Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. Challenges about teaching the theory of evolution in schools occur annually all over the country. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to spark intense debates. Deborah Heiligman's new biography of Charles Darwin is a thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. The end result is an engaging exploration of history, science, and religion for young readers.


查爾斯‧達爾文於 1859 年出版了《物種起源》一書，提出自己對於演化論的創見以及相關的基本理念。近 150 年後，演化論仍持續造成科學界及宗教團體間的歧見，每年在美國各地，都有人質疑是否該在學校教授演化論。達爾文的內心也因是否該相信演化論，而產生激烈衝突，甚至連自己的婚姻也大受影響；他的妻子艾瑪相當虔誠，也因為妻子的信仰，讓達爾文在發展演化論時更為深思熟慮，此理論也持續引發激烈爭辯。黛博拉‧海麗曼新出版的達爾文傳，內容發人深省，描述達爾文的私生活與他的研究，是如何互相影響。本書帶領年輕讀者踏上一場深度之旅，探究歷史、科學與宗教的奧秘。