History Book Group: Nero: Emperor and Court

Decorah Public Library staff are hosting five book discussions in October. The groups are open to the public and newcomers are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested should call the library at 382-3717 to learn more or to reserve a book. Email ktorresdal@decorahlibrary.org to be added to any of the five groups’ email distribution lists. Funds for multiple copy sets were generously provided by Friends of Decorah Public Library.  

The History Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library Thurs. Oct. 17 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the second half of John F. Drinkwater’s “Nero: Emperor and Court.” On its own terms, the Neronian Empire was in fact remarkably successful. Nero’s senior ministers were many and various, but notably they included a number of powerful women, such as his mother, Agrippina II, and his second and third wives, Poppaea Sabina and Statilia Messalina. Using the most recent archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic and literary research, “Nero: Emperor and Court” explores issues such as court-politics, banter and free speech; literary, technological and scientific advances; the Fire of 64, ‘the persecution of Christians’ and Nero’s ‘Golden House’; and the underlying strength, both constitutional and financial, of the Julio-Claudian empire. 

For more information, contact Tricia Crary (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.