Monday, January 11, 2021

Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller

Knowing only negative things about David Starr Jordan, I had zero (or even less than zero) interest in reading a book about a woman's hero-worship of him based on his classification of fish.  As a friend commented, "I can't imagine a book bringing together more topics I couldn't care less about."  When it was chosen for one of my book clubs, I considered just skipping the month - but eventually figured that might be a bad way to kick off the book club year, and the book seemed short.  So, I decided to take it for a ride - and what a roller coaster it was!  While I ran hot and cold on this book, I was definitely intrigued by the presentation.  The author presents herself as a bit of a lost soul, looking for meaning in a world of chaos - and intrigued by Jordan, a taxonomist who appears to exhibit incredible grit in the face of adversity.  But, it turns out that Jordan's views of a world in which everything has an appropriate place and classification - is also a world that finds itself ripe for destructive views in terms of eugenics.  And as the author uncovers his support of forced sterilization and other nauseating philosophies, she finds herself losing hope in what she believed would be her own answer to life.  An interesting way to present a biography intermixed with a memoir, I found this book worthwhile in that sense, and it was impressive how many different questions and ideas she fit into such a short book.  But, ultimately, I found the writing style challenged at times - and the lesson learned almost too forced.  Personally, I think I probably just couldn't get over the initial hero-worship of Jordan, but did find this book ripe for discussion and is certainly one I have thought about well after I finished it - which is always a mark of something positive.

No comments: