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.
"Lulu Miller draws a heartening lesson—that chaos, which comes for us all, can be defeated by sheer human stubbornness." —Los Angeles Times
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.
"Lulu Miller draws a heartening lesson—that chaos, which comes for us all, can be defeated by sheer human stubbornness." —Los Angeles Times
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.
Louisa Elizabeth Miller, better known as Lulu Miller, is an American writer, artist, and science reporter for National Public Radio. Miller's career in radio started as a producer for the WNYC program Radiolab. She now co-hosts the NPR show Invisibilia with Alix Spiegel.
露露·米勒 作者
老叶不老
湖南文艺出版社2022版
茯苓瞳
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Di
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魔豆7号
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阿浆
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麒麟
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0 有用 Jacintta H 2020-05-22 06:53:02
通过radiolab听了很多Lulu Miller制作的节目，对她的写作风格也有点了解也很喜欢。一边聊David Starr Jordan的人生一边聊到自己的生活困境，还有一桩嫌疑谋杀案，整本书节奏好，不无聊，结尾有有声书专有彩蛋。更喜欢她啦
0 有用 修长生 2024-09-04 21:51:04 美国
I loved it - 其实lulu的写作功底真的很好，中间穿插的很多作者少年和青年时期的成长故事和内心孤寂。Jordan的故事真相其实无从得知，但有趣的是作者的推测，和理想中的历史人物和现实证据的摩擦。最后一章的个人生活其实很暖心了。