Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller

 

Today we met at Rebecca's house to discuss Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller. The book is difficult to classify. It is partially a biography of David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist from the late 1800s and early 1900s who eventually became the president of Stanford University. At the same time, it is partially a memoir about the author and her fascination with Jordan. Miller was deeply moved by Jordan, whose life's work was destroyed by lightening, a fire, and an earthquake and yet who continued to persevere. Miller digs deep into the writings and stories of Jordan to uncover her own understanding of what it means to live with purpose and integrity and what happens when our structured view of the world crumbles and falls apart.

The book was well-received by all. The narrative brought the reader to so many interesting places that it spoke to everyone. First, there was the educational aspect: we learned about the life of Jordan, the field of taxonomy, the poisoning of Jane Stanford, the surprising science behind why the category of fish doesn't really exist, and the uncomfortable history of eugenics in the United States. Then there was the philosophical aspect of the book: the meaning of life with and without a belief in God, the difference between attitude and delusion, the power of the individual in a society, and ethics. And then, there was the arc of the author's own story, digging herself out of depression and using her obsession over Jordan as a vehicle for self-discovery. And finally the aftermath: the result of the author telling this powerful story caused many buildings throughout the country to be renamed. 

Many times, we will read a book, discuss it for twenty minutes and then move on to our own lives, but with this book, we kept coming back to different aspects of the story again and again in our conversation. We discussed ethical questions of what we would do if a fetus had a genetic disease or a condition that made them different (to some in the 1800s 'unfit') or if we knew that a child would live a short life. We related this to themes from other books and movies.  Finally, after much discussion and philosophizing over a delicious mushroom lasagna with a side of roasted carrots, we talked about work, recipes, generative AI, TV, the WE manifesto, "femalism," logorrhea, and other topics. The bookclub eventually morphed into yoga and a dance party.

In a deep fake, the picture above shows both Karen and Lisa as if they were on the same call, when in fact, they got on and off at different times. We didn't photoshop Liz in because she couldn't make it and that would have been too far from reality - but we were thinking of her and send her our love. Thanks everyone for the great read and amazing bookclub!