Why Fish Don’t Exist

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Book Description

Recommended Reading for 2020 by the Washington Post, National Public Radio, the Chicago Tribune, and the Smithsonian Institution

Why Fish Don't Exist is the shocking debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, and has been called “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times) and “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal).​

Miller, at one point, scuba dives into a school of fish.regains her composure and the realization that she is in love. That's exactly how I felt; at the end of the novel, I was completely smitten. —The Book Review of The New York Times

David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a guy who dedicated his life to classifying and cataloging the living things around him. Eventually, he would be given credit for finding roughly 20% of the fish species at the time. The more of the secret design of existence he uncovered, however, the more the cosmos seemed to conspire against him. Lightning, fire, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake all contributed to the destruction of his specimen collections, which contained thousands of finds in fragile glass jars. His entire career was destroyed in an instance.

Some people may have given up and succumbed to their sorrow. Jordan, though? He looked down at the debris at his feet, recognized the first fish, and dove headfirst into the task of reassembling his collection. And this time, he made one key improvement that he thought would shield his creation from the outside world's anarchy.

A cautionary tale in hubris or denial, Jordan was taken for a fool by NPR reporter Lulu Miller when she first heard this event in passing. But as things started to fall apart in her own life, she started to wonder about him. Maybe he should be seen as an example of overcoming adversity. What she would learn about his life would alter her perspective on past events, present morality, and the very ground she walked on.

Why Fish Don't Exist is an inspiring tale about overcoming adversity in a world where disorder will always be the norm.