A timeless story of an uncompromising man in a time of crisis and his lifelong battle to save the Roman Republic.
What people are saying
“The writing is excellent, the stories unforgettable, and the lessons practical.”
“A truly outstanding piece of work. What most impresses me is the book’s ability to reach through the confusing dynastic politics of the late Roman Republic to present social realities in a way intelligible to the modern reader. Rome’s Last Citizen entertainingly restores to life the stoic Roman who inspired George Washington, Patrick Henry and Nathan Hale. This is more than a biography: it is a study of how a reputation lasted through the centuries from the end of one republic to the start of another.”
“Cato, history’s most famous foe of authoritarian power, was the pivotal political man of Rome; an inspiration to our Founding Fathers; and a cautionary figure for our times. He loved Roman republicanism, but saw himself as too principled for the mere politics that might have saved it. His life and lessons are urgently relevant in the harshly divided America―and world―of today. With erudition and verve, Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni turn their life of Cato into the most modern of biographies, a blend of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and Game Change.”
“Cato, an icon to the founding fathers, has become a neglected figure. In their spirited new biography—the first since Plutarch!—Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni give us his story, and explain why this Roman statesman meant so much to our political forbearers.”
“When the Roman Republic finally fell, the last man standing was Cato, staunch defender of old Rome’s venerable legacy and enemy of Caesar’s new world order. Thanks to Goodman and Soni, this rare creature—a politician of honor willing to die for his principles—steps out of the shadows into history again. Illuminating and timely!”
“Cato’s life always had epic dimensions in his own mind. His principled, gory suicide made him a symbol of liberty for two thousand years, the model for George Washington and many others. Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman have somehow given us a life of Cato that is neither hero-worshiping nor debunking. Instead, this handsomely written biography is vividly intelligent and valuably reflective. It is a very fine treatment of a life worth knowing, and a valuable meditation on how a life becomes a myth.”
