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Sign up todayWhy Fish Don't Exist
A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life
Narrator
Lulu Miller
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Length
4 hours 55 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“In this masterful biography turned memoir, Lulu Miller explores the life of David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist responsible for naming most fish species worldwide. However, what is so brilliant about this title is how Miller takes us on this journey of scientific and self-discovery; she reckons with our collective past while discovering her own. It is a genuinely fascinating piece that questions the human failures in scientific work and science's failure as a humane discipline. ”
— Giovanna • Good Company
Bookseller recommendation
“I've followed Lulu Miller's audio stories on public radio for years and I found Why Fish Don't Exist absolutely absorbing. Part memoir, part scientific deep dive into the life of David Starr Jordan (a taxonomist who discovered one-fifth of the fish known to humans), Why Fish Don't Exist examines order and chaos in the world with humor and deep personal insight.”
— Rachel • Avid Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“Half memoir, half biography, Lulu Miller's examination of David Starr Jordan and the lies we tell ourselves to keep going is phenomenal. Nuanced and unputdownable. (And especially great on audio!)”
— Nicole • Oblong Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time. Miller, motivated by her relationship with her father, and a lifelong search for meaning, closely examines David Starr Jordan, the larger-than-life father of American Ichthyology and founding president of Stanford University. If you ever wondered how fish identification and eugenics are connected, you’re about to find out. When science is used to find proof of a divine hierarchy, the consequences are real, and devastating. Miller’s book is a beautiful invitation to shift the paradigms about how to find and make meaning in our own lives.”
— Erin • Honest Dog Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Just... wow. Never have I read anything like this. It's remarkable. To say it's part memoir and part biography of David Starr Jordan, the famous taxonomist (don't worry, I didn't know who he was either), on some level is true, but it doesn't even begin to encompass everything this book is. In just over 200 pages, Miller tackles existential philosophy, the depths of the cosmos, racism, queerness, human hatred and human resilience, and much, much more. At its heart, this book is an examination of the friction between humans and chaos, between man and nature. I'd hate to say anything more, because, like David Starr Jordan, it's all about the discoveries. I will say, though, that by the end you will 100% believe that fish do not exist and you will be so, so happy to know it. It'll be the best news you've ever heard. Some books you just love and some books you cherish, and WHY FISH DON'T EXIST is one to be cherished.”
— Conner • BookBar
Bookseller recommendation
“I was absolutely riveted to this beautiful book. This story is fascinating and seamlessly threaded into the author's own struggles. It made me pause, rewind, start over, cry, laugh.....it's just one of the best memoirs I've ever read.”
— Nichole • The Yankee Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“Despite having no general interest in ichthyology, taxonomy, or old white eugenicists, Why Fish Don't Exist was one of the most engaging stories I have ever read. The audio edition, read by the author, is ridiculously charming. It meanders between a biography and a memoir, and it's refreshing to read a narrative that isn't afraid to change its course when presented with new information. It made me want to read more about the philosophy of science, as well as anything Miller writes in the future.”
— Ian • Page 1 Books
A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * Smithsonian
A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder.
“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.
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.
Lulu Miller is the cohost of Radiolab, host of the kids podcast Terrestrials, and author of the bestselling book Why Fish Don’t Exist.
Lulu Miller is the cohost of Radiolab, host of the kids podcast Terrestrials, and author of the bestselling book Why Fish Don’t Exist.
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Reviews
“Lulu Miller's friendly, curious voice braids together history, biography, and memoir. The former host of the NPR podcast 'Invisibilia' introduces listeners to taxonomist and former Stanford president David Starr Jordan, famous for his work classifying fish. Initially, Miller is inspired by Jordan because he personifies resilience after his life's work seems to have been destroyed by an earthquake. But she also uncovers his darker side while researching. Miller has a slightly husky down-to-earth voice, and her storytelling background in radio infuses her work. Her confident delivery is playful and comfortably paced, her narration engaging and easy on the ear. When Miller deals with subjects like depression and loss in her own life, it's especially meaningful knowing she's experienced the stories and insights she shares.”— AudioFile Magazine “What a delightful book... Ms. Miller [spins] a tale so seductive that I read her book in one sitting.”
— The Wall Street Journal “Completely entrancing.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine “Riveting and rollicking… total magic.”
— Garden & Gun “A great escape… [and] an extended reflection on how to weather the storm during trying times.”
— Outside “Lulu Miller moves gracefully between reporting and meditation, big questions and small moments. This book is a magical hybrid of science, portraiture, and memoir — and a delight to read.”
— Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book “Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even! Why Fish Don’t Exist begins with a mesmerizing account of the life of distinguished biologist David Starr Jordan—and then, quite unexpectedly, turns into so much more. Narrated in Lulu Miller’s intimate, quirky voice, this is a story of science and struggle, of heartbreak and chaos. This book will capture your heart, seize your imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world.”
— Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus “I want to live at this book’s address: the intersection of history and biology and wonder and failure and sheer human stubbornness. What a sumptuous, surprising, dark delight.”
— Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties “Some years back, Lulu Miller disappeared down a very strange rabbit hole that led her to places neither she nor you would ever be able to anticipate. I highly recommend you follow her down the hole, because of her singular and gigantic gifts as a writer and storyteller, but also because of what's down there: love, chaos, strychnine, a gun, dangerous delusions, heroic dandelions, a cow, a snorkel mask through which grander truths are revealed... This book is perfect, just perfect. It's both lyrical and learned, personal and political, small and huge, quirky and profound.”
— Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff “Stunning and brilliant and completely un-sum-up-able… I love this book so much!”
— John Green, New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down “Unconventional… What initially seems like an homage to an indomitable scientist [turns] into a philosophical tale about the limitations of tidy narratives and the dangers of unyielding belief.”
— Undark Expand reviews
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