World History Biographies: Galileo: The Genius Who Faced the Inquisition Book

Galileo made the first effective use of the refracting telescope to discover important new facts about astronomy. His observations led him to support Copernicus's claim that Earth and the other planets circled the sun. This conflicted with the teachings of the Catholic Church, and brought Galileo before the judges of the Inquisition. He spent his final years under house arrest.

Galileo's genius lay in the way he approached scientific problems. He reduced problems to simple terms on the basis of experience and common-sense logic. Then he analyzed and resolved the problems according to simple mathematical descriptions, thus opening the way for the development of modern mathematical physics.

Jeanne K. Pettenati, J.D. - Children's Literature

Galileo Galilei's family believed he was destined for greatness. His father dreamed Galileo would become a wealthy doctor, like the ancestor for which he was named. His mother believed Galileo would become a successful businessman, like some of her forebears. Galileo did achieve greatness but not in the way his parents envisioned. In following his own path, Galileo became the father of modern science. The highlights of Galileo's long and fruitful life are well told in this new biography. Each of the four chapters concerns different segments of his life: his childhood, his years as a student and teacher, the Inquisition, and Galileo's final years. Within each chapter, the author provides a context for the events happening in Galileo's life, including a blue ribbon at the bottom of each page with a timeline. Readers are immersed in 16th-century Italy with photos and sketches of portraits, cities, buildings, and maps. Each chapter conveys information in an interesting and accessible way. Children will especially enjoy learning about Galileo as a child who goes to school and has music lessons with his musician father. The section on "Everyday Life" at the time of Galileo's childhood discusses the clothes he might have worn and the food he ate, including ice cream! A 2-page spread detailing Italy in Galileo's time is a valuable visual aid in the first chapter, as is the 2-page spread entitled "What We Know Now" in the last chapter. The author does not shy away from some uncomfortable facts in Galileo's life, such as his trial and guilty verdict before the Inquisition and the three children he fathered with Marina Gamba. Nevertheless, these subjects are presented in a basic, age-appropriateway. This solid, third person account will spark interest in the man and his science, which changed the way people saw their world and laid the foundation for how we understand the world today. A glossary, index, and a bibliography are found at the back of the book, which is one in the publisher's "World History Biographies" series. 2005, National Geographic Society, and Ages 8 to 12.