Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President
The extraordinary "New York Times"-bestselling account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of "The River of Doubt," Candice Millard.
For a man forced into the presidency, the legacy of James Garfield extended far beyond his lifetime, and "Destiny of the Republic" revisits his meteoric rise within the military and government with meticulous research and intimate focus. Garfield was a passionate advocate of freed slaves, a reformer at odds with Republican power brokers and machine politics, a devoted father, and a spellbinding speech-giver. Four months after taking office he was shot twice by an unhinged office-seeker, Charles Guiteau, and a nation already recently fractured by war shattered, leaving the wounded president at the center of a bitter, behind-the-scenes struggle for power. Examining the medical reform spurred by Garfield's unsanitary medical treatment, and reflecting on the surprising political reform brought on by his former political enemy Senator Roscoe Conkling, "Destiny of the Republic" passionately brings President Garfield's unknown-but-widely-felt legacy into focus.
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Candice Millard, the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The River of Doubt," is a former editor and contributing writer at "National Geographic" magazine. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and children.
"A staggering tale....Millard digs deeply into the turmoil that got James A. Garfield elected, the lunacy that got him shot and the medical malfeasance that turned a minor wound into a mortal one."--Janet Maslin, Top 10 Recommendations for 2011
"One of the many pleasures of Candice Millard's new book, "Destiny of the Republic," [is] that she brings poor Garfield to life--and a remarkable life it was.....Fascinating... Outstanding....Millard has written us a penetrating human tragedy."
--"The New York Times Book Review"
"A spirited tale that intertwines murder, politics and medical mystery, Candice Millard leaves us feeling that Garfield's assassination deprived the nation not only of a remarkably humble and intellectually gifted man but one who perhaps bore the seeds of greatness.... splendidly drawn portraits.... Alexander Graham Bell makes a bravura appearance"--"The Wall Street Journal"
"Fascinating......Gripping.....Stunning....has a much bigger scope than the events surrounding Garfield's slow, lingering death. It is the haunting tale of how a man who never meant to seek the presidency found himself swept into the White House. . . . Ms. Millard shows the Garfield legacy to be much more important than most of her readers knew it to be."
--"The New York Times
""Crisp, concise and revealing history....Millard has crafted a fresh narrative that plumbs some of the most dramatic days in U.S. presidential history"
"--The Washington Post
"Destiny of the Republic" displays Millard's energetic writing and rare ability to effortlessly educate the listener."--"USA Today"
"""Brings the era and people involved to vivid life..... Millard takes the reader on a compelling fly on-the-wall journey with these two men until that fateful day in a train station when Guiteau shot Garfield..... Millard takes all of these elements in a forgotten period of history and turns them intoR
A "New York Times" Notable Book
"Crisp, concise and revealing history. . . . A fresh narrative that plumbs some of the most dramatic days in U.S. presidential history."
--"The Washington Post
"
"A spirited tale that intertwines murder, politics and medical mystery. . . . Candice Millard leaves us feeling that Garfield's assassination deprived the nation not only of a remarkably humble and intellectually gifted man but one who perhaps bore the seeds of greatness . . . splendidly drawn portraits. . . . Alexander Graham Bell makes a bravura appearance."
--"The Wall Street Journal
"
"Fascinating. . . . Gripping. . . . Stunning. . . . The haunting tale of how a man who never meant to seek the presidency found himself swept into the White House. . . . Millard shows the Garfield legacy to be much more important than most of her readers knew it to be."
--"The New York Times
"Destiny of the Republic" displays Millard's energetic writing and rare ability to effortlessly educate the listener."
--"USA Today
"
"A staggering tale. . . . Millard digs deeply into the turmoil that got James A. Garfield elected, the lunacy that got him shot and the medical malfeasance that turned a minor wound into a mortal one."
--Janet Maslin, Top 10 Recommendations for 2011
"One of the many pleasures of Candice Millard's new book, "Destiny of the Republic," [is] that she brings poor Garfield to life--and a remarkable life it was. . . . Fascinating. . . . Millard has written us a penetrating human tragedy."
--"The New York Times Book Review"
"Brings the era and people involved to vivid life. . . . Takes the reader on a compelling fly on-the-wall journey. . . . Millard takes all of these elements in a forgotten period of history and turns them into living and breathing things."
--Associated Press
"Think you're not interested in James Garfield, our 20th President? Millard's action-packed account of his life and tru
