms of communication in nature. In the process, she reveals hidden worlds and a dazzling menagerie of behaviors and animals, from microbes to leviathans, many never before seen or, like the legendary giant squid, never before filmed in their deep-sea lairs. Alongside Widder, we experience life-and-death equipment malfunctions and witness breakthroughs in technology and understanding, all set against a growing awareness of the deteriorating health of our largest and least understood ecosystem. 

All Book Review Breakfasts are free and open to the public. You do not need to have read the book in order to enjoy the Book Review Breakfast. You are encouraged to bring new or gently used children’s books to help stock the four Little Free Libraries that we support around the community. AAUW-Vero Beach is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.