Lulu Miller è un'autrice e artista americana il cui lavoro spesso si addentra nei regni della scienza e del reportage. Come affermata conduttrice radiofonica pubblica, sfrutta la sua esperienza per creare narrazioni avvincenti che esplorano idee complesse e il loro impatto sull'esperienza umana. Il suo stile è caratterizzato dalla curiosità e dalla capacità di scoprire connessioni inaspettate, offrendo ai lettori nuove prospettive sul mondo che li circonda. Attraverso la sua scrittura, Miller mira a demistificare i concetti scientifici e a renderli accessibili a un pubblico più ampio, evidenziando spesso l'elemento umano all'interno dell'indagine scientifica.
Exploring the life of 19th-century naturalist David Starr Jordan, the narrative intertwines Lulu Miller's personal struggles with his obsession for uncovering nature's order. After the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroys many of Jordan's specimens, his resilience inspires Lulu to confront life's unpredictability. However, the story reveals a darker side to Jordan's pursuits, highlighting the human cost of categorizing the unknown. This unique blend of biography and personal reflection offers insights into love, scientific discovery, and navigating chaos.
"David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake--which sent more than a thousand of his discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool--a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don't Exist reads like a fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail"--Provided by publisher
Eine Geschichte von Verlust, Liebe und der verborgenen Ordnung des Lebens
David Starr Jordan war ein Professor für Taxonomie, besessen von der Ordnung der natürlichen Welt. Ihm wurde die Entdeckung und Benennung von fast einem Fünftel aller damals bekannten Fische zugeschrieben. Doch je mehr er über den verborgenen Bauplan des Lebens erfuhr, desto mehr schien das Universum gegen ihn zu arbeiten. Seine Sammlungen wurden durch Blitzschlag, Feuer und schließlich 1906 durch das Erdbeben in San Francisco zerstört, wobei über tausend zerbrechliche Funde verloren gingen. In diesem Moment des Verlusts hätten viele aufgegeben, doch Jordan nicht. Er fand den ersten Fisch, den er benannt hatte, und begann, seine Sammlung mit neuem Mut wieder aufzubauen. Als die NPR-Reporterin Lulu Miller von dieser Anekdote hörte, hielt sie Jordan zunächst für einen Narren, ein Beispiel für Selbstüberschätzung. Doch während sie ihr eigenes Leben entwirrte, begann sie, ihn als Vorbild zu sehen, wie man weitermacht, wenn alles verloren scheint. Alles, was sie über sein Leben herausfand, veränderte ihr Verständnis von Geschichte, Moral und der Welt. Teils Biografie, teils Memoiren und teils wissenschaftliches Abenteuer, erzählt die Geschichte von Verlust, Liebe und der verborgenen Ordnung des Lebens und ist eine fesselnde Fabel über das Durchhalten in einer chaotischen Welt.
