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A review by ida_ree
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I don't do star ratings.
This was a fascinating read - part memoir, part investigative history, part science/nature writing, a good dollop of philosophy.
When the author was experiencing an extended existential crisis, she immersed herself in learning about David Starr Jordan, first president of Stanford and the scientist who discovered and classified more types of fish than anyone in the world. The catch is that his life's work was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake and he had to start over nearly from scratch. Miller thought maybe she could learn something from him about resilience and finding meaning in life. What she found instead, both about his life and about animal life was completely unexpected. Did I mention this is a fascinating read?
This was a fascinating read - part memoir, part investigative history, part science/nature writing, a good dollop of philosophy.
When the author was experiencing an extended existential crisis, she immersed herself in learning about David Starr Jordan, first president of Stanford and the scientist who discovered and classified more types of fish than anyone in the world. The catch is that his life's work was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake and he had to start over nearly from scratch. Miller thought maybe she could learn something from him about resilience and finding meaning in life. What she found instead, both about his life and about animal life was completely unexpected. Did I mention this is a fascinating read?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization