Picture this: your life's work, thousands of meticulously collected fish specimens in glass jars, shattered by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. That's what happened to David Starr Jordan, the renowned taxonomist who discovered nearly a fifth of the fish known in his era. Lightning, fire, and quake couldn't stop him—he just picked up the first recognizable fish from the rubble and started over, smarter this time.
Jordan was obsessed with classifying the natural world, bringing structure to its wild diversity. But nature fought back at every turn. His story isn't just about science; it's a raw look at human resilience. Lulu Miller, NPR reporter and Radiolab cohost, stumbles upon his tale during her own personal crisis and digs deeper, unearthing shocking truths about history, morality, and the very foundations of biology.
Turns out, our categories of life are illusions. Miller's narrative flips taxonomy on its head, blending biography with memoir and scientific adventure. You'll swim through schools of ideas about loss, love, obsession, and even hints of darker secrets like eugenics ties. It's not dry academia; it's seductive storytelling that pulls you into strange depths, leaving you smitten and reflective.
When your own plans crumble—job loss, breakup, endless setbacks—Jordan's defiance offers a blueprint. Miller admits she first saw him as foolish denial, but his persistence reshaped her view. Read it on your Kindle during commutes, cozy evenings, or those late-night wonder sessions. Sensory details pop: the glint of scales in jars, the roar of earthquakes, the quiet thrill of rediscovery.
Part fable, part revelation, this Best Book of 2020 from NPR, Washington Post, and more, answers: How do we rebuild? What's the hidden order in chaos? At around 400 pages of wonder, it's the book that sticks, transforming how you navigate life's unpredictable currents. Snag the Kindle edition and let it reorder your perspective today.
