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hnells's review against another edition
2.5
Sigh. I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded interesting, and the title is, of course, provocative. I think my issues with it mostly stem from its seeming lack of a clear identity.
I really enjoy reading nonfiction, and I've read and loved memoirs and biographies as well as books on science, sociology, history, and philosophy. This book, unfortunately, tries to be all of those things and doesn't do any of them particularly well. Perhaps its short length is a hindrance in that respect, but I'm not entirely certain Miller would have been able to strike a cleaner balance had she taken more space either.
The biographical sections are filled with speculation and flit too quickly from topic to topic to allow the reader to become immersed in the life of Jordan. Also, it seems almost a bit disingenuous to conceal the fact that he was a notorious eugenicist from the reader until near the end of the book when the first half was spent waxing poetic about his drive toward scientific understanding. Sure, people contain multitudes and that's an important thing to recognize about most historical figures, but the way this book was structured felt almost like Miller was trying to say "haha, I GOT you didn't I? You thought he was good but actually, he's bad >:). Life is more complicated than you think.~~"
The philosophical musings throughout the book feel rather juvenile. It doesn't seem that difficult to me to be able to hold in one hand the idea that our lives are meaningless on a cosmic scale and in the other that our lives are incredibly meaningful to those around us and that we can make meaning through community, but perhaps this is just a realization that everyone has to come to on their own in their 20s once they've shaken off the shackles of teenage edginess.
The sections of this book that I really enjoyed were the ones that focused on science and taxonomy (you know, like the title of the book implies) and the ones that explored the history of eugenics and forced institutionalization in the US. I would love to read a book that focused more on either of these topics, especially one that was more of an oral history of the people who were forcibly institutionalized during the eugenics moment. The section near the end with Anna and Mary was deeply moving and such a good illustration of how we might find meaning through our relationships with others. it's just such a shame that the rest of the book was such a miss for me when obviously Miller is capable of writing in such an emotionally resonant way.
I think I would have liked this book a lot more if I had read it when I was younger, but now that I'm older, less angsty, and have read so much better nonfiction, it really just wasn't for me.
I really enjoy reading nonfiction, and I've read and loved memoirs and biographies as well as books on science, sociology, history, and philosophy. This book, unfortunately, tries to be all of those things and doesn't do any of them particularly well. Perhaps its short length is a hindrance in that respect, but I'm not entirely certain Miller would have been able to strike a cleaner balance had she taken more space either.
The biographical sections are filled with speculation and flit too quickly from topic to topic to allow the reader to become immersed in the life of Jordan. Also, it seems almost a bit disingenuous to conceal the fact that he was a notorious eugenicist from the reader until near the end of the book when the first half was spent waxing poetic about his drive toward scientific understanding. Sure, people contain multitudes and that's an important thing to recognize about most historical figures, but the way this book was structured felt almost like Miller was trying to say "haha, I GOT you didn't I? You thought he was good but actually, he's bad >:). Life is more complicated than you think.~~"
The philosophical musings throughout the book feel rather juvenile. It doesn't seem that difficult to me to be able to hold in one hand the idea that our lives are meaningless on a cosmic scale and in the other that our lives are incredibly meaningful to those around us and that we can make meaning through community, but perhaps this is just a realization that everyone has to come to on their own in their 20s once they've shaken off the shackles of teenage edginess.
The sections of this book that I really enjoyed were the ones that focused on science and taxonomy (you know, like the title of the book implies) and the ones that explored the history of eugenics and forced institutionalization in the US. I would love to read a book that focused more on either of these topics, especially one that was more of an oral history of the people who were forcibly institutionalized during the eugenics moment. The section near the end with Anna and Mary was deeply moving and such a good illustration of how we might find meaning through our relationships with others. it's just such a shame that the rest of the book was such a miss for me when obviously Miller is capable of writing in such an emotionally resonant way.
I think I would have liked this book a lot more if I had read it when I was younger, but now that I'm older, less angsty, and have read so much better nonfiction, it really just wasn't for me.
devakijayal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
As someone who is pursuing a degree in science, I felt very heard by the existentialism of the narrator, and her relentless search for meaning. The way in which these scientific terms seeped into the semantics of the book was also stylistically very enjoyable. David Starr Jordan starts off as this galactic, enigmatic character that I felt incredibly drawn to - which was the point, I suppose. I think the delving into of his character, and Miller's obsession with his life becomes very gripping, especially when it goes into the detail of his relationship with Jane Stanford and his involvement in her death. It is a passionate, glimmering book, but at times felt a little mopey, a little whiny. Overall, I did enjoy it, and found the illustrations eerie and interesting.
simplymattis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
dylly_gee's review
3.0
At it's best, this is an enlightening account of David Starr Jordan and the shockingly little talked about effects of eugenics in this country, expertly intertwining biography, history, and biology. At it's worst, it is a trite, over-personal, and less clever than it thinks, combining grandiose philosophical musings on the meaning of life with a completely out of place recollection of a sexual encounter of the author. I'll remember this book as much for providing me valuable information as for annoying me while reading.
coupdegracey's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75