Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman Published by Henry Holt & Company, 2009. Age Range: 14 and up (upper middle and high school) Lexile Score: 1020L 2010 National Book Award finalist, 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor book, L.A. Times Book Prize Young Adult Literature finalist, 2010 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction award winner This book tells the story of Charles and Emma Darwin. Most students will have heard of Charles Darwin, probably in biology class. He wrote On the Origin of Species which introduced the theory of evolution. What most students do not know, is that his wife, Emma, was very religious, and worried about Charles' salvation even while she was his biggest supporter. This book is not really about his scientific discoveries or theories, even though they are discussed throughout. This book is about Charles and Emma - their life, their family, and their relationship. The book is told in chronological order, starting when Charles was deciding whether or not he should marry and ending with his death. At first glance, the book can seem rather dry; there are no pictures within the text, only a photograph inset that includes several photographs of the Darwin family. In the back of the book, there is a family tree, extensive source notes, and an index. This book takes a topic that could be dull and infuses it with life. The author presents the information in a way that makes sense, and even Darwin's ramblings and journal entries on his theories don't seem daunting. The book is really about the relationship between Charles and Emma, as well as the relationship between science and religion. It shows how two people, even though they fundamentally disagree on something, can still support each other and love each other fiercely. This book provides much more than just a stale, dry biography of the facts of Charles Darwin's life. It includes excerpts from letters, diary entries, and Darwin's own autobiography. The author provides no judgment on whether religion or science is the truth; that is up to the reader to decide for themselves. This book belongs in a high school library for sure, and select middle schoolers would also enjoy this book. It does include challenging language about biology and science that might be too technical for some students, so librarians need to keep that in mind when recommending this book to middle schoolers. As I said earlier, there are not many photographs in the book. It is very text-heavy, which may scare off some potential readers. However, the text is very engaging. To the left is an example of the portraits that are included in the inset. The portraits are of Charles and Emma Darwin. A reader who is interested in ecology and zoology might be interested in this book for Darwin's research, but it will also interest students who like a good love story. Charles and Emma were very much in love, and they supported each other until the end. Readers who like historical fiction may also be interested because it paints a picture of life in the 1800's. Some books that may appeal to readers who enjoy biographies are:
For students who want to learn more about Charles Darwin:
Below are some resources related to Charles and Emma:
As an extension activity, students could either choose to write a letter as Charles or Emma, with a persuasive argument for or against Darwin's theory of natural selection. Students could also map Charles' journey aboard the H.M.S. Beagle. Below is a book trailer for Charles and Emma:
1 Comment
Jenny Yergin
11/29/2016 12:07:07 pm
Kayla,
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AuthorMy name is Kayla Taylor. I am currently taking LIS-S672 Seminar in Youth Literature - Nonfiction. These are the books I have read this semester and my reviews. ArchivesCategories |