Search - Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love

Actually, this is really a biography about Galileo, not his daughter. However, it is very easy to read and the author sprinkles letters to Galileo from his daughter to keep it interesting.

This book is a great reminder of the importance between the separation of church and state. It demonstrates how the entwining of the two can set a country, as well as the entire earth's population back several hundred years.

The book is so well written, that even as a non-scientific thinker, I found myself engrossed in the diagrams and explanations of Galileo's theories. Then, my mind could take a break and read through the enjoyable letters from his daughter, asking for the return of a tablecloth, while providing news of friends and family. Her letters gave a peek into the lives and personal feelings of each family member and some of Galileo's close associates; just enough, in fact, to make me want to branch off into their story, but not enough to distract from the story at hand.

The timeline, bibliography, and notes at the back of the book were equally interesting reading.