This is a biography of taxonomist David Starr Jordan, but it’s far more than that. At times it reads like a mystery novel. Miller is so good at unfolding his life, his eccentricities slowly, cagily, that you come to like the man as she did. Until you don’t.

I typically do not like non fiction works that interweave the author’s life, but this worked extremely well. It has a bit of a Fun Home vibe to me.

If you like science / nature non fiction at all I highly recommend this. It’s beautifully written. Moreover, it has one of the best endings to a non fiction book I’ve ever read. It’s extremely satisfying.