Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Charles and Emma

A young man once asked [Charles' brother Erasmus Darwin] in, as he thought, an offensive manner, whether he did not find stammering very inconvenient. He answered, 'No, Sir, it gives me time for reflection, and saves me from asking impertinent questions.'
~Charles Darwin


I just finished Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman. It was just the right book for me during this chaotic time (Elena has laryngitis; Ariana had to go to the ER again for anaphylaxis) -- easy to pick up and put down, engaging, charming. I like hearing about naturalist-related stuff, so it was up my alley.

I'm mentioning this book for Wellness Wednesday because maybe you need that kind of book for your reading pleasure and also because:

"...In a sense you might say that Charles and Emma Darwin were each sleeping with the enemy [due to their conflicting beliefs]. But they were not enemies. They were the best of friends, and their story is an inspiration. They had ten children. They lost three...The problem of faith and religion and the afterlife in some ways only grew larger as they confronted those tragedies and faced the chasm at the end of life. And yet together they triumphed."
~Jonathan Weiner

People being respectful of their differences? Imagine that!

2 comments:

  1. I'm adding this to my wish list...

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  2. Didn't know that about Charles and Emma Darwin. Very inspiring.

    ReplyDelete