New York Times Literary Treat of the Week....

Hughes, Bettany. The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life.
Alfred A. Knopf.

The same society that can make possible a certain manner of living is also able to destroy it. British historian Hughes maintains that was the situation Socrates endured in that oft-called “cradle of democracy” callled ancient Athens. A case is made that Socrates paid his dues in early life fighting in the Peloponnesian War and emerging with a clear distinction between real and imagined fear. He then brought that clarity to the streets of Athens instead of its schools, developing a “method” of questioning to bring forth “wisdom” since Socrates believed he had none within himself. Thus an outsider, Socrates was suspected of being a corrupter of youth. For asking questions Socrates was tried and sentenced to death. When recalling the fate of many in history since Socrates who also challenged the “norm” in their society, one might conclude that the human race at its core has not changed all that much.

For more about Socrates, Merrick Library has the following books:

Nehamas, Alexander. The Art of Living : Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault.
Waterfield, Robin. Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths.
Wilson, Emily. The Death of Socrates.