Our book club will be discussing Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel, first published in 1999. (I'll miss the discussion because it will happen while I'm teaching in Thailand.) Galileo actually had two daughters but one Virginia, later Sister Maria Celeste, "... mirrored his own brilliance, industry, and sensibility, and by virtue of these qualities became his confidante." Born out of wedlock Galileo put her in a convent when she was thirteen. Much of their correspondence has been preserved and provides the gist of the book.
Reading the book taught me much and I particularly liked the understated way the book ends on a surprising note. (No, I'm not going to tell you; read the book yourself!)
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