Name: frances's review of Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller
Item: Why Fish Don't Exist
Author: frances

Lulu Miller

A wondrous debut from an extraordinary new voice in nonfiction, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder. 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 of his 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 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 reads like a fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life

Why Fish Don't Exist

taylor miles hopkins

There's an idea in philosophy that certain things don't exist until they get a name…The thinking goes that these concepts do not sit out there on some ethereal plane waiting to be discovered by humans but instead snap into being when someone invents a name for them. The moment the name is uttered, the concept becomes "real," in the sense that it can affect reality.

“Instruments of precision, logic, mathematics, the telescope, the microscope and the scalpel are not needed in sciosophy," he jabbed, “because life is short and humanity demands quick returns.”

The famous primatologist Frans de Waal, of Emory University, says this is something humans do all the time—downplay similarities between us and other animals, as a way of maintaining our spot at the top of our imaginary ladder.

She said she had sympathy for the fish, then. Sympathy for the idea that once you name something, you tend to stop looking at it.

"Ignorance is the most delightful science in the world because it is acquired without labor or pains and keeps the mind from melancholy.”

Syrina

Scientists, de Waal points out, can be some of the worst offenders -employing technical language to distance ourselves from the rest of the animals. They call “kissing” in chimps “mouth-to-mouth contact”; they call “friends” between partners"; they interpret primates favorite affiliation showing that crows and chimps can make tools as being somehow evidence qualitatively different from the kind of toolmaking said to define humanity. If an animal can beat us at a cognitive task ike certain bird species can remember the precise locations of thousands of seeds--they write it off as instinct, not intelligence. This and so many more tricks of language are what de Waal has termed "linguistic castration." The way we use our tongues to disempower animals, the way we invent words to maintain our spot at the top.

When you give up the stars you get a universe.

The power of the rosy lens seems to have a limit. And when it runs out, the fact of your impotence will really sting.

Is there any downside to living life behind rose-colored lenses?

I went over to the evolutionists with the grace of a cat the boy “leads” by its tail across the carpet!

Perhaps he had cracked something essential about how to have hope in a world of no promises, about how to carry forward on the darkest days. About how to have faith without Faith.

I made a ceremony of popping each pill out of its little plastic bubble. One pill per minute. Even atheists like ritual.

Maybe Cape Cod is fertile ground for existential transformation

Pitch Black

frances

A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from an extraordinary new voice in nonfiction, 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.

Louisa

Elisavet Rozaki 

When I saw the title I didn't know what to expect. I still don't know what this book is about, but I really enjoyed reading it.

britt

chloe rae

This book was exceptional.

This was my first time reading a book like this, so I started out a little hesitant. Though I was enjoying what I was reading, at first, I had a hard time finding my footing or sensing the direction of the story.

However, once I was able to shut my mind off and sink into the writing, I was simply along for the ride and what a truly WILD ride it was!

This book is hard to explain and I think that’s one of its biggest strengths. It’s part memoir, part biography but also felt sometimes like a short story or an essay for a science journal. The fact that it’s not easily categorized is hilarious and truly a nod towards the topics discussed in this book.

I honestly loved everything about it. The intrigue and mystery and MURDER - the fish and the grief and…EUGENICS? I mean, it truly has it all. And Lulu is such a fabulous story teller. The way she wove David Starr Jordan’s history into her own story was just so beautifully done. And I feel like I learned so much. What a truly incredible thing - to learn something new. I’m so glad I read this, and I really think everyone should do the same!

Beautiful and unique and holy crap I actually finished a nonfiction book. 

Michael Klepacki

Radiolab and Invisibilia fans are no stranger to Lulu Miller and her ability to take a piece of the past and make it relatable to today. While I don’t question her craft, I found this one underwhelming unlike her frequent contributions to her podcast. Perhaps it was just long-winded?

Ali Angco

probably my best nonfiction read of 2023. i love when a book gets me to care to learn about something i wouldn't have without it. miller has insightful and poetic reflections on david starr jordan's work and generally is a fantastic storyteller

petrina

jennifer 

Loved how the author takes you along with her on the ups and downs and insights that come with learning about complex people. As I'm typing this, I realize how the seemingly qualitative ability to make sense of human complexity arches back to the book's taxonomical and biological themes that encourage diversity and "peering beyond the convenient lines we draw over nature." Love a stem and humanities joint slay.

2nd read:

“And so it must be with humans, with us. From the perspective of the stars or infinity or some eugenic dream of perfection, sure, one human life might not seem to matter. It might be a speck on a speck on a speck, soon gone. But that was just one of infinite perspectives. From the perspective of an apartment in Lynchburg, Virginia, that very same human could be so much more. A stand-in mother. A source of laughter. A way of surviving one’s darkest years.

This was what Darwin was trying so hard to get his readers to see: that there is never just one way of ranking nature’s organisms. To get stuck on a single hierarchy is to miss the bigger picture, the messy truth of nature, the “whole machinery of life.” The work of good science is to try to peer beyond the “convenient” lines we draw over nature. To peer beyond intuition, where something wilder lives. To know that in every organism at which you gaze, there is complexity you will never comprehend.”
[...]

Excerpt from: "Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life" by Lulu Miller. Scribd.

WE MATTER :( fuck you david star Jordan

The subject of this book was interesting, but I had a lot of issues with the tone and writing style. The author is diving into the life of a man who definitely murdered his boss and then GOT AWAY WITH CALLING HER CAUSE OF DEATH HYSTERIA, then went on to be one of the founding fathers of eugenics, and for some reason the author keeps trying to make this all about herself. 

The book goes like this: “This guy’s fish tanks exploded in an earthquake so he decided to use sewing needles to permanently disfigure the fish by sewing name tags to them…. :( It reminds of when I cheated on my boyfriend and couldn’t get over him when he left me.” Like… huh?? What? 

And the author goes on and on about chaos… I think she’s conflating “chaos” with “bad things happening” and “consequences to my actions.” I see what she was going for, but it kind of falls apart when you look at it too closely, like she’s blaming cosmic forces for everything that goes wrong in her life. 

I will say this book was easy to follow and covered some important facets of history that I’m glad I learned. I just really did not like the delivery or the buzzfeed-article style of writing. 

Is it worth reading? Eh… if you want a quick audiobook to listen to, I’d say yes. Just be prepared for some serious stretching on the author’s part to compare her life to the subject of this book.

Cloudface

Well that was a roller coaster.

The subject of this book was interesting, but I had a lot of issues with the tone and writing style. The author is diving into the life of a man who definitely murdered his boss and then GOT AWAY WITH CALLING HER CAUSE OF DEATH HYSTERIA, then went on to be one of the founding fathers of eugenics, and for some reason the author keeps trying to make this all about herself. 


The book goes like this: “This guy’s fish tanks exploded in an earthquake so he decided to use sewing needles to permanently disfigure the fish by sewing name tags to them…. :( It reminds of when I cheated on my boyfriend and couldn’t get over him when he left me.” Like… huh?? What? 


And the author goes on and on about chaos… I think she’s conflating “chaos” with “bad things happening” and “consequences to my actions.” I see what she was going for, but it kind of falls apart when you look at it too closely, like she’s blaming cosmic forces for everything that goes wrong in her life. 
I will say this book was easy to follow and covered some important facets of history that I’m glad I learned. I just really did not like the delivery or the buzzfeed-article style of writing. 

Is it worth reading? Eh… if you want a quick audiobook to listen to, I’d say yes. Just be prepared for some serious stretching on the author’s part to compare her life to the subject of this book.

Jenell Pizarro

Gabby W

Really beautiful and moving and strange, but in a captivating way. This book has given me a lot to think about in terms of my world outlook, mental health, and understanding of nature.

altlovesbooks

I sat on this review a long while before typing this out. I'm not sure whatever I say about it here will do it justice. I guess, in short form, if the idea of discovering why we feel the need to categorize things (plants, fish, people) can be harmful appeals to you and you don't mind taking a long journey of discovery to get there, this book is for you.

The description here on Goodreads doesn't really do this book justice; yes, David Starr Jordan's taxonomic quest to label all fish is the reason for the book existing, but it's far from the point of the book. The author's quest to rebuild her life through this obsession with David Starr Jordan is a main point of the story, but even that is just the framework for the larger theme of labelling being harmful and accepting fundamental changes without falling to pieces. Either you accept that fish don't exist and reorder your life around this fundamental change, or you categorically reject it and find yourself lost without a compass.

The buildup this book provides is important, and you can't skip parts to go on to the "better ones", because you need the buildup for the payoff to matter and have meaning. Your perceptions and beliefs about what you've read are constantly being flipped on their heads as you go on this wild ride from David Starr Jordan being this quirky biologist to (view spoiler)[being a racist eugenicist who maybe killed his wife (hide spoiler)]. I had a lot of whiplash moments when things abruptly changed on me, and I really enjoyed the feeling of "well I guess this book can go anywhere now".

After a lot of thought, this ended up making my favorites shelf for this year. I had no idea I was in for the ride I went on.

Phenomenal read: the storytelling, the research, the prose, the intertwining of Jordan’s story with Lulu’s. This is a coming-of-age novel, a reality check, a self-help book, and a history lesson. 

But I am left wondering…what do I call the creatures we currently classify as fish? Water creatures? 

And at the end of the day, part of me is secretly happy to not have to debate the grammatical correctness of fish vs fishes, as fish don’t exist.

Phenomenal read: the storytelling, the research, the prose, the intertwining of Jordan’s story with Lulu’s. This is a coming-of-age novel, a reality check, a self-help book, and a history lesson. 

But I am left wondering…what do I call the creatures we currently classify as fish? Water creatures? 

And at the end of the day, part of me is secretly happy to not have to debate the grammatical correctness of fish vs fishes, as fish don’t exist.

Interesting, reflective, and existential. A really intimate dive into meaning, the absurd, and chaos as a governing body. 

Kerry McHugh West

sweet & thought provoking biography & memoir detailing resonant aspects of a certain man’s life that all leads back to fish! or not fish. because they don’t exist. finished the last few chapters in a tiny rain-struck cabin & it felt like i was gifted a spacious & supportive lens as i am deep in nature. 

mira lee

Shona Tiger

Ehh. Sigh. But some interesting bits. And lovely illustrations.

Alex Ker

A quick and concise read that nevertheless made it to the top of my all-time favourites list (and the top spot in the memoir and biography category). Truly an interdisciplinary masterpiece that transcends any genre: an aesthetic weaving and stitching of loss, love, curiosity, optimism, and perseverance. And what a satisfying conclusion that Miller reaches from researching David Starr Jordan--that in fact, the interconnectedness web-like structure of life and the perspective you bring to others make your life matter and meaningful as a speck on a speck on a speck. Why Fish Don't Exist is a study of grit in the face of constant chaos, destruction, evil, as well as the inevitable good that comes with randomness, and everything in between. It is a delicious murder mystery. It is lens into why people are motivated to do what they do. It is skepticism against science and imaginary natural order built by humans to fit the world in a neat little box when there is no clean delineation and objective outlook. Will surely be revisiting this book in the future.

i was not too certain when i picked up this book but at the time i was really struggling of picking out books for one of the non-fiction genre categories of the storygraph genre challenge. my friend, vins, mentioned she'd heard this one was good so i filed it away.

i am glad to report that i do not regret picking this up. beyond the facts it relates regarding nature and science, it is, at its gore, a book about grief and trauma and learning to emerge from it and let go (much as the title lets on). the science itself was interesting and miller's voice is fresh and engaging but it was those last few minutes that made it truly, truly touching.

after i finished it, i felt the need to quietly ride the train in silence.

Fraser Simons

This has literally everything I like about non fiction in it. Some memoir, some philosophy, a bit of true crime, interesting factoids seemingly unrelated. Everything is woven together into something equally unexpected and revelatory.

Jeremy Anderberg

“It’s not if, it’s when. Chaos is the only sure thing in this world.”

This potent line is found near the beginning of Lulu Miller’s new book. At the start, at least, it’s an exploration of chaos’ reign in our lives, which inevitably leads to other existential questions. Lulu is a co-creator of one of my favorite podcasts, Invisibilia. And this wonderful, superbly readable book unfolds like an episode of Invisibilia in the form of the written word.

Like the podcast often does, Why Fish Don’t Exist takes on a couple different storylines, which seemingly go in different directions, but then converge at the end for a meaningful gut punch of a . . . life lesson? That doesn’t quite feel like the right term, but it also does. It’s just not the same sort of neat, tidy, immediately actionable lesson that you’d find in a self-help book.

The primary storyline is that of the supremely interesting David Starr Jordan. He was a scientist and fish taxonomist who, at the turn of the twentieth century, was responsible for a shocking number of fish discoveries and taxonomical categorizations — well into four figures. In multiple instances, however, the universe seemed to conspire to take his work from him and destroy all those fish he’d so painstakingly collected and labeled. At first, Lulu looks to him for inspiration. What keeps someone standing and staring confidently into the inevitable, shifting, chaotic tides of chaos?

But, that initial assumption about where the narrative will go is certainly not the end of it. We get a lot of Miller’s own journey too, and an eventual dissatisfaction with the route that Jordan took.

As Lulu herself admits, this book is impossible to categorize. It’s part science (you will indeed learn why fish don’t exist), part memoir, part philosophy even. No matter the genre it falls into, though, it’s a great story that’ll both entertain and inspire a deeper reflection about the world around you, and your place in it.

Andrew Marti

An unpredictable read. I thought this was going to be a biography of David Starr Jordan and how he dedicated his life to understanding and documenting variations of fish, opening a world of discovery and insight. Instead, this took a different, dark, but very captivating turn, upending everything you thought you knew about fish.

Marcel

This is a special book. I loved it: https://uarrr.org/2020/05/31/why-fish...

Jeremy Cote

I really enjoyed this book. Lulu Miller writes beautifully, and the way she weaves her own story with Jordan's was wonderful to read. I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I had heard good things about it. They weren't wrong.

The other nice touch is that each chapter has an illustration, and it really gives the book a wonderful feel. I highly recommend this book.

Pitch Black &
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Pitch Black &Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Pitch Black &
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller