This latest read surprised–for the better. I try to not judge a book by its cover, but let’s be honest, we all do it. When I saw that someone had written a biography of Charles and Emma Darwin, and one for young adults at that, I was skeptical. Partly because I wasn’t sure how you focus on the relationship between the man who changed science and his wife while keeping it palatable for young adults.
But Deborah Heiligman did it in Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith. And I ate up all that she served. The biography is quite layered. First, there’s the man who was Charles Darwin who marries his first cousin Emma Wedgewood (I try to not dwell on the cousin thing too much). Then, there’s the man who changed science and created a maelstrom of debate between the scientific and religious communities that extends to this day. And to tell it all, Heiligman used the copious letters that were written between Charles, Emma, and all their friends and family.
Her main emphasis though is Charles and Emma. And this works for the story she wants to highlight for readers as well as her audience. Young adults are inundated with the textbook-biographies of people like Darwin, but they don’t actually “know” the people. And I think we’ve done a disservice to young people when we strip these famous/infamous individuals of their humanity. I believe that we remember people more for who they were, rather than what they wer. If I had known the type of father, brother, son, and husband Charles was, I probably would’ve paid more attention in science class and would have engaged in the discussion of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
What’s left a lasting impact on me is his struggle with God. Due to only knowing the “textbook” version of his life, I had no idea that he struggled with acknowledging God, but realizing that the version of God he knew didn’t fit with the scientific evidence. And this struggle ripples into his marriage. Emma was a practicing Christian but was open-minded in her appreciation for Darwin’s scientific theories. Her only concern was that due to Darwin’s lack of belief in God, that death would separate them for eternity. Yet she never pressured Darwin to believe.
As a practicing Christian, I was saddened that Darwin felt he either had to follow science or his faith. But Heiligman reveals the theology of the time and I’m ashamed to say that it was very limited. This isn’t the forum to discuss Creation and Evolutionary theories, but I’m glad that Heiligman showed both sides of Darwin’s life–his struggle with God and his belief in his scientific evidence. I think it’s good that people know that most things aren’t black and white and that some issues aren’t answered quickly. I recommend this book if you’ve ever wondered what Darwin was like or wondered how he developed his theory. It’s an enjoyable read and quite different from a textbook. And there’s no quizzes at the end of the chapters.