Esther
2024년 2월 17일
<Why Fish Don't Exist> by Lulu Miller
세종에 거주하고 있는 외국인을 포함해 교사, 강사, 회사원, 공무원 및 가사일을 하시는 분들에게도 원서독서를 장려하고 자유롭게 토론할 수 있는 문학적/문화적 소통과 교류의 공간이 되고자 합니다. 해당 책을 읽고, 영어로 소통이 가능한 대학생 이상의 성인에 한해 누구나 무료로 참석할 수 있습니다. 3월 모임의 책으로는 Lulu Miller의 <Why Fish Don’t Exist>가 선정되었습니다.
A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Smithsonian
A “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 Review
David 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 life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life’s work was shattered.
Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world.
When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet.
Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.
이 책에서 19세기 한 과학자의 삶을 통해 독자들은 믿고 있던 삶의 질서에 대해 의문을 제기하게 됩니다. 저자는 이 과학자의 삶을 좇으며 “물고기는 어떤 존재인가”에 대해 기존의 관념을 뒤엎고, 우리가 잘못 알고 있는 다른 것들에 대해서도 궁금하게 합니다. 혼돈은 이 세상에서 누구나 겪는 일이라고 생각했던 저자, 룰루 밀러가 이 과학자의 이야기를 통해 독자들을 전혀 예상치 못한 영감과 충격적인 인생의 관점으로 초대합니다.
Date : March 23, 2024
Time: 7pm
Location: Esther’s
Join us for an evening of camaraderie and intellectual stimulation, as we explore fresh inspiration and insightful perspectives on the chaos of life. Admission is free, but attendance is restricted to individuals of college age and above. RSVP by Mar. 16 to secure your spot. Happy reading!