“What a delightful book... Ms. Miller [spins] a tale so seductive that I read her book in one sitting.” ― The Wall Street Journal “Some years back, Lulu Miller disappeared down a very strange rabbit hole that led her to places neither she nor you would ever be able to anticipate. I highly recommend you follow her down the hole, because of her singular and gigantic gifts as a writer and storyteller, but also because of what's down there: love, chaos, strychnine, a gun, dangerous delusions, heroic dandelions, a cow, a snorkel mask through which grander truths are revealed... 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 of Stiff “Completely entrancing.” ― O, The Oprah Magazine “Riveting and rollicking… total magic.” ― Garden & Gun “I want to live at this book’s address: the intersection of history and biology and wonder and failure and sheer human stubbornness. What a sumptuous, surprising, dark delight.” ― Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties “A great escape… [and] an extended reflection on how to weather the storm during trying times.” ― Outside “Unconventional… What initially seems like an homage to an indomitable scientist [turns] into a philosophical tale about the limitations of tidy narratives and the dangers of unyielding belief.” ― Undark “Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even! Why Fish Don’t Exist begins with a mesmerizing account of the life of distinguished biologist David Starr Jordan―and then, quite unexpectedly, turns into so much more. Narrated in Lulu Miller’s intimate, quirky voice, this is a story of science and struggle, of heartbreak and chaos. This book will capture your heart, seize your imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world.” ― Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus “Lulu Miller moves gracefully between reporting and meditation, big questions and small moments. This book is a magical hybrid of science, portraiture, and memoir ― and a delight to read.” ― Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book “Stunning and brilliant and completely un-sum-up-able… I love this book so much!” ― John Green, New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down

Chapter Page Prologue 1 1. A Boy with His Head in the Stars 7 2. A Prophet on an Island 17 3. A Godless Interlude 31 4. Chasing Tail 45 5. Genesis in a Jar 61 6. Smash 73 7. The Indestructible 85 8. On Delusion 95 9. The Bitterest Thing in the World 107 10. A Veritable Chamber of Horrors 125 11. The Ladder 141 12. Dandelions 149 13. Deus ex Machina 165 Epilogue 183