|
 Praise
for 'Gods and Other Odd
Creatures'
"After you have hooked your students into The
Lightening Thief and Shadow Thieves series, they
are sure to want to know even more about the
Greek and Roman gods. Fortunately, long-time
veteran Latin teacher Rose Williams also
believes that the Greek and Roman deities were
anything but dull. Fans of her previous books
Once Upon the Tiber and The Lighter Side of the
Dark Ages will be thrilled to know that Rose’s
latest book, Gods and Other Odd Creatures, is
now available.
Rose begins her book by asserting that
“classical mythology should not be approached
with…deadly seriousness”. The Greeks and the
Romans were not afraid to make a little fun of
their deities– and neither is Rose. Her
scintillating wit and clever parlance enliven
this survey of classical gods, temples, and
festivals, Rose’s wry observations convey the
“amused and tolerant attitude” that the ancients
maintained toward their gods. At the same time,
this book is jam-packed with information. Like
Rose’s other books, Gods and Other Odd Creatures
is quite enjoyable to read, while covering some
heavy-duty subject matter that could be deadly
dull in less capable hands. This book can
definitely be read for pleasure, but will also
serve as a handy, introductory reference to the
Greek and Roman divinities, religious life, and
customs.
A unique feature of Gods and Other Odd
Creatures is how Rose has organized it, so that
students can compare the Greek’s twelve
Olympians with the twelve Roman Di Consentes.
Too often, perhaps, middle and high school
students have the impression that the Greek and
the Roman gods are exactly alike but called by
different names. Rose carefully compares and
contrasts them, never losing sight of the fact
that these are the mythologies of two different
cultures which appear identical at first glance,
but need to be understood in the context of
their own societies. Rose also follows this
format in the subsequent sections dealing with
temples and religious festivals."
Sharon Kazmierski
The Classical Outlook
Volume 85, Number2 (Winter 2008), Page 85
"Just go and buy it. Take
my word, you will enjoy it. Buy
several copies, give them to others as birthday,
graduation, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Solstice gifts
or just because you love the recipient. It is
another of Rose's masterpieces. I got my copy at
CicadaSun. They were even faster than Amazon at
filling my order." DD Farms
Latinteach Mailing List
Latinteach@nxport.com
“I like the way you have retold these timeless
tales. So what if you blow a little of the
marble dust off these ancient deities? It does
them good and serves them right.”
Dr. Neill Payne
“I loved ‘Gods and Other Odd Creatures’ and
laughed out loud at the wonderful little turns
of phrase. It displays an amazing breadth of
learning and a distinctive brand of wit and humour.”
Lindsay Cooper, Latin teacher in Australia
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