April 16, 2012 — Richard Holway, an acquisitions editor at the University of Virginia Press, will talk about his recently published book, "Becoming Achilles: Child-Sacrifice, War, and Misrule in the Iliad and Beyond" April 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the U.Va. Bookstore.

Viewing "The Iliad" and myth through the lens of modern psychology, Holway highlights the role of sacrificial childrearing, of daughters and sons, in the reproduction of ancient Greek cultures – from athletic competition and war to political thought and philosophy.

Holway, who earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley, is the history and social sciences editor at the U.Va. Press. He has taught courses at U.Va. related to "Becoming Achilles" in the politics department and Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program.

"Becoming Achilles" is part of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies/Lexington Books series, "Greek Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches," edited by Gregory Nagy.

Historian Randolph Roth of Ohio State University wrote that the book is "a profound and timeless study of the psychological consequences of being raised in a martial society that values the defense of honor – personal and collective – above all else."

— by Anne Bromley