2025/03/24

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Finding Our Way in a Chaotic World eBook : Miller, Lulu: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

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Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Finding Our Way in a Chaotic World Kindle Edition
by Lulu Miller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,757 ratings

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 Buchanan
If 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 lurking behind the lore of this mighty taxonomist lies a darker tale waiting to be told: one about the human cost of attempting to define the form of things unknown.
This is a story unlike any other you've read before. It's about a very tall man with a walrus moustache, the injustices and unexpected deliverances of the universe, love that strikes like lightning and about why fish don't exist after all.
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Print length

241 pages
Language

English
Publisher

ONE
Publication date

10 October 2024
File size

11.4 MB

Product description

Review

"I loved this book for its sense of wonder as well as its suspicion of that wonder--its belief that on the other side of interrogation there are even deeper, more specific enchantments waiting."-- "Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author"

"Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even!...This book will capture your heart, seize your imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world."-- "Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author"

"This book is a magical hybrid of science, portraiture, and memoir--and a delight to read."-- "Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author"

"This book is perfect, just perfect. It's both lyrical and learned, personal and political, small and huge, quirky and profound."-- "Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.
Review

"I loved this book for its sense of wonder as well as its suspicion of that wonder--its belief that on the other side of interrogation there are even deeper, more specific enchantments waiting."-- "Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author"

"This book is perfect, just perfect. It's both lyrical and learned, personal and political, small and huge, quirky and profound."-- "Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author"

"This book is a magical hybrid of science, portraiture, and memoir--and a delight to read."-- "Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author"

"Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even!...This book will capture your heart, seize your imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world."-- "Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Lulu Miller is the cofounder of the NPR program Invisibilia, a series from NPR about the unseen forces that control human behavior. Before creating Invisibilia, she produced Radiolab for five years and was a reporter on the NPR Science Desk. She has an MFA from the University of Virginia on a Poe-Faulkner Fellowship. Her work has won honors from the Peabody Awards, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Associated Press.--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D92FQ9CK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ ONE (10 October 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 11.4 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 241 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 35,477 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)19 in Biographies & Memoirs of Scientists
66 in Biographies of Scientists
290 in Memoirs (Kindle Store)Customer Reviews:
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,757 ratings

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Lulu Miller

Lulu Miller is the cofounder of NPR's Invisibilia and a frequent contributor to Radiolab. She spends most of her time reporting science stories for NPR but dabbles in the art of print essays, fiction, and weird rants from time to time.

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Nobberd

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, versatile and very rewarding.Reviewed in Germany on 24 January 2025
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A complex story that primarily also deals with the biography of the founder of Stanford University. With a fresh perspective that, in addition to the highly acclaimed scientist, places his less people-friendly attitude. And deals extensively with the history and meaning of the classification of living beings. Educational, clever and exciting right up to the end.
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Anirudh Parthasarathy

4.0 out of 5 stars A good readReviewed in France on 18 October 2021
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Why Fish Don’t Exist; as mentioned above in one of the longest write-ups I have read for such a small book, is a book from the NPR reporter Lulu Miller on David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist who was also the first Chancellor of the Stanford University in California, US.

The book starts by simultaneously describing her own personal crisis and then introducing David Starr Jordan, a man born during the mid-19th century in the state of New York, who was highly interesting in observing an understanding nature during his childhood.

Considering the author’s personal crisis, she wanted to seek inspiration from the life of David Starr Jordan, whom despite his circumstances, had immense levels of confidence and on the face of any crisis, looked for a solution to make the solution better. However, the more she learned about him, the more she learned of a dark side to his personality and the consequences of his actions.

I was initially apprehensive about the book considering I had heard of David Jordan, who was the first Chancellor of Stanford University and also an early proponent of eugenics. However, these fears did not last long as the writer explored all sides to him and it did not lead to unnecessary levels of glorification and in fact, quite the opposite.

The book did seem directionless in the initial phases and left me confused if the objective was to talk about herself or if this was a biography of David Starr Jordan. Portraying him as someone beating the odds did not sit well with me considering he seemed very successful at quite a young age. But as it went, I enjoyed reading the book, especially the latter half, where we learn a lot of dark aspects which most are unaware of – like the forced sterilisation programmes that were carried out in the United States inspired by scientists like Jordan.

The author also brought about her disillusionment over David Jordan very well, considering his work often involved exploiting the locals in Japan or Polynesia without giving them credit for the ‘discovery’ of the fish, a murder allegation against him, etc.

The ending justified the title and was also powerful as the author figures her own way to deal with her personal crisis. And I need to mention here that I loved the illustrations by Kate Samworth at the beginning of every chapter.

On that note, I would say that the book was an enjoyable read – has a beautiful cover and good illustrations, to add to the reading experience. Would recommend it as a light read (which deals with a lot of heavy topics) and on that note, I would award the book a rating of four on five.

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Karen Virnoche

4.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking and enjoyableReviewed in the United States on 24 December 2024
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I liked the weaving together of memoir and history and research. It made me think and was also fun to read at the same time.

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Olga

5.0 out of 5 stars GreatReviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2020
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Amazing read

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Imola Kiss

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst book I read in my adult lifeReviewed in Germany on 26 April 2022
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This book is a description of an (allegedly) already existing biography of a scientist who lived 200 years ago, with few parallels to the writer’s personal life.
Lengthy descriptions of someone’s often uneventful life.
I found this book extremely boring, would not recommend buying it.

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2025/03/23

Psychologist reveals five 'subtle' signs your child might be radicalised by online incel culture as Netflix's Adolescence leaves parents 'terrified' | Daily Mail Online

Psychologist reveals five 'subtle' signs your child might be radicalised by online incel culture as Netflix's Adolescence leaves parents 'terrified'

Show stars Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, 13, accused of murdering a schoolgirl
READ MORE: How 15-year-old Adolescence star Owen Cooper came from nowhere to terrify viewers in hit new Netflix series

By MAANYA SACHDEVA

Published: 03:26 AEDT, 18 March 2025 |

ents

Less than a week after its release, Stephen Graham's latest show Adolescence has skyrocketed straight to the top of Netflix charts while earning its 15-year-old lead, Owen Cooper, widespread acclaim for his flawless acting debut.

The up-and-coming actor from Warrington is 'terrifying' as Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of brutally murdering a schoolgirl, in the critically-acclaimed four-part British series that traces the fallout from his arrest.

Graham, 51, who co-wrote the show and stars in it as Jamie's father, Eddie Miller, told The Independent he wanted to explore the rise of 'incel' or involuntary celibate-fuelled misogyny among young boys, while asking 'who is to blame'.

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02:24

In its simplest form, an incel or involuntary celibate refers to someone unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite wanting one.

In recent years, a more radicalised sub-culture of incels has formed online, across a network of blogs and forums collectively known as the 'manosphere', that is characterised by an extreme hatred for women due to intense feelings of sexual frustration.

On Adolescence, Ashley Waters's character DI Luke Bascombe is forced to confront Jamie's exposure to these groups after his own teenage son alerts him to the secret incel codes on social media and the rise of toxic masculinity among his peers.

The show's release comes after a 2022 report found that incel sites in the UK grew from 114,420 monthly visits to 638,505 amid concerns that boys as young as 14 are being sucked into this community.

Against this backdrop, Graham told The Independent is incumbent upon parents to become more 'mindful' of 'external influences' that might be shaping the lives of their children - including access to these 'woman-hating' ideologies in the 'manoshere'.

Less than a week after its release, Stephen Graham's latest show Adolescence has skyrocketed straight to the top of Netflix charts while earning its 15-year-old lead, Owen Cooper (above), widespread acclaim for his flawless acting debut

According to London-based psychotherapist Helen Villiers, from Liberation Therapy, radicalisation by incel type groups and influencers such as Andrew Tate will be shown in some very distinctive behaviour'.

In an interview with FEMAIL, she shared five 'subtle' signs parents should look out as well as her advice for trying to counter the narrative being propagated on these groups:

1] An increase in misogynistic comments

Helen advised parents may notice an increase in sexist or misogynistic comments and a deep aversion towards 'feminism or feminist ideas'.

This change might be subtle at first, while highlighting how they may say things like women should 'know their place' ot that the idea of equality is ludicrous.

They may also begin to brand 'any suggestion of equality' as being an example of a 'woke' or 'snowflake' mindset.

2] Disrespect towards women

Watch for any signs of disrespect towards the women and girls in his life - both at home and in school.

Stephen Graham, who co-wrote the show, stars as Jamie's father Eddie Miller as the family grapples with his arrest for fatally stabbing a schoolmate

A teen who may have encountered these extreme beliefs online might also alter his friendship group to accommodate 'those who hold similar views'.

'Or, perhaps if those people aren’t around him, [he might start] making connections online and frequenting forums or chat spaces that promote male supremacy or anti feminism,' Helen said.

3] Trying to become an 'alpha male'

If he's listening to misogynistic online influencers or consuming content created by them, your child might become obsessed with the idea of being an ‘alpha male’, and start focusing on his looks and body - but also those of the women he deems ‘acceptable’ or attractive.

At one point in Adolescence, DI Bascombe highlights Jaime's aggressive comments under photographs of scantily-clad and conventionally good-looking women during a tense interrogation.

Helen highlighted that boys like Jaime's character may be 'judgemental or critical of different body types that are not in keeping with social expectations' such as peopl ewho aren’t thin, or have a stereotypically ‘female’ appearance.

She also noted that an obsession with wealth - including both becoming wealthy and appearing wealthy - might be a sign of someething more sinister.

'If there’s a sudden focus on buying designer brands, and wealth status symbols it may be a sign that he’s embracing the "alpha male" culture,' she explained.

4] A lack of empathy

If your child starts hiding his emotions, or being critical and judgemental of people that display kindness or empathy, it might be time to intervene.

'Whilst it’s somewhat normal for teenagers to be self-centred and self-serving, a lack of empathy is not typical towards peers or friends - although it might be more typical to close family members for a short period of their teenage years,' she said.

5] Changing language patterns

Another signal your child might be influenced by incel culture lies in their changing language patterns.

If you notice an uptick in their use of words such ‘alpha male’, ’sigma male’, ’top G’ or ‘beta male’ - as well as references towards incel beliefs - it could indicate he is 'being exposed to this radicalisation'.

Helen warned: 'He will likely be very defensive if challenged on these ideologies, often being dismissive and using deflection or minimisation tactics to shut the conversation down.'

He may also talk about those who contradict his opinions as being ’triggered’ or ‘brainwashed’, she added.

In an interview with FEMAIL, she shared five 'subtle' signs parents should look out as well as her advice for trying to counter the narrative being propagated on these groups

If you fear your child has found himself in these dangerous online spaces, the key is to challenge their thinking while validating their feelings, according to Helen.

'Having open, curiosity based discussions is vital to keep communication open and offering contradictory ideas or concepts as part of those discussions will also be helpful,' she said.

It's crucial not to appear hypercritical of these ideas while creating a safe space for discussion while encouraging critical thinking, Helen continued.

'Asking pertinent questions such as "Why do you think Andrew Tate gets banned from platforms so often’, or "It’s an interesting idea, do you think that all men and women fit into those categories?" or even "What if you didn’t fit into one of those categories, what would that mean?"

'Validate his feelings around masculinity and how hard it is to cope with the pressures of it,' Helen added.