One can do without the mechanical comparisons and contrasts between Rome and America presented in the book. To compare and contrast two realities that are separated not just by centuries but also by the differences in conceptualization that these centuries represent can be misleading. As it is to ignore the ethical framework in which these empires, or any social or political reality, exists and bases its understanding of itself on. Murphy’s own presentation of the fates of the words “suffragium” and “franchise” already speaks volumes about the importance of context and meaning.

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This summer, I am reading a delightful book both to escape and learn: Jed Rubenfeld’s "The Interpretation of Murder." It's about a murder and an attempted murder on the day Sigmund Freud first set foot in the U.S. accompanied by Carl Jung. You get a good mystery, engaging writing style, and you learn a lot about New York social life at the beginning of the 20th century -- not to mention the psychoanalysis, from Freud and Jung to Shakespeare. What more can one say?

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