China Voyager: Gist Gee's Life in Science Book

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin presents Charles Darwin the man in relief against the simplicity and near perfection of his most lasting ideas. Using Darwin's own journals and correspondence David Quammen, brings the father of evolution to life. He illustrates beautifully the birth and development of the then shocking concept of natural selection. He asserts that natural selection, not evolution is Darwin's major contribution. Quammen defines and differentiates between evolution and its mechanism natural selection. He discusses the past and current controversy around Darwin's ideas, with emphasis on current theological dissent. I was most interested in Quammen's discussion of the burdens Darwin faced. Darwin struggled with three internal difficulties; keeping his evolution ideas a secret, relentless study to find and prove the mechanism behind evolution and his subsequent or parallel loss of faith.
Quammen proposes several reasons for Darwins's need to keep his ideas secret. He asks whether Darwin understood the implications of his evolution ideas. He seems to believe that Darwin did. Quammen even proposes at one point that the secret was what kept Darwin sickly. His obsession with perfecting his work, his concern over how the concept would be received and his fear of shocking his family with his lack of faith were all important factors in his reluctance to publish. Quammen's years as a science journalist give him unique insight into the effect of delivery style on public reception of information. He explores this story with a keen understanding of Darwin's need to express his ideas in just the right way. Quammen does a wonderful job of describing the influences of personages like; Malthus, Lyell, and Wallace on Darwin's work and decisions.

Quammen conveys the human character of Darwin well. He speaks of Darwin's fears about money, his avoidance of funerals, and his love for billiards. He doesn't fill the page and my head with lofty notions of some demigod handing down the laws of nature. Quammen introduces to us a quiet, hard-working, carefully observant man who is at times self-obsessed.
This book will be a fascinating diversion for anyone interested in the psyche and pathos of Darwin the man. It is also interesting from the perspective of one who wonders about the reconciliation of faith and reason. I was a little disappointed that for several reasons, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin excludes the HMS Beagle years. Regretfully I cannot compare Quammen's book to others on the subject, as I have not read other Darwin biographies, or Darwin's The Origin of Species. This book left me with a strong resolve to do so. This thorough and insightful book will appeal to readers from a broad spectrum of disciplines and education levels.