Heiligman, D. (2009). Charles and Emma: The Darwins' leap of faith. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Summary: Heiligman chronicles the marriage between Charles Darwin and his wife, first cousin, Emma Woodhouse. Through Charles' and Emma's diaries and letters, Heiligman captures the beginning of the relationship when Charles is deciding if he is the marrying kind or if his scientific lifestyle will be burdened by marriage. Over time, we see the true companionship of Emma and Charles as their family grows, faces tragedy and as Charles is beginning to make public his unpopular ideas of evolution. Throughout it all, Emma, a devout Christian, not only stands by her husband, but holds him up.
Review: Heiligman's work is a well-researched text. She captures the Darwins' marriage well and gives backstory to a major figure who has influenced the way we think about our existence. This isn't an easy read. Many of my 7th graders struggled with it independently. I think it could be excerpted well or used as an instructional text in middle or high school.
Suggestions for Teachers: This text would work well for an interdisciplinary project among high/middle school English, social studies and science teachers. Students could study the art of research and citing textual evidence in an English class. They could also analyze the effects of narrative non-fiction. This text could be compared to an expository text on evolution. A social studies teacher could have students look at the historical events during Darwin's time through the course of reading this text and anticipate what kind of societal pressure Darwin was facing when publishing his ideas. Science and social studies classes can look at evolution through a timeline of organisms that have evolved. They can also examine animal variation and analyze the adaptations animals have made as a result of "survival of the fittest". Social studies classes could also argue whether or not Charles and Emma's marriage was consistent with the time period.
Reading Level:
- Quantitative: Lexile 790L, ATOS Book Level 7.0, Readability Grade Level 7.7, Flesh-Kincaid 6.2, RMM 7.2
- Qualitative: The text structure is moderately complex; it is told in chronological order. The connections between ideas are clear. The photos included in the center of the book help give understanding to the text and help the student keep track of the many children the Darwins had. Heiligman includes a lot of direct quotations from Emma and Charles' diaries. Some of the language is spelled differently and the phrasing is different than we use today. These direct quotes do feel archaic. However, Heiligman's prose is simple and fairly easy to understand. Heiligman's purpose is moderately complex and she wants to us to understand the marriage behind the man who posed such revolutionary ideas. There are complex knowledge demands of the reader who will have to use schema of 19th century England to help fully understand the text.
Content Areas: English, Science, Social Studies
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.3
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.8
Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.
Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Relevant Links: Teaching Books, Scholastic, Deborah Heiligman's website
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Relevant Links: Teaching Books, Scholastic, Deborah Heiligman's website
Subject/Themes: evolution, Darwin, 19th century England, natural selection, research, marriage, relationships
Awards:
Awards:
2010 National Book Award finalist
2010 Michael L. Printz Honor book (Watch a video of my Printz acceptance speech)
L.A. Times Book Prize Young Adult Literature finalist
First-ever 2010 YALSA excellence in nonfiction award
New York Times Editor’s Choice – Click here to read the entire review.
Series Information: N/A
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