Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President - Candice Millard
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President - Candice Millard
Non-Fiction
Pages: 432
I finished this book with a immense sense of sadness - not just because I was coming to the end of a gripping and extraordinarily well-told tale, but because of the death of President James Garfield itself. I knew literally nothing more of Garfield than the fact that he was one of America's four assassinated Presidents - I knew nothing of his history, his background, his politics, how he came to be President, how long he was President for. I didn't even know the name of his assassin or why he came to kill the President.
Reading this book has made me want to learn more about Garfield, because he was a truly extraordinary man. He was born into real poverty, lost his father at a young age, and raised himself up through sheer grit, hard work and education. He fell into politics almost by accident, serving as an Ohio state senator for two years, before he joined the Union Army, fighting in the battles of Middle Creek, Shiloh and Chickamauga. He was elected a Congressman without ever seeking or campaigning for the position - indeed, he never campaigned for any political office in his life - and became President in a similar fashion. Attending the Republican National Convention to nominate his fellow Ohioan, John Sherman, he was elected by acclamation, repeatedly attempting to dissuade or deny his fellow delegates.
His Presidency lasted only 200 days, when he finally succumbed to his wounds two months after being shot by Charles Guiteau, a mentally unstable political office seeker, convinced Garfield was denying him his due position as consul in Paris. Garfield's two-month-long ordeal is the second story in this book; his wounds were not necessarily fatal, and it is entirely likely that it was the ignorance and blundering of his doctors that killed him. Had he been left alone it is likely he would have recovered.
Weaving throughout the book, Millard also tells the tale of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the metal detector, in an effort to help doctors located the bullet still lodged within Garfield's body. Bell's own history is just as fascinating, from his pioneering work as a teacher of the deaf to his inventions.
At 400+ pages this is not a short book, but it felt that way. I couldn't put it down, and came away wanting to learn more about the men in these pages - and I can't think of a greater compliment for a writer than that.
Non-Fiction
Pages: 432
I finished this book with a immense sense of sadness - not just because I was coming to the end of a gripping and extraordinarily well-told tale, but because of the death of President James Garfield itself. I knew literally nothing more of Garfield than the fact that he was one of America's four assassinated Presidents - I knew nothing of his history, his background, his politics, how he came to be President, how long he was President for. I didn't even know the name of his assassin or why he came to kill the President.
Reading this book has made me want to learn more about Garfield, because he was a truly extraordinary man. He was born into real poverty, lost his father at a young age, and raised himself up through sheer grit, hard work and education. He fell into politics almost by accident, serving as an Ohio state senator for two years, before he joined the Union Army, fighting in the battles of Middle Creek, Shiloh and Chickamauga. He was elected a Congressman without ever seeking or campaigning for the position - indeed, he never campaigned for any political office in his life - and became President in a similar fashion. Attending the Republican National Convention to nominate his fellow Ohioan, John Sherman, he was elected by acclamation, repeatedly attempting to dissuade or deny his fellow delegates.
His Presidency lasted only 200 days, when he finally succumbed to his wounds two months after being shot by Charles Guiteau, a mentally unstable political office seeker, convinced Garfield was denying him his due position as consul in Paris. Garfield's two-month-long ordeal is the second story in this book; his wounds were not necessarily fatal, and it is entirely likely that it was the ignorance and blundering of his doctors that killed him. Had he been left alone it is likely he would have recovered.
Weaving throughout the book, Millard also tells the tale of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the metal detector, in an effort to help doctors located the bullet still lodged within Garfield's body. Bell's own history is just as fascinating, from his pioneering work as a teacher of the deaf to his inventions.
At 400+ pages this is not a short book, but it felt that way. I couldn't put it down, and came away wanting to learn more about the men in these pages - and I can't think of a greater compliment for a writer than that.