Are we Rome?: the fall of an Empire and the fate of America by Cullen Murphy is a book that went from shelf to basket the instant I saw it. It is a thesis I have long held and I bought it with a friend during lunch at work. It has sat on my "to read" pile for over 5 years.
Started: 12/8/2016
Completed: 1/14/2017
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Words for which I sought help:
abstemious -- not eating or drinking too much
languid arrogance -- a slow, calm, almost relaxed disdain for others; a torpid condescension as though the very effort of looking down upon others was hardly worth the effort, so little was exerted. The phrase is usually associated with royalty glancing down at the clanging mob from a throne. I kind of imagined this phrase being associated with Marie Antionette or, perhaps, William Blackstone.
limpet -- a marine mollusk with a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, noted for the way it clings tightly to rocks
parlous -- full of danger or risk
precocity--characterized by early development
solipsism -- a philosophical belief that your own existence is all that is real or can be known
sybaritic -- voluptuous or sensualist
Review:
The author is neither an apologist for America nor Rome. His thesis is that while there are neither sure linkages there are sufficient similarities and differences to give us pause. The author takes a brave shot at suggesting a path forward at the end of the book and it has merit. His overall conclusion, however, is that Americans should be able to overcome our own obstacles by doing what we do best--be American. It is clear, however, that this advice is given without the election of Trump in mind.
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