Charles and Emma

Charles and Emma The Darwins’ Leap of Faith was a very interesting book that gave lots of factual information about Charles Darwin and the time period in which they lived. I liked the way that Deborah Heiligman was able to weave so much historical information into the story while building on the love story of the book. The book is a chronological retelling of two lives, but I think it is far from simple and keeps the reader entertained. The characters are developed fully so that readers are able to understand the dilemmas of the time and feel for the characters even though the issues dealt with are not typical experiences of a teen reader of today. The book is very personal and I think that makes it easier for a teen to read the book and gain knowledge about history rather than reading a history book. Especially since in some areas of the country evolution is such a touchy subject, this book helps explain the theory better without trying to persuade the reader. Some of the language in the book is confusing and I had to read it a couple of times to really understand, but the true language of the time furthers the readers understanding of the time period.
I personally do not feel that a lot of teen readers would pick up this book and read it for fun. I do think that it is a great book to use in schools to get teens interested in reading historical books and to build lessons upon. High school students would enjoy this much better than any text book available.