I love history, and can't stand reading history books. Too often the books are so cluttered with the author's attempts to challenge previous perceptions of the past along with the justifications of those claims, that it is difficult for the reader to actually gain any incite about the subject which for which they craved education. (I want to read a book, not a dissertation.)

"I, Caesar" is a different history book. It's the kind of history book I wish more authors would write. Most important, Grabsky is able to write. He is able to present the material in an approachable manner that is easily interpreted by the reader. He makes a few far reaching claims, but these are presented very obviously and any reader will easily be able to approach them with a grain of salt.

The subject of the book covers the history of the Roman Empire spanning from the first Caesar to the last. Several chapters are dedicated to focusing on the more accomplished leaders such as Augustus, Hadrian, and Constantine.

This book is wonderful for anyone who wishes to approach the subject of Roman history without a strong background in the area. I feel it is a wonderful introduction, and may be used as a springboard to either dive deeper in to the subject of Roman History or into the Middle Ages that follow this period.

As someone who has heard of the Roman empire but knows little more than what the movies show, this book proved ideal for me. It is clear, concise and not trying to be clever. Too often academics are more interested in impressing their peers than conveying the necessary information to a lay reader like me. I thought the chapters were each great reads but also as a whole gave me a suberb understanding of the Roman empire as a whole. The photographs are very good too. If I have a criticism it is that perhaps the chapters are a bit short but I guess it's better that than too long. In sum, therefore, the perfect "way-in" to Roman history. The chapters on Caesar, Nero and Justinian are particularly good.

A well researched book, but tendentious. I taught that book and I had trouble trying to explain to my students that most of the homeless people are men. The confusion of my students was the result from the way that Renzetti and Curran presented the issue (See Box 7.1 "Gender and Homelessness" p.213, Fourth Edition). I simply found disingenuous their statistical treatment of homeless and gender because a few pages later (p.237) Renzetti and Curran criticize the use of their reasoning when they dispute some analyses of the relationship between gender and delinquency. Then they pointed out that the fact that the growth rate of delinquency is greater among women does not mean that more women are turning into crime because the number of women committing crimes is proportionally smaller than that of men. I found this double standard disappointing because the relationship between gender and homelessness is important for understanding how the gender role of men is a social problem. Rather than focusing on the structural aspects of gender, sometimes the valuable work done by Renzetti and Curran get lost because a rather simplistic picture of the issues.

This is one of the most comprehensive gender studies books I have come across. Renzetti and Curran have explored virtually every avenue from sociologic/feminist/historical perspectives to childhood socialization and communication, to higher education, employment, crime, spirituality, health, government and social issues. I picked up the book to read the family/domestic violence section and could not put it down. This book should be a requirement for women's studies and gender studies students. Renzetti has done a great deal of groundbreaking work in same-sex battering and this title was great exposure to her other efforts. A remarkable researcher! I found this book at the library, and after reading 1/2 of it, I returned it, drove straight home and ordered it, so I could mark it up. It is a valuable piece of research and a work that I will reference for years to come. I wish I had found this book 4 years ago while I was an undergraduate student!