Judith Geary’s knowledge of the ancient world, specifically Rome of the Republic, illuminates her work. Her novel
is steeped in fact—she brings the city and its inhabitants to life. Real people blend with fictional ones. Her characters
live within the confines of the Republic down to the smallest detail; thus, the intricacy of republican Rome serves as the
backdrop for the themes of the novel. Friendship, honor, freedom, and cultural misconception provide the reader with food
for thought as they experience Getorix’s reaction to a hostile and foreign environment. The struggle between cultural
expectations and personal passions resonates with the reader.
Getorix: The Eagle and The Bull includes maps showing Getorix’s
journey; a Dramatis Personae with information about the main characters, author’s notes filled with the writer’s
choices in research and story along with specifics of the historical period; biographies of the historical characters featured
in the novel; and a glossary that explains historical, Roman, and Celtic terms used in the story. The reader learns about
Roman houses and households, customs, temples, and life outside the sheltered home of Catulus. Lavish illustrations from 19th
century publications as well as drawings by the contemporary artist Caroline Garrett help the reader along. Though the novel
is immersed in historical research, it never overshadows the quest of its young protagonist, a defiant outsider, whose one
goal is to find his place in an unfriendly world.
Geary’s
GETORIX: The Eagle and The Bull along with the related curriculum, co-authored
with Sandra Horton, has garnered endorsement as an "Excellent Resource" from the Southern Regional Education Board's Educational
Technology Cooperative and the Educational Resources Evaluation Services of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
(NCDPI), in collaboration with the departments of education of the 16 SREB states.
Judith
Geary has close to 25 years of experience in the classroom, teaching courses in communication at the university level, using
applied problem solving as the primary instructional tool. She is currently the scenario director for the NC affiliate of
Future Problem Solving International and an international evaluator. She draws on eight years experience editing fiction for
Ingalls Publishing Group, a small traditional publishing company she helped found (as High Country Publishers) in 2001. She holds an M.A. in Education from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
and continued graduate work in writing, literature and editing.
