Cincinnatus and the Citizen-Servant Ideal: The Roman Legend's Life, Times, and Legacy

Rating:
Summary: Should be mandatory reading for all 21st C.public officials
Review: Cincinnatus lived a life worth writing about and the author wrote something worth reading. As a former public servant who has now returned to his community, I found this book well written and powerful. If it were in print while I was an active public administrator, it would be mandatory reading for all my interns, staff and managers. The book offers sage advice about "fighting within his system" and yet captures the need for principle-centered leadership. The theme of this book is entirely clear. To be successful: "One only needs to assume the role of a hero by taking the journey and committing to a cause larger than oneself." The bibliography is extensive, but do not let that turn you away from this book. The author simply draws on a number of sources to present the life and times of Cincinnatus.

Rating:
Summary: Should be mandatory reading for all 21st C.public officials
Review: Hillyard's book on Cincinnatus and his legacy is a must read for those people interested in politics and the history of America's founding fathers. Hillyard describes how the legend of the Roman general and stateman Cincinnatus has influenced political thought from the age of Rome to present day America and Europe. Hillyard seems to be the first author to show how Cincinnatus' life (or legend) has influenced men to leave their private lives and serve their countires in the public arena. Readers will be shocked by how much Cincinnatus' legacy has been around us all our lives, and more importantly, by how his legacy has influenced some of the greatest leaders of history.

Rating:
Summary: Cincinnatus and the Citizen-Servant Ideal
Review: Hillyard's book on Cincinnatus and his legacy is a must read for those people interested in politics and the history of America's founding fathers. Hillyard describes how the legend of the Roman general and stateman Cincinnatus has influenced political thought from the age of Rome to present day America and Europe. Hillyard seems to be the first author to show how Cincinnatus' life (or legend) has influenced men to leave their private lives and serve their countires in the public arena. Readers will be shocked by how much Cincinnatus' legacy has been around us all our lives, and more importantly, by how his legacy has influenced some of the greatest leaders of history.

Rating:
Summary: A Legend that Became a Society
Review: When I purchased the book I thought it would be the biography of Cincinniatus, instead what I got was a history lesson. It was a good history lesson, but not what I wanted. There was as much on George Washington as there was on Cincinniatus. It did a very good job of detailing the early period of the Roman city-state, and it did an excellent job of discussing the servant ideal, but there are some flaws.
This book could have easily been 90-120 pages and it would have garnished a higher rating in my review. The author continuously said the same thing over and over again in three or four different ways, I presume only to add filler to the book. It didn't do it in a way that you believed the author was trying to convey an important message and thus the reason for it's repetition. It just seemed to be the same stories told several times to make the book longer. That really irritated me after a while and made the book more difficult to stay attached to the material during the reading.
Also, the author says that the details of Cincinnatus's life are sketchy at best, but then makes wild conclusions about his thoughts and feelings base on little or no evidence. It tended to feel like hero worship for the sake of hero worship. I have NO doubt that Cincinnatus was a great man and it is truly a shame that most people don't know who he is, but this book while trying to convey his humanity tends to do the opposite. It's constant reverence and idolization of him made it feel almost a like a fable, instead of a true and amazing story. Something the author didn't want to do, and expressly said so many times in the book.
I do think people should read this book, I did read it in two days, I did enjoy parts of it tremendously, BUT it is far from perfect. The author and the editor have a lot of work to do in perfecting their craft. Don't let that stop you from reading this book, ESPECIALLY if you are a leader or wish to attain a leadership position one day. This book would a required read for such men and women.