The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

This weekend, I read the book The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. It is a very satisfying book.  The book is set in 1899 in Texas.  Calpurnia Tate is the only girl in a family with six boys.  At age eleven, she explores the wonders of the natural world and decides to become a naturalist.  She finds out that her grumpy, feared Grandfather is a naturalist as well.  They create a strong companionship and go on many exciting adventures right outside the house.

I think that Calpurnia (or “Callie Vee” as her family calls her) was in need of someone like her Granddaddy to convince her that she could be anyone she wanted to be. Also, he taught her that in order to understand the world, you must explore it.  At the time she was being forced by her mother to learn how to cook and knit.  Her mother (Margret Tate) was taken aback that her daughter was not “proper” and “ladylike”.  So, Mrs. Tate pushed Callie Vee to learn the ‘Science of Housewifery’, which is the exact opposite of what Callie wanted to be doing.  Right now, it seems crazy that a girl would have to learn about housewifery in school. It also seems outrageous that most of them would end up staying home all day cooking, cleaning, knitting and sewing, as opposed to the men who will work and get paid for their jobs (unlike the ladies).  Calpurnia was also struggling with the life of an almost-12-year-old, she was confused about with boys and school and friendships.

Callie and her six brothers (ranging from five to eighteen) feared their Grandaddy. I would probably be quite scared of him as well.  He was constantly escaping to his library and the shed in the garden where he did experiments.  He hardly ever talked and was constantly confusing his grandchildren’s names.  One day her last resort to find the book Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is to ask her Granddaddy.  She soon discovers his love of nature and they form a bond that makes them inseparable.  

Callie Vee and her Grandaddy go on many adventures ranging from discovering new plant species to studying plant organisms through microscopes.  She ends up spending more time with her grandfather than with her brothers, and is exposed to the world of science.  In 1889, this was extremely rare for a young woman.  Some other adventures include creating pecan whiskey that ended up tasting like “cat piss.” (p. 234).

About three-quarters of the way through the book, Calpurnia’s mother notices that Calpurnia’s behavior is not as ladylike as she wanted.  She forces Callie Vee to knit Christmas socks for her whole family – eight people.  She also requires Calpurnia to bake many of the desserts for the family dinners, several of which end in disaster.  Because Calpurnia has to spend so much time at this point in the book working on “housewifery,” she spends less like with Grandaddy and one day the idea dawns on her that he’s forgotten about her.   Nevertheless, she reconnects with her grandfather when they find out that they discovered a new plant species.  The book ends with their relationship restored and Callie Vee experiencing her first snow with Grandaddy.