Harare Review of Books

144 pages. Published August 27, 2024 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Non-fiction.

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I didn’t initially think of myself as the ‘target market’ for this book, but I tried it, and it was unexpectedly fun. My Latin is limited to a few and rare phrases (CARPE DIEM, MEMENTO MORI), and the really very annoying bits I had to learn in anatomy—or so I thought, because it turns out (of course, being a speaker of English) there are the fun ones hidden in plain sight, like in literature: ACTA EST FABULA, PLAUDITE, ALEA IACTA EST, and CYGNEA CANTIO, and of course OMNIA VINCIT AMOR. Then those completely new to me, like SATURA QUIDEM TOTA NOSTRA EST, INVISUS NATALIS ADEST, LUPUS IN FABULA, QUID SI COMANTUR?, TENEO TE AFRICA, PANEM ET CIRCENSES and AURIBUS TENEO LUPUM. Mainly, it was fun to read about the origins of all of these phrases.

I’m going to be so annoying to my friends and readers now. ODERINT DUM METUANT , haha! Thank you to Andrews McMeel and NetGalley for early access.

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