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

WHY FISH DON'T EXIST is a short but well-written and captivating book which combines biography, memoir, science (particularly taxonomy), and philosophy. Written by Lulu Miller, who cohosts both RadioLab and NPR’s Invisibilia podcast, the book recounts Miller’s fascination and subsequent disillusionment with David Starr Jordan, a prominent scientist and scholar during the late 19th and early 20th century. An ichthyologist, passionate about taxonomy, Jordan rose to become the first president of Stanford University and, following his retirement, an outspoken advocate for peace. But as Miller shares her discoveries about Jordan with the reader, a darker side of the man emerges.Miller’s writing is engaging, even poetic at times, and she certainly knows how to tell a story. She punctuates the biographical chapters with sections on her own life and her struggle to find meaning and order in a universe where chaos reigns supreme. Despite some darker sections*, it’s ultimately a hopeful book, and one I am glad to have read.*CW: Readers should be aware that the book includes discussions of some difficult topics, including suicidal ideation, eugenics, and murder.

This is a book in three parts, memoir, philosophy, biography. The memoir is of a thirty year old on a quest of self-discovery. The philosophy is a deep analysis of the interrelation of all things in nature and the uniqueness of each one. The biography is of David Starr Jordan, the first president of Stanford University and an ichthyologist who identified and catalogued over 2500 species of fish.The author's insights are provocative and her point of view is interesting to read and appreciate without regard to whether it can be accepted in whole cloth. She is intrigued by David Starr Jordan and his tenacious pursuit of his objectives regardless of the hardships, disappointments set-backs that he encountered. She tries to incorporate that tenaciousness into her own quests.The book is admirable for the amount of research she put into its writing. Its one major flaw is the author's need to "cancel" David Starr Jordan because of his adoption of eugenics. As odious as we view the eugenics movement today, a century ago it was "accepted science." David Starr Jordan may have been one of the more prominent proponents of eugenics, but he was not the only one, by far. To the contrary, the eugenics movement largely drove American immigration policy in the late Nineteenth Century and early Twentieth Century. To dismiss Jordan because of his views on eugenics deprives us of the breadth of his other notable work.

Recommended to me by the wife of a friend, I figured I would read it out of a sense of obligation and generosity to the recommendation. I'm glad I did.The book encapsulates and intertwines two stories, of David Starr Jordan and of the author. The author is relatable and human, she successfully captures the same of her subject, David Jordan.A book of its time but does what 21 century art often fails to do, makes a strong case without demonizing anything. Helps guide you to a point, and understanding without the black and white perspective of good and evil, right and wrong.This story at best will help provide hope and guidance to some, and at worst solely entertain. I got emotional and often laughed out loud, to the annoyance of the others on the plane I'm sure. At least I'm not a crying baby.Thank you Ms. Miller.

Well, I've now purchased this book 8 times- after reading it myself, sharing with roommates who both asked for their own copies, and as gifts for various people that I think would love it just as much as me. Maybe the message just felt more relevant in the midst of all the chaos of 2020, but regardless this is one that has earned a place of honor on my bookshelf.Wow. Just wow.After falling in love with Lulu Miller’s Invisibilia podcast while going through my own existential crisis (read: navigating my mid twenties living alone in a new city), it would have been impossible for me to ignore this book. That being said, I knew I was potentially setting myself up for disappointment, going into it with nothing other than sky high expectations- but let me tell you, Why Fish Don’t Exist did not disappoint!From the myriad of glowing reviews, I assumed this book would read like an episode of Invisibilia- exposing some quirky scientific fact or theory, leaving the reader with some cool trivia factoids about science, maybe a heartwarming observation about human nature. But it was SO much more than that. Lulu Miller manages to juxtapose a dark sense of nihilism against our base human tendency to find meaning, order and fulfillment in our short time on this tiny blue marble. I was absolutely blown away with her ability to weave science, history, philosophy and raw personal anecdotes into a witty and cohesive narrative, that kept me turning the pages.Not a single one of these genres takes a front seat, and the philosophy she settles on to view her own life through never comes off as preachy or pushy. The book serves as an honest and open look into how one person has grappled with the Big Questions, and I found it immensely relatable. My only regret is that I may have finished it in one sitting.

The author has dug deep into the life of David Starr Jordan, famous Ichthyologist and founding president of Stanford. Her search for the the answer to the question of who matters is one we all need to ask ourselves in today’s world. Her search fir this meaning is brilliant woven through her research on Jordan who moves from hero to horror. I bought a second copy for a friend.

I only read the first few pages and it’s an interesting book…also the cover page is nice

This has easily been one of my favourite books that I've read this year. I have never read anything like it. The story really pulls you in, even though you don't really know where it's going to take you in the beginning. Lulu Millers style of writing is exceptional and made the book unputdownable.

Why Fish Don’t Exist; as mentioned above in one of the longest write-ups I have read for such a small book, is a book from the NPR reporter Lulu Miller on David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist who was also the first Chancellor of the Stanford University in California, US.The book starts by simultaneously describing her own personal crisis and then introducing David Starr Jordan, a man born during the mid-19th century in the state of New York, who was highly interesting in observing an understanding nature during his childhood. Considering the author’s personal crisis, she wanted to seek inspiration from the life of David Starr Jordan, whom despite his circumstances, had immense levels of confidence and on the face of any crisis, looked for a solution to make the solution better. However, the more she learned about him, the more she learned of a dark side to his personality and the consequences of his actions.I was initially apprehensive about the book considering I had heard of David Jordan, who was the first Chancellor of Stanford University and also an early proponent of eugenics. However, these fears did not last long as the writer explored all sides to him and it did not lead to unnecessary levels of glorification and in fact, quite the opposite.The book did seem directionless in the initial phases and left me confused if the objective was to talk about herself or if this was a biography of David Starr Jordan. Portraying him as someone beating the odds did not sit well with me considering he seemed very successful at quite a young age. But as it went, I enjoyed reading the book, especially the latter half, where we learn a lot of dark aspects which most are unaware of – like the forced sterilisation programmes that were carried out in the United States inspired by scientists like Jordan.The author also brought about her disillusionment over David Jordan very well, considering his work often involved exploiting the locals in Japan or Polynesia without giving them credit for the ‘discovery’ of the fish, a murder allegation against him, etc.The ending justified the title and was also powerful as the author figures her own way to deal with her personal crisis. And I need to mention here that I loved the illustrations by Kate Samworth at the beginning of every chapter.On that note, I would say that the book was an enjoyable read – has a beautiful cover and good illustrations, to add to the reading experience. Would recommend it as a light read (which deals with a lot of heavy topics) and on that note, I would award the book a rating of four on five.

Amazing read