Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith

Heiligman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith. Henry Holt and Company, 2009. 268 pages, $18.95 ISBN: 9780805087215 (trade)

Plot Summary:

Heiligman opens her biography of the influential British scientist, Charles Darwin, right after his return to England after his five year voyage on the HMS Beagle.  Upon returning home Darwin decides his life is missing the love of a wife and a family and at age 30 he married his cousin Emma Wedgewood.  Over the course of their marriage the couple had ten children, seven that lived to see adulthood.  Darwin respected Emma immensely and even though they never did agree on religious issues, Darwin being an atheist and Emma a devote Christian.  Both Emma and Darwin were extremely well read and intelligent.  Emma acted as Darwin’s editor, helping his to strengthen his arguments and refine his research.  With Emma’s help, Darwin spent 20 years perfecting his best known work On the Origin of Species. 

Critical Review:

I was touched by the relationship between Charles and Emma.  Theirs was truly a marriage based on love and respect.  While Emma feared for her husband’s soul, she was never anything but supportive of his career and his research.  They never lost the romance of their marriage continuing to write each other love letters long after they were married.  Heiligman’s biography is a winner for those who love science and for teens who are looking for a beautiful love story. 

Genre:

Nonfiction-biography

Interest Level:

Grades 7 and up

Subjects/Themes:

Evolution

Religion

Charles Darwin

Awards/Honors:

Michael L. Printz Honor 2010

National Book Award finalist 2009

YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-fiction 2010

Junior Library Guild Selection

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2010

Author’s Website:

http://www.deborahheiligman.com/index.html

Annotation:

Charles and Emma is the story about the marriage between pioneering scientist Charles Darwin and his devotedly Christian wife Emma. 

Book Talking Ideas:

Charles Darwin is one of the most influential scientists of all time, but he never could have accomplished all he did without the love and support of his wife Emma.  Charles and Emma is a beautiful romance between two very different people and how they managed to make their marriage work despite their different beliefs.

Why I chose to include this book:

I chose to include this book because I think it will appeal to a variety of audiences.