Customer Reviews

Spartacus: The Life of a Roman Gladiator (Graphic Nonfiction)

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This book spares SOME of the violence of the Spartacus uprising and the brutal backlash. It spares SOME of the information about the execution of prisoners during the Roman games. It spares SOME of the information about the bloodthirsty crowds. However, at the very beginning of the book, we see innocent people (a boy and a woman) going to their first gladiator match as spectators. It is so upsetting, both the boy and the woman (Drusilla) vomit. At the end of the book, the boy is shouting along with all the crowd; he has become inured to the violence and waste of life. The woman, Drusilla, has left her husband and run off with a gladiator. (!)

It's historical, it does a good job telling the story in a graphic (like a comic book) format, and it does capture your child's attention.

Don't be fooled by the cover graphic -- the inside pages are not as realistically illustrated. There are a few pages of historical information and maps at the beginning and ending of the story. These pages very much resemble DK Eyewitness book-type information.