Marcus Tullius Cicero, nicknamed 'chickpea' at school because of his funny name, spent a happy childhood on his father's farm at Arpinum, learning to ride and hunt.

When Marcus was asked by the venerate general Marius what he wanted to become when he grew up, he answered bluntly, 'I want to be in the Senate!'

James Barbary brings us the story of the early years of Cicero during the turbulent times of bitter feuds that split Rome in half. Marcus sympathized with the allies in their struggle for full Roman citizenship. When he was sixteen, eager to fight, he joined the legions of Marius to find out that there was no glory in war. He saw men die—whether their cause was good or evil. Early in life he decided that there must be a way to defend justice without bloodshed. He decided to become a lawyer and thus fight for the rights of men.

From the dust jacket