Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith

Peach's Picks Rating


Title:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

Author:
Deborah Heiligman

Illustrator:
none

ISBN:
978-0-8050-8721-5

Publisher:
New York: Henry Holt and Company

Copyright:
2009

Length:
236 pages

Plot summary:
Charles Darwin could not decide whether or not to marry, so he did what any scientist would do when examining a case -- he created a pros and cons list. While the cons seemed to outweigh the pros, he found himself deeply in love and intellectually connected with his cousin, Emma Wedgwood. Their love story and family life is the backdrop of this biography. It is a well-researched and engaging look at the personal life of Charles and Emma and offers a snapshot of the Victorian English social class in which the Darwins lived. Emma was intelligent, well-educated, thoughtful, and deeply religious. Charles shared the same traits as Emma with the exception of her religious views. He was agnostic. Heiligman directly represents the only conflict in their lives, that of religion and a life after death. Even with this fundamental philosophical difference, they loved and respected one another throughout their marriage. Diaries, journals, and other primary sources bring the story to life. The reader experiences Emma and Charles’ anguish upon the death of several of their children, their joy at Charles’ successes, and the loneliness Emma experienced after Charles’ death.

Critical evaluation:
The author concentrates on the Darwins’ personal life, intertwining Charles’ scientific works with his family life, and the conflict created by the deep religious beliefs held by his wife, Emma. There are eight pages of black and white photos including pictures of the family and Darwin’s marriage pros and cons list. The pictures offer information that adds depth to the text. A family tree, source notes, and a selected bibliography are included. The table of contents and index are well constructed, adding to the book’s reader-friendly design. Kudos to Heiligman’s talents as a writer. What might have been a dry biography comes warmly alive, encouraging the reader to discover Darwin’s life. The chapters are relatively short. The writing technique provides the feel of a novel rather than a work of nonfiction. Readers looking for an introduction or explanation of Darwin’s theories will not find it in this book. They will find an interesting biography concentrating on his life, revealing conflicting thoughts he dealt with during his journey of scientific discovery. The book’s attractive design gives it a Victorian look. Each chapter begins with a quote from a primary source. Even those who view biographies as a chore to read will enjoy this book.

Reader’s annotation:
Charles and Emma Darwin had a long and loving marriage with one large obstacle, she was deeply religious and he was agnostic. The book frames his revolutionary ideas within the context of his marriage and Victorian England.

Author information:
Grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Attended Brown University, majoring in Religious Studies
Discovered she enjoyed writing for children when working for Scholastic News Explorer magazine
Has published more than 26 books, most for younger readers
Writes both fiction and nonfiction
Enjoys researching
Favorite book is Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Says the most difficult thing about being a writer is being rejected
Married – with two young adult sons
Maintains a chatty and informative blog http://deborah18.livejournal.com/

Genre:
Biography

Curriculum ties:
Biology studies
Religious studies
Social studies

Booktalking ideas:
Charles Darwin a revolutionary scientist, loving husband, and a loving husband who allowed his children to play in his study.

Emma Darwin, Charles’ wife, feared that her husband would not achieve life after death because he was agnostic.

Discover the deep intellectual ties between the Darwins that bound them and guided Charles’ research.

Reading level/Interest age:
Middle school/high school

Additional books by author:
Holidays Around the World Series (10 books) published by National Geographic
Earthquakes published by Scholastic
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
and many more

Challenge issues:
Darwinism
Deal with challenge by having a challenge policy in place, selection policy in place (ALA policies). Meet with library administration if necessary. Provide positive review(s) from professional publications.

Why this work is included in Peach's Picks:
During 2009 the publishing world celebrated Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday with the publication of many books about Darwin and his work. This book is a National Book Award finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and received the YALSA excellence in nonfiction award. The book also received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Horn Book, School Library Journal, Booklist, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. It receives five peaches because it is an engaging biography that meets most school’s curriculum needs.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Emma-Darwins-Leap-Faith/dp/0805087214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271216396&sr=1-1

References:
Deborah Heiligman. (2010). “About me”. Deborah Heiligman, author. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.deborahheiligman.com/