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- Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
- THE EARTH ALSO RISES:
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- War Good, Science Bad
- Galileo's Daughter: a great book, but a bit deceiving!
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Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
Dava Sobel
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0140280553
Release Date: 2000-10-31 |
Amazon.com
Everyone knows that Galileo Galilei dropped cannonballs off the leaning tower of Pisa, developed the first reliable telescope, and was convicted by the Inquisition for holding a heretical belief--that the earth revolved around the sun. But did you know he had a daughter? In Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel (author of the bestselling Longitude) tells the story of the famous scientist and his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Sobel bases her book on 124 surviving letters to the scientist from the nun, whom Galileo described as "a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness, and tenderly attached to me." Their loving correspondence revealed much about their world: the agonies of the bubonic plague, the hardships of monastic life, even Galileo's occasional forgetfulness ("The little basket, which I sent you recently with several pastries, is not mine, and therefore I wish you to return it to me").
While Galileo tangled with the Church, Maria Celeste--whose adopted name was a tribute to her father's fascination with the heavens--provided moral and emotional support with her frequent letters, approving of his work because she knew the depth of his faith. As Sobel notes, "It is difficult today ... to see the Earth at the center of the Universe. Yet that is where Galileo found it." With her fluid prose and graceful turn of phrase, Sobel breathes life into Galileo, his daughter, and the earth-centered world in which they lived. --Sunny Delaney
Book Description
Galileo Galilei's telescopes allowed him to discover a new reality in the heavens. But for publicly declaring his astounding argument--that the earth revolves around the sun--he was accused of heresy and put under house arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Living a far different life, Galileo's daughter Virginia, a cloistered nun, proved to be her father's greatest source of strength through the difficult years of his trial and persecution.
Drawing upon the remarkable surviving letters that Virginia wrote to her father, Dava Sobel has written a fascinating history of Medici--era Italy, a mesmerizing account of Galileo's scientific discoveries and his trial by Church authorities, and a touching portrayal of a father--daughter relationship. Galileo's Daughter is a profoundly moving portrait of the man who forever changed the way we see the universe.
• Winner of the Christopher Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award
• Named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, and the American Library Association
Customer Reviews:
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love.......2007-05-20
The Seventeenth century was the most significant period after the fall of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire fell apart, all knowledge of the Romans was lost. However, all this knowledge slowly recovered when the Reformations, Renaissance, and Science Revolution were initiated. People brought back the Classic Age that had been lost. Art, music, and literature were not difficult to revive, but science was. When the Classic Age ended, and after the Black Plague, people believed all the teachings of the church were right. People against the Church's teachings were considered heretics.
This book, Galileo's Daughter: A historical memoir of science, faith, and love by Dava Sobel, starts with a letter from Galileo's daughter, Maria. In her letters, the readers can learn many details of the 1600's. Even though she is a nun, she supports his father and does not consider him as heretic because she knew that his theory was the truth. When Galileo saw that the Copernicus's ideas were more likely to be true than Ptolemy's established philosophy, he began the teaching it in defiance of the Catholic Church. However, he was forced to recant his theory. Despite opposition of the Catholic Church, Galileo publishes Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems: Ptolemaic and Copernican. Because of that, his book was banned, and he encountered peril. He was put on trial for heresy and convicted. Maria Celeste was insightful, grandiloquent, and loved her father as he loved her. Regardless of her occupation, she supported her father through the trials. Although Galileo and Maria sent letters back and forth, Galileo's letters to Maria are nowhere to be found.
At first, I thought this book was about the story of Sour Maria Celeste and her relationship with her father, Galileo. However, this book manifested the struggles Galileo went through externally and internally. Because he was a religious man, he had a hard time fighting for what was right, his theory over the teachings of the Church. At the end of the book is very poignant moment, when Galileo's body was finally allowed to be placed in the monument.
I recommend this book to other students completing this assignment because it shows Galileo's accomplishments, and much more. This book is profound to the extension that as a daughter, I could see the father and daughter relationship, and how that relationship has effected Galileo I become one of the most extolled scientists in the world.
THE EARTH ALSO RISES:.......2007-03-20
It is a fascinating tale of a father, a devout Catholic, obedient son and above all a scientist, astronomer, and a philosopher, decades ahead of his time. He paved the way for all future discoveries and revelations in Physics and Astronomy. Newton, who was born the year Galileo died, did stand squarely on Galileo's shoulders to go where no man had gone before .
It is Galileo's courage and conviction that we so admire in facing Pope Urban's ire and ridicule in the 17th century Italy. Popes come and go but the name of Galileo would shine for ever as long as the Jovian moons would orbit their planet. His brilliant "dialogues" on astronomy, wave theory, motion and scores of other subjects were the foundation of everything we know today about anything.
Even today, it is sad to say, there are remnants of Urban's ilk all over the world that cling to creation theory and even believe that Ptolemy was right.
Galileo had two daughters and a son. Tradition forced him to enroll the girls in the convent hoping to find suitable husbands if not marry them to Christ and spend rest of their lives as nuns. Sister Maria Celeste, the older daughter, a paragon of virtue, devotes her entire life in serving others and above all to take care of her dear father. Her letters are down to earth, personal, articulate and at times with a touch of humor.
The book narrates Galileo's epic journey from early childhood, as a medical student even contemplating on becoming a priest. He eventually gets his degree in physics and engineering, his true calling, and then becomes a professor at prestigious university at Padua. Medici's hire him as their court advisor. His experiments from the leaning tower of Pisa are known to all of us who took any science in school. His books promote Sun being the center of the universe confirming Copernicus's theory. The church clinging to Bible's version of a stationary Earth is outraged and begins its ignominious inquisition, sentencing the aged scientist to house arrest where he dies, blind and heart broken.
The book's other protagonist, the ever loving daughter, whose letters to her father are interspersed throughout the book, makes a interesting and noble contrast to the dogmatic, self centered pious hypocrites of Church in Rome.
It is MUST read.
Excellent.......2007-03-08
One of my favorite books of all time. Subject is fascinating and Sobel is a very good writer. Will by more of her books.
War Good, Science Bad.......2007-01-03
Dava Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter" offers the modern reader a telescopic view of a daughter's fidelity and a religion's arrogance. The daughter offers love and compassion to her father, while the Catholic Church and its inquisition provide torture and narrow-mindedness for this brilliant scientist, Galileo.
One wonders over the daughter who somehow maintains an optimistic and supportive view of the world for Galileo as he is persecuted for his "Copernican" views.
Meanwhile, the Pope wages an unpopular thirty years war, forgets his friend Galileo, and then tortures him for a book already approved by the Church.
Modern readers will draw comparisons to our own era's narrowness as the Pope and right-wing nuts speak out against stem cell research and birth control, while not condemning the aggressive USA war in Iraq.
Dava Sobel skillfully combines the beautiful letters of Celeste with the persecution of her father, and brings to life the fear of the black death, the sordid conditions found in Celeste's monastery, and the plot by right-wing clerics to punish Galileo.
The battle for truth certainly has not changed much over the years. The know-nothings and neo-cons are still with us today.
by Larry Rochelle, author of HOME SCHOOLED, MOODY BLUE and GHOSTLY EMBERS.
Galileo's Daughter: a great book, but a bit deceiving!.......2006-11-20
Galileo's Daughter: a great book but a bit deceiving! November 16, 2006
Reviewer: Jeremy D. (Georgia)
Dava Sobel's book, Galileo's Daughter is an interesting read. When reading the title you began to think that this book is only about the life of Galileo's daughter. However, once you began reading you began to unravel that the book is about the life and multiple accomplishments and observations of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). It details Galileo's life through letters written between Galileo and his daughter, Suor Maria Celeste. Galileo was already a renowned scientist when he and his daughter began exchanging letters.
It starts out detailing Galileo's family. We learn about his father, mother and siblings and extended family members. It tells of his early career as a mathematician and philosopher to the Grand Duke. He then began teaching at the University of Pico and then the University of Padua. Galileo was brilliant but as his accomplishment and revelations grew so did his enemies.
We soon began to read about Galileo's plight and struggles with the Catholic Church. Galileo had a very strong faith so this controversy between he and the church bothered him tremendously. He, however, was committed to scientific investigations so his work continued. Galileo proved that we did not live in a geocentric universe. By doing this, the Catholic Church began to see Galileo as a major threat. They feared the scientific truth. Galileo is summoned before the Holy Office of the Inquisition. He was accused of heresy and placed under house arrest. Throughout it all, Galileo remained focused and dedicated. While under house arrest Galileo, became ill but he continued his work until death. We would have not known some of the information about the world and the solar system had it known been for Galileo Galilei.
It is riveting to see the relationship between Galileo and his daughter. What a conflict, Suor Marie Celeste's allegiance to her father and her allegiance to the Catholic Church. I could not imagine what it would have been like if Galileo's daughter had not nurtured him spiritually, emotionally and physically throughout his turmoil.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on March 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1253 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: GALILEO'S DAUGHTER: A HISTORICAL MEMOIR OF SCIENCE, FAITH, AND LOVE.(Review) (book review)
Author: Elizabeth Powers
Publication:
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2000
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 76
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
7 tapes. Audio Cassettes edition. Random House, Batnam, Dell Publishing, 1999.
Average customer rating:
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Galileo's Daughter
Dava Sobel
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BLMQ5K |
Average customer rating:
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Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
Dava Sobel
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
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ASIN: 141770389X |
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