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

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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