Evolution is a tricky subject that many people are still trying to figure out for themselves. As a graduate student, I am still not sure where I stand on the spectrum of evolutionary thought. I would consider myself a Christian, and I have grown up with the label of “Jesus freak” through all of high school and undergrad. I still wear that title proudly. That being said, I have never even given a second thought to evolution, and Darwin in general until this year. To be honest, the only reason that I have thought more about these topics this year is that I know as a future science teacher, I know that I will have to have some sort of opinion, and I need to understand how to be unbiased in my presentation of the Theory of Evolution. I know that I want my students to be able to form their own opinions, and I want to display many different sides to the evolution debate. I want my students to know that it does not have to be a battle of science vs. religion. So, Darwin has never been a person that I thought much about. I have had a picture in my head of what he was like: a cranky old man who had bad experiences with religion and was nothing more than bitter towards the church. In the novel Charles and Emma my preconceived notion was proven wrong.
As the book portrayed Charles Darwin as a devoted husband, loving father, and avid scholar, I could not help but have respect for him. In a time of raising children to be a job of the nanny and housekeeper, I love that Charles and Emma raised their children on their own and it was evident throughout the book how much they dearly loved their children. How much of this was true to his personality, and how much was added to this biography for the sake of literature? One very small part of the book that really struck me was that Charles Darwin answered every letter he got about The Origin of Species. The book states that he “took each letter seriously” including the letters he received from critics (195). My respect for Darwin has definitely increased after reading all of this. He was much kinder than I had ever pictured him being.
While I am glad that I did read this book because it opened my mind to the idea of Charles Darwin in general, I did not like the book at all. I thought it was uninteresting and extremely slow. I can appreciate what the author has done with it, and I see the purpose of the book, but I can honestly say that I would not have wanted to read this as a middle school student in the least. I think that I will remember this book to tell students about in the future so that if they are questioning similar things that I struggled with (thinking that Darwin was a horribly bitter man…) then I would advise them to read this in order to gain a fresher opinion of him, but I would never ask students to read this book for a class. Had I not had to think about this topic just last semester, I would have been frustrated to read this book. I think that the topic of evolution is a touchy one and a difficult one to comprehend. So, I think that students should not have to read this unless they are seeking the information on their own.
I appreciate this book for many reasons. One of these reasons is that in the book, there are multiple excerpts from Darwin’s journals and notes. From a scientific mindset, it is interesting to see how Charles Darwin took notes and observed things even from his own children. Even if people do not agree with Darwin’s thoughts, it is undeniable that he has contributed so much to science and was good at what he did. I also like that Emma played such a strong role in the book. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it would have been for her to love someone who had opposing views to hers about religion, and I have a very high respect for her. In the past, Charles Darwin has been represented either as a hero (to the scientific community) or as a villain (to the religious world) and I liked how this book made him a person. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a mad who had thoughts, made observations, fell in love, and had connections within the scientific community.
As a reader, there were many points in the book that I struggled through. As a historian, I appreciated the references to everyday life, living with the reality of illness, and even historical events and people such as Jane Austen, the craze of séances, and Lyell. And as a future science teacher, I very much appreciate the book Charles and Emma.
Reference:
Heiligman, Deborah. (2009). Charles and Emma The Darwins’ Leap of Faith. New York:
Square Fish.
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