Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life [B1687]

2021 PB in excellent condition. A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post, NPR, Chicago Tribune, and Smithsonian. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don't Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail. "At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish . . comes up for air, and realizes she's in love. That's how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten." -The New York Times Book Review.

David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake-which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world.

When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool-a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Very fun, loved the combo of science and philosophy, well written."; "There is no other option than giving this book a top rating. I truly enjoyed how well written this was. I followed the author's journey WITH her, I know that books are written with hindsight but to me it felt like reading a diary of someone who had to learn and figure out the world. I have so many emotions and opinions, disagreeing, agreeing, understanding, confusion and most importantly the excitement. I loved the conclusion to the story of David Starr Jordan, to the author and for myself, it was comforting to read."; "Miller focuses on David Starr Jordan and his driven yet problematic life, as well as his involvement in the US eugenics movement. Terrible, and something I didn't know that much about. This book explores all these topics in an approachable way, with the author's own personal stories sprinkled in. A very memorable read for me."; "There are books, and then there are the life-changing sorts of books. For me, this is one of the latter. I enjoyed this book the whole way through, but it was the ending that knocked my socks off. It overturns everything that came before it, but also puts the rest of the book into perspective. It's the most brilliant ending to any book I've ever read and was literally jaw-dropping. It's a stunning book, basically. One of my all-time favorite works of nonfiction."; "I am a long time admirer of Lulu through Radiolab and I was ecstatic to see that her intelligence, humor, and sincerity translates perfectly into the written form. Why Fish Don't Exist was a rollercoaster of a book and one I'm very glad I read. It's reflective and hopeful without feeling too on the nose and interesting content wise."; ""