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Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025: the profound and life-affirming memoir about finding our way in a chaotic world'A sumptuous, surprising, dark delight' Carmen Maria Machado'Fast-moving, deftly balanced, full of surprises' Guardian's Book of the Day'A bold and original blend of memoir and science' Elizabeth BuchananIf fish don't exist, what else do we have wrong?As a child, Lulu Miller's scientist father taught her that chaos will come for us all. There is no cosmic destiny, no plan. Enter David Starr Jordan, 19th-century taxonomist and believer in order.A fish specialist devoted to mapping out the great tree of life, who spent his days pinning down unruly fins, studying shimmering scales and sealing new discoveries into jars of ethanol.At a time when Lulu's life is unravelling, David Starr Jordan beckons. Reading about Jordan's sheer perseverance after an earthquake shattered his collection, Lulu stumbles upon an unexpected antidote to life's unpredictability. But

《Why Fish Don’t Exist》是一段關於秩序、信念與失序的真實故事。生物學家 David Starr Jordan 終其一生致力為自然命名，卻多次見證收藏在地震與火災中化為灰燼。多年後，NPR 記者 Lulu Miller 在個人低潮時重新追尋他的足跡，逐步發現這不只是關於魚與標本的故事，更是人類如何在混亂中尋找意義的寓言。 ・入選《華盛頓郵報》《NPR》年度好書・兼具傳記與哲思的文學紀實・探討「秩序」的幻象與堅持的代價A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * SmithsonianA “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder.​“At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish…comes up for air, and realizes she’s in love. That’s how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten.” —The New York Times Book ReviewDavid 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 li

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025.The profound and life-affirming memoir about finding our way in a chaotic world.'A sumptuous, surprising, dark delight' Carmen Maria Machado'Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten' NYTAs the daughter of a scientist, Lulu Miller was taught that chaos will come for us all. There is no cosmic destiny, no grand plan. But years later, reeling from heartbreak, she stumbles upon the story of David Starr Jordan - a fearless taxonomist devoted to order.Looking to cure her crisis of confidence, Lulu is intrigued by the hubris of this mighty biologist, who refused to admit defeat when lightning struck his laboratory and earthquakes shattered his collection.Until, digging deeper, she makes a startling discovery. One that will upend her wish for a neatly catalogued existence and reveal the profound beauty of embracing chaos.PRAISE FOR WHY FISH DON'T EXIST:'Shimmering' Guardian'Astonishing' Prospect'Compelling' The