Lulu Miller is an American author and artist whose work often delves into the realms of science and reporting. As an established public radio broadcaster, she leverages her experience to craft compelling narratives that explore complex ideas and their impact on the human experience. Her style is characterized by curiosity and an ability to uncover unexpected connections, offering readers fresh perspectives on the world around them. Through her writing, Miller aims to demystify scientific concepts and make them accessible to a broader audience, often highlighting the human element within scientific inquiry.
Exploring the life of 19th-century naturalist David Starr Jordan, the narrative intertwines Lulu Miller's personal struggles with his obsession for uncovering nature's order. After the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroys many of Jordan's specimens, his resilience inspires Lulu to confront life's unpredictability. However, the story reveals a darker side to Jordan's pursuits, highlighting the human cost of categorizing the unknown. This unique blend of biography and personal reflection offers insights into love, scientific discovery, and navigating chaos.
"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"--Provided by publisher
