Destiny of the Republic
A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The inspiration for the Netflix series Death by Lightning – now streaming! • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The extraordinary account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from the bestselling author of The River of Doubt.
"Crisp, concise and revealing history.... A fresh narrative that plumbs some of the most dramatic days in U.S. presidential history." —The Washington Post
James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment.
But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but became the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care.
Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.
Look for Candice Millard’s latest book, River of the Gods.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Three men’s colliding paths alter the course of a nation in this gripping history of a president’s assassination. James A. Garfield was a brilliant but unassuming statesman, happy with his station until a fractured Republican Party nominated him for president against his wishes. When a delusional office seeker shoots him at a crowded train station, a shocked nation prays as his condition declines, leading his doctor to call for help from an unlikely source: inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Journalist Candice Millard’s impeccably researched and artfully realized slice of American history has all the touches of a blockbuster movie. Garfield’s rags-to-riches story itself is riveting, even before he meets with tragic violence. Destiny of the Republic is an utterly engrossing read perfect for both history buffs and lovers of political thrillers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This rendering of an oft-told tale brings to life a moment in the nation's history when access to the president was easy, politics bitter, and medical knowledge slight. James A. Garfield, little recalled today, gained the Republican nomination for president in 1880 as a dark-horse candidate and won. Then, breaking free of the sulfurous factional politics of his party, he governed honorably, if briefly, until shot by an aggrieved office seeker. Under Millard's (The River of Doubt) pen, Garfield's deranged assassin, his incompetent doctors (who, for example, ignored antisepsis, leading to a blood infection), and the bitter politics of the Republican Party come sparklingly alive through deft characterizations. Even Alexander Graham Bell, who hoped that one of his inventions might save the president's life, plays a role. Millard also lays the groundwork for a case that, had Garfield lived, he would have proved an effective and respected chief executive. Today, he would surely have survived, probably little harmed by the bullet that lodged in him, but unimpeded infection took his life. His death didn't greatly harm the nation, and Millard's story doesn't add much to previous understanding, but it's hard to imagine its being better told. Illus.
