A review by milandeep
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin: 1809-1882 by Charles Darwin

4.0

I found Darwin's writing to be quite engaging. This autobiography was written by Darwin exclusively for his children and grand-children and was published posthumously. He writes his life's story with brevity but it gives a good sense of his life. Darwin's ability to self-reflect is one of the factors that lead to his profound insights on natural selection. His power of observation and critical analysis changed the course of science and how people looked at the world. Reading this short book is a great way to know his personal perspectives and motivations on science, evolution, geography, his friends, family and slavery, and the things he missed. "If I had to live my life again I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week."

This is a book where the appendices also make for a very good reading. This was the second Darwin biography that I have read. Now I need to get my hands on Janet Browne's two-part biography.