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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon
23 reviews
vicious's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I was super excited for this book having read and thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Southon's Agrippina book a few months ago, and I was not disappointed. Southon writes as if she were sitting across from you in a bar, telling you about Roman history over a few beers and some greasy fries. Her writing is engaging, fun, and interesting. I've never been one for Roman history, but she ignites an interest inside of me purely because she makes learning about it so fun.
This book is about the complicated definition of murder from a Roman standpoint, comparing it to a modern viewpoint to realistically put into perspective just how different today's world culture is from that of ancient Rome. It's very fascinating. If you're into true crime and/or Roman history, you will love it. If you, like me, are not into either, you may still take a liking to it as I have. If only all history books were written in such a fun and engaging manner maybe more people would be interested in history as a whole.
There are some hefty trigger warnings to take into account with this book as it does detail some brutal and gory deaths. Also, definitely keep a placeholder on the footnotes; they can be a joy to read and often provide additional information.
This book is about the complicated definition of murder from a Roman standpoint, comparing it to a modern viewpoint to realistically put into perspective just how different today's world culture is from that of ancient Rome. It's very fascinating. If you're into true crime and/or Roman history, you will love it. If you, like me, are not into either, you may still take a liking to it as I have. If only all history books were written in such a fun and engaging manner maybe more people would be interested in history as a whole.
There are some hefty trigger warnings to take into account with this book as it does detail some brutal and gory deaths. Also, definitely keep a placeholder on the footnotes; they can be a joy to read and often provide additional information.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Slavery, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Incest, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, and Pedophilia
michaelgreenreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
This book REALLY hits its stride 30% in and never lets up. It is excellent!
FIRST: I adore Dr. Emma Southon’s “History is Sexy” podcast which combines detailed historical analysis with dick jokes, and that is the tone in this book. It is accessible for non-academic audiences, with tongue in cheek banter in every paragraph. ♥️ If you get uncomfortable when history isn’t written in an “~*objective*~” voice, this is your warning that this is not for you.
Dr. Emma Southon explores the bizarre ways Romans thought about murder and killing. She achieves what all my favourite non-fiction history reads do:
🏛: She writes in a way that helps outline the exact limit of what we know and why.
🏛: She puts in the effort to share perspectives from all levels of people, not just the elites who dominate histories.
🏛: The footnotes were consistently detailed and useful!
WHY YOU SHOULD PICK THIS UP: the writing is clear and compelling! The chapter on Roman slavery made me FEEL the horror of society-wide violence in a way a textbook would be afraid to do. It’s good!
My only gripe is that Roman naming systems wrapped my brain around itself in confusion on multiple occasions. 😩😩😩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
arachan's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.75
This is not the book I expected. It's not really about famous murders, the way a true crime book would be. It's about how 'murder' as a concept did not exist in Ancient Rome and what we can learn about the culture by seeing how they reacted to violent death. It's refreshing, particularly the brutal reality of slavery and what the Romans thought (or didn't) think about violence against them. Compared to the typical Roman history, written by authors who aren't willing to challenge the privilege of their sources, it's almost shocking to see a historian bluntly call them out as monsters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism
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