Alaric the Goth cover art

Alaric the Goth

An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome

 Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Alaric the Goth

Written by: Douglas Boin
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.26

Buy Now for $22.26

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Denied citizenship by the Roman Empire, a soldier named Alaric changed history by unleashing a surprise attack on the capital city of an unjust empire. Stigmatized and relegated to the margins of Roman society, the Goths were violent "barbarians" who destroyed "civilization," at least in the conventional story of Rome's collapse. But a slight shift of perspective brings their history, and ours, shockingly alive.

Alaric grew up near the river border that separated Gothic territory from Roman. He survived a border policy that separated migrant children from their parents, and he was denied benefits he likely expected from military service. In stark contrast to the rising bigotry, intolerance, and zealotry among Romans during Alaric's lifetime, the Goths, as practicing Christians, valued religious pluralism and tolerance.

The marginalized Goths preserved virtues of the ancient world that we take for granted. The three nights of riots Alaric and the Goths brought to the capital struck fear into the hearts of the powerful, but the riots were not without cause. Combining vivid storytelling and historical analysis, Douglas Boin reveals the Goths' complex and fascinating legacy in shaping our world.

©2020 Douglas Boin (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Historical Rome Italy Ancient History Imperialism City Ancient Greece
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Alaric the Goth

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.ca reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for A

only okay...

I chose this book as it seemed well reviewed and a new take on the famous fall of Rome. That said I was not a huge fan for the following reasons :
- the author's objective is clear to change the narrative that the Roman Empire is seen as the 'good guys'. That said he does not present a more balanced account, he just flips the script with the Romans seemingly being all bad and the Goths being a tolerant and good people. He also seems to judge the Romans very harshly by modern standards of pluralism.
- as the author admits at the start, there are major gaps in the information about Alaric's life. So it feels to me as not a story about him, but a story about this time in the Roman Empire with random facts and assumptions about Alaric.
- I found the author's tendency to jump around in time to make this book difficult to follow especially in audio form.
To summarize this is not a bad book, but it is not one I really enjoyed or would recommend

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!