Marcus Porcius Cato: aristocrat who walked barefoot and slept on the ground with his troops, political heavyweight who cultivated the image of a Stoic philosopher, a hardnosed defender of tradition who presented himself as a man out of the sacred Roman past—and the last man standing when Rome's Republic fell to tyranny. His blood feud with Caesar began in the chamber of the Senate, played out on the battlefields of a world war, and ended when he took his own life rather than live under a dictator.Centuries of thinkers, writers, and artists have drawn inspiration from Cato's Stoic courage. Saint Augustine and the early Christians were moved and challenged by his example. Dante, in his Divine Comedy, chose Cato to preside over the souls who arrive in Purgatory. George Washington so revered him that he staged a play on Cato's life to revive the spirit of his troops at Valley Forge. Now, in Rome's Last Citizen, Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni deliver the first modern biography of this stirring figure.Cato's life is a gripping tale that resonates deeply with our own turbulent times. He grappled with terrorists, a debt crisis, endemic political corruption, and a huge gulf between the elites and those they governed. In many ways, Cato was the ultimate man of principle—he even chose suicide rather than be used by Caesar as a political pawn. But Cato was also a political failure: his stubbornness sealed his and Rome's defeat, and his lonely end casts a shadow on the recurring hope that a singular leader can transcend the dirty business of politics.Rome's Last Citizen is a timeless story of an uncompromising man in a time of crisis and his lifelong battle to save the Republic.
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"A biography that's professional, yet lay-friendly, in tone; dense, but still informative (especially for a Roman history novice). This one might actually end up in the personal collection, it's that good. Cato was a fascinating, frustrating man." — Alexandra (4 out of 5 stars)
"A biography that's professional, yet lay-friendly, in tone; dense, but still informative (especially for a Roman history novice). This one might actually end up in the personal collection, it's that good. Cato was a fascinating, frustrating man."
The authors succeed brilliantly in bringing this fascinating statesman to life.
“[Perkin’s] voice is strong, and he sets the pace like someone leading a brisk, invigorating jog. The slightly cynical, skeptical edge of his tone fits the text.”
“The authors succeed brilliantly in bringing this fascinating statesman to life.”
“With erudition and verve, Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni turn their life of Cato into the most modern of biographies.”
" As I read this book I couldn't help but compare Rome at it's worst with the continuing problems coming out of Washington. An excellent book to read now! "
" Cato is a model for the idea that uncompromising integrity is likely to lead to uncompromising failure. One of the parts of the book I found most interesting was Goodman's concluding discussion of Cato's "afterlife" as a figure to emulate. "
" A sympathetic biography of a singularly unsympathetic, yet courageous man. Goodman and Soni have produced a seamless, very well written and researched biography. "
" Engaging if not always well-written narrative of the life of Cato. Sometimes clumsy in its relation to current American politics. Any committed classicist will at a minimum enjoy the minute detail. "
Rob Goodman has worked as the speechwriter for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Senator Chris Dodd. He has written speeches and opinion pieces that have appeared on the floors of both houses of Congress, on national television and radio, and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy Soni is the managing editor of the Huffington Post and a former speechwriter whose writing and commentary have appeared in the Atlantic online and on NPR, among other outlets.
Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, as well as numerous Society of Voice Arts nominations. AudioFile magazine named him a Best Voice consecutively in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.
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