A review by eschell
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I thought this book would be a strictly scientific reading on perhaps the failings of Western thinking to encapsulate the natural world, and while it did cover much of that issue, it also was a touching story about a woman dealing with depression through an exploration of a 19th century scientist. The author did an excellent job navigating the oft problematic nature of David Starr Jordan's work, personality, actions, and beliefs while keeping the reader grounded in his humanity by emphasizing her own parallel struggles. As I hoped, she did disavow many of his terrible actions and centered a large section of the book on how he hurt others-- most notably those that were forcibly sterilized due to his lobbying of eugenics that were rooted in his flawed view of a natural hierarchy. I learned about taxonomy, humanity, history, and gained what I believe to be an unusual intimacy with the author. The author also attended UVA and referenced the school several times, which was a fun surprise. 
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