Why Fish Don't Exist
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Beschreibung
A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, 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.
Buchinformationen
Beiträge
Eine angenehme Mischung aus Sachbuch und Autobiographie. Das Buch dreht sich um die Biographie des Taxonomie-Professors David Star Jordan und beleuchtet mit ihm verknüpfte mysteriöse Vorfälle an der Stanford Uni und den dunklen Seiten der amerikanischen Geschichte – Rassenlehre und Sterilisationen. Gleichzeitig schreibt Miller über ihren persönlichen Kampf gegen die Depression. Das Buch wurde von Sabine Wolf auch ins Deutsche übersetzt.
Mir fiel es etwas schwer in das Buch rein zu kommen da ich mir darunter auch nicht besonders viel vorstellen konnte. Auch nachdem ich es gelesen habe finde ich es schwierig es zu beschreiben, da es viele unterschiedliche Teile gab. Gewisse Kapitel gefielen mir dann auch sehr gut während ich mit anderen wenig anfangen konnte. Insgesamt hatte das Buch viele interessante Teile doch ergab für mich nicht unbedingt ein stimmiges Ganzes.
The way this book started off, and ended was mind boggling. The transition was so smooth, from thinking this man is great and his Optimism is admirable to actually being educated on how evil he turned out to be. This book was such an interesting read, I learnt so many things! AND FISH DONT EXIST!!!
Powerful message but you have to work through the distaste
This book has been on my tbr for months/ years so I didn’t remember the purpose/ the original reason of putting it on my shelf in the first place. So basically I went into it with the hope of it being a light and quick read. It ended up being one of the best books I’ve read. It takes you through intrigue, shock, horror, anger, hope, grief and the lightness of being. I’ve been struggling to find perspective with my nihilistic view on life. This book did form a new view I wasn’t yet able to put into words.
Incredible story telling and brain picking
The book is structured in such a way that you’re unconsciously drawn in, step by step. At first you’re sceptical, or simply observing neutrally, but then suddenly you read a paragraph and think to yourself, “Yes. It all makes sense. The author has worked precisely to ensure that I take this paragraph in exactly the right way," and then, when another thought pops up like, "Yes, that makes sense, but what about this and that?", the very next few pages deal precisely with this and that. An incredibly well-researched and logically structured book Additionally (careful, slight spoiler) I usually don't really like it when books end on the note that the characters is finally happy because they have found a partner. That you need another person to finally feel happiness. However I let it slide this time because I see it here as finding and opening up to love in unexpected forms and places and also be true to who you are.
Beschreibung
A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, 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.
Buchinformationen
Beiträge
Eine angenehme Mischung aus Sachbuch und Autobiographie. Das Buch dreht sich um die Biographie des Taxonomie-Professors David Star Jordan und beleuchtet mit ihm verknüpfte mysteriöse Vorfälle an der Stanford Uni und den dunklen Seiten der amerikanischen Geschichte – Rassenlehre und Sterilisationen. Gleichzeitig schreibt Miller über ihren persönlichen Kampf gegen die Depression. Das Buch wurde von Sabine Wolf auch ins Deutsche übersetzt.
Mir fiel es etwas schwer in das Buch rein zu kommen da ich mir darunter auch nicht besonders viel vorstellen konnte. Auch nachdem ich es gelesen habe finde ich es schwierig es zu beschreiben, da es viele unterschiedliche Teile gab. Gewisse Kapitel gefielen mir dann auch sehr gut während ich mit anderen wenig anfangen konnte. Insgesamt hatte das Buch viele interessante Teile doch ergab für mich nicht unbedingt ein stimmiges Ganzes.
The way this book started off, and ended was mind boggling. The transition was so smooth, from thinking this man is great and his Optimism is admirable to actually being educated on how evil he turned out to be. This book was such an interesting read, I learnt so many things! AND FISH DONT EXIST!!!
Powerful message but you have to work through the distaste
This book has been on my tbr for months/ years so I didn’t remember the purpose/ the original reason of putting it on my shelf in the first place. So basically I went into it with the hope of it being a light and quick read. It ended up being one of the best books I’ve read. It takes you through intrigue, shock, horror, anger, hope, grief and the lightness of being. I’ve been struggling to find perspective with my nihilistic view on life. This book did form a new view I wasn’t yet able to put into words.
Incredible story telling and brain picking
The book is structured in such a way that you’re unconsciously drawn in, step by step. At first you’re sceptical, or simply observing neutrally, but then suddenly you read a paragraph and think to yourself, “Yes. It all makes sense. The author has worked precisely to ensure that I take this paragraph in exactly the right way," and then, when another thought pops up like, "Yes, that makes sense, but what about this and that?", the very next few pages deal precisely with this and that. An incredibly well-researched and logically structured book Additionally (careful, slight spoiler) I usually don't really like it when books end on the note that the characters is finally happy because they have found a partner. That you need another person to finally feel happiness. However I let it slide this time because I see it here as finding and opening up to love in unexpected forms and places and also be true to who you are.