Marcus Aurelius: The Emperor's Meditations
Marcus Aurelius gives orders to an empire, then writes reminders to himself.
In army camps far from Rome, the emperor turns to his notebook. There are wars to manage and a plague he cannot stop. Yet some of the things he writes about are painfully ordinary: not wanting to get up, losing his temper, and having to work with difficult people again tomorrow.
This illustrated chapter book tells the story of Marcus's life alongside an introduction to the ideas in his Meditations. The private writing brings a Roman ruler up close: a man who can recognize a bad habit, explain why it is harmful, and still need the same reminder next time.
His attempts to steady himself give the philosophy its images: anger tugs like puppet strings; from high above the city, an argument no longer fills the world. Why does a man with total power keep writing himself the same reminders? The book takes that question seriously.
His responsibilities make the limits of his power harder to live with. He can make decisions for Rome, but he cannot make illness obey him or give his son the character he wants him to have. When his writing turns to failure, or grief, you can see the pressure it is answering.
Black-and-white illustrations and pronunciation guides accompany a biographical introduction for readers ages 6-10. Read together or independently, it offers a way into Stoic thought through a person struggling with it, and a reason to become curious about the private notes that survived him.
Ages 6-10 - 80 content pages - 22 black-and-white illustrations - Chapter book
Content note: Includes mass death from plague, war and dying soldiers, enslavement and possible abuse, deaths of children and adults, reflections on mortality, and Commodus's violence and killing. Methods of killing are not described in detail.
Also available for Ages 0-4 (The Little Book) and Ages 3-7 (The Emperor's Journal).
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