Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

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

11 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

newandhorrible's review

adventurous challenging funny informative medium-paced

5.0

I suggested this book to my book club after another friend said that HER book club read it and really liked it. It was short (5ish hours on audio), and nobody had any glaring objections, so we chose it.

And let me tell you. I had NO IDEA what I had gotten us into.

This book defies every genre you try and put it in.

Part biography, part taxonomy textbook, part memoir, part coming-out story, part history-of-eugenics-and-its-ramifications, part MURDER MYSTERY???

I enjoyed it SO MUCH, way more than I thought I would based on the description. I'm so thankful my friend recommended it, and I will definitely be looking to her for more recommendations.

She lost me a little bit with justification of "fish don't exist". I'm not quite ready to give up the fish yet, but maybe someday.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Minor: Car accident

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

toffishay's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I could not have guessed that I would be adding another 5-star reading at the tail end of the year. But each page of this book brought me new insight, new pain, new joy. And in another sense, it was nothing new. We are faced with our own lives and our natural world and we take what we can get. The writing is intense and thoughtful. It afforded me some additional perspective about the world around us and made me want to learn more about nature. And it made me cry!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Racism, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, War, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Toxic relationship, and Car accident

1414's review

adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal death and Rape

Minor: Car accident, Infertility, and Infidelity

adeliab's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Moderate: Murder, Medical trauma, and Ableism

Minor: Car accident, Genocide, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Death of parent, Rape, and Self harm

meliacoletta's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

The audiobook, read by Miller, is delightful! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Self harm, Medical trauma, and Racism

Minor: Car accident

emhunsber's review

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Child abuse, Car accident, Body horror, Blood, Biphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Ableism

valerlance's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I expected a biography full of taxonomy. Surprise! This book contains some of what I expected, but it's also a memoir and a philosophy text and even (for just a chapter or so) a murder mystery! I loved it so much!!! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which is read by the author herself and includes a wonderful, tender surprise after the epilogue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Murder

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, and Racism

There's a lot of discussion of eugenics

rorikae's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

'Why Fish Don't Exist' by LuLu Miller is an engaging nonfiction book that moves between Miller's desire to find meaning within her own life and her exploration of the life of David Starr Jordan. As Miller learns more about Jordan's life, she unravels a man that though known for his accomplishments, such as his work as a taxonomist and as the first president of Stanford University, has incredible flaws and terrible views about the world. The way that Miller uncovers these discoveries about Jordan's life are engaging as we slowly come to learn more about this man and his descent into eugenics. 
This is a hard book as Miller discusses her struggles with mental illness and searching for meaning but it ultimately has a very hope filled conclusion. Miller presents a way to reframe how we see the world that has helped her find meaning and I found it to be very moving. She challenges the reader to look beyond what we take for granted to see how assumptions and even taxonomies can get in the way of discovering the beauty and complexity of life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Car accident