Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

41 reviews

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

If you like reading about science and taxonomy, this would be a good book for you. If you’re loosely interested, maybe you would as well. I am not interested in these subjects but the way the author tied the subjects into her own story about life and how the universe is not as it seems… well I was interested to know why fish don’t exist. It was good book! Definitely not what I was expecting but it was enlightening and relaxing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicide, Homophobia, Infertility, Pregnancy, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Ableism, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

readingpicnic's review

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Medical trauma, Child death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity and Self harm

pipn_t's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

This was an alright book that I despised deeply when it became clear it was a biography and not a science book.  I guess it’s a good example of why you shouldn’t read books based on a cool title.  Did not enjoy nor come to care about the man being biographies at all.  The title subject of the book was tacked on at the end.   Didn’t appreciate that the author was trying to convert me to her nihilistic worldview, if I’m using the right word.  Content warning for extended discussion of eugenics.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Racism

heychickadee's review

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

There is a lot of discussion about eugenics and forced steralization in tje second half of the book.

sebastianflynn's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Biphobia, Cursing, and Genocide

katefinman7's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt

cornfusedsnow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

strawberrymoonceci's review against another edition

informative reflective

4.5

This was an incredibly interesting book. She paints such a vivid picture in all the scenes, even the ones she didn't witness. I was very curious about the name of the book, I was also curious about the importance of this taxonomist. It was a gripping read, fascinating really. The audiobook version is wonderful, and I found the little nugget included at the end so heartwarming. This definitely made me want to read more book about natural history.

I absolutely did not expect the plot twists to include murder and eugenics! I think it's very interesting how Robert Starr Jordan went from allegedly covering up a murder, feeling wracked with guilt about it, to making eugenics his new purpose in life. What an absolute monster. The book is a masterclass in how to write a villain. In the beginning you hear mostly praise for him, there are definitely criticisms but you can see the author choosing to focus in his great capacity for perseverance, only for it to take a dark change, and for him to end up being responsible for the death, torture and mutilation (amongs other things) of tens of thousands in the US alone. Also, the US was the first country to make eugenics into national law. Which is so interesting considering the national narrative about it role in WW2. Not the least surprising though. I am surprised at how engaging this book was, considering I didn't like the author at all. Her writing is great, but she did not pass the vibe check. Also, fish dont exist as a category, that's the answer to the title. And Robert Starr Jordan can suck on that!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Torture, Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Rape, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Infertility, and Medical trauma

Minor: Death and Child death

lesbianelvira's review

adventurous challenging hopeful informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

5.0

i wish this book were longer. i love books like this that weave genres together, specifically science with history and memoir. learning about david starr jordan — who i knew nothing about previously — was an incredibly wild ride & i’m very moved by how i was taken on the journey lulu went through

: fascination, empathy, inspiration, disappointment, and horror.

i will say i was left wanting so much more of lulu miller herself. she was extremely relatable and compelling for me. i find myself wanting to see her work at NPR, other writings, and reach out to her. i wanted more from this book because i think it could’ve cracked me open the way heartbreak: a personal and scientific journey did. even still, i was crying at the library finishing it, and i’m absolutely going to see about getting my hands on the book she recommended: naming nature by carol yoon, stay alive: a history of suicide by jennifer hecht, and what a fish knows by jonathan balcombe. & i did immediately tell my students about how fish don’t exist, pairing it with the knowledge lulu references that i learned previously: (from paleopod) that bats are from ungulates, and (from a paleo tiktok) whales descending from deer. i love nature. so chaotic. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

bleach226's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm