Why Fish Don't Exist

Wholly original book that combined biography, personal memoir, history, mystery and good science writing.

Lulu Miller is a woman looking to the past, and specifically to an early 20th century taxonomist, for inspiration in the face of disappointment in her own life. As someone who also looks to historical figures for inspiration, this premise always gets me.

Miller, however, gets more than she bargained for in learning about the life of this taxonomist and spends the rest of her book grappling with the good and evil that can reside within the same person, alongside her exploration of the science of time.

This book was so unique and entrancing that I couldn’t put it down.… show more.

This was one of my favorite books I have read in a long time. It did what I always want books to do. It appealed to my very nerdy sensibilities, wanting to learn, wanting science, especially ocean science, while also pulling at my heartstrings, leading me through various interesting social dilemmas and conversations, and telling an intimate, vulnerable story that was both compelling and relatable.

I also love a storyteller who can introduce a few key and pivotal themes and then return to them at savvy intervals throughout the book, essentially presenting a hypothesis and then providing the evidence for… show more.

We got to know Lulu Miller through her prolific career in sci-comm, both on Radiolab and Invisibilia (if you haven’t listened to those, they’re great road trip material!).

Miller’s foray into a full-length book is a perfect combination of a deeply personal memoir and an engaging tale about renowned scientist David Starr Jordan and, wait for it: ichthyology. It’s a great reminder to stay curious, because even the most scientific stories can bring out the humanity in all of us.