Destiny of the Republic

A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

By: Candice Millard

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

James A. Garfield may have been the most extraordinary man ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back.

But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what hap­pened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in tur­moil. The unhinged assassin’s half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his con­dition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet.

Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic will stand alongside The Devil in the White City and The Professor and the Madman as a classic of narrative history.

From the Hardcover edition.

©2011 Candice Millard (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Millard demonstrates] the power of expert storytelling to wonderfully animate even the simplest facts....make[s] for compulsive reading. Superb American history." ( Kirkus)

"Splendidly insightful....stands securely at the crossroads of popular and professional history" ( Booklist)

“Sparklingly alive…[Millard] brings to life a moment in the nation’s history when access to the president was easy, politics bitter, and medical knowledge slight. Under Millard’s pen, it’s hard to imagine its being better told.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Terrific Read!

If you’ve never read about James Garfield, this
Is a good start! I strongly recommend it.

History well-written and well-read

This very enjoyable book gives an interesting perspective on the contrast between the wealth of scientific progress and discovery occurring at the time of President Garfield's assassination and the ignorance used in treating his wounds. It involves the contrasts between the environment of corruption and egotism of some of the actors in the drama with the nobility and unselfishness of others. Further the book acquaints us with the promise of the man who was James Garfield, a president about whom few of us have any knowledge.

The narrator does multiple voices and accents as well as I have heard them done in audiobook format for a work of non-fiction and makes the book as exciting as any work of fiction, although one knows from the start the end of the story. I recommend it highly for its unusual approach to an important moment in our nation's history from multiple perspectives.

Well worth it

If you could sum up Destiny of the Republic in three words, what would they be?

Insightful, clever, thorough

What other book might you compare Destiny of the Republic to and why?

Team of Rivals - very detailed and offers great insights often overlooked in other books.

Which character ??? as performed by Paul Michael ??? was your favorite?

Charles Guiteau

Any additional comments?

Great read...I learned a ton and I really appreciated the details about all of the president's contemporaries.

Riveting

Before listening to this book I knew little about Garfield -- just the dippy folk song about Charles Guiteau that is now hopelessly stuck in my head. I found the story and the writing absolutely riveting -- as good a history book as I have ever read. The narrator uses different voices and accents for various characters and sometimes that bugged me, but it didn't get in the way of making this an A+ listen.

Jamie, We hardly knew ya!

This book is amazing. The story of the James Garfield assassination involving the shooter, James Lister (the doctor who discovered antiseptics), Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor who raced to find a way to save Garfield's life) and the man who could have been our greatest President ever, had he lived.

The villain in this story is not the man who shot the President, Guiteau an obviously crazy man, but the Doctor Bliss, the doctor in charge of saving Garfield's life. He was truly of the old school and did not follow Dr. Lister's methods. Sticking his dirty hands and/or sticks into Garfield to find the bullet and other methods that today seem like torture. Makes me wince just thinking about it.

The real hero of this story was James Garfield, a self made man. His father died when he was quite young and his mother brought him up as best she could. James worked on the Erie Canal and went to a prestigious school, first working as a janitor until the professors discovered how smart he was. The next year James taught 6 classes himself to earn his tuition. He graduated early and went on to an Ivy League school and then went back to his old high school to continue teaching. When the local senator died he was asked to replace him and as he felt it was his duty he accepted. During the Civil War he ended up being a General for the Union.

He was barely President when Guiteau shot him in a train station on July 2nd, 1881. He died Sept. 19th, 1881 and his autopsy showed the doctor in charge was looking on the wrong side of his body for the bullet. Many say now, that if they had left him alone he would have survived, since he died of the infections raging through his body. He was only 49 years old at his death.

The narrator was great and the story reads like a novel. I will always wonder what kind of Presidency Mr. Garfield would have had, had he lived. There is also a side story about his successor, Chester A. Arthur, a man known as a corrupt politician, who through the guidance of a woman named Julia Sand (an invalid who wrote Mr. Arthur letters about how he should handle this crisis) became a President that tried to follow what President Garfield would have done, much to the anger of his cronies.

Great story that happens to be part of our history

What made the experience of listening to Destiny of the Republic the most enjoyable?

I thnk the pitch and tone of the narrator as he kept me spellbound.

Who was your favorite character and why?

James Garfield. I was not aware of how he endured so much pain after being shot. President Garfield was respected by the North and South. I believe had he lived, he would changed the countries policies for the better. I confess I've overlooked Mr Garfield to read about the other

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

Paul voice was very easy on the ears. I was able to listen and go about my regular routine without spacing out or sleeping.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It moved me reading about another hero of mine, A.G. Bell and his relentless efforts to make a difference

History of a great leader, medicine, and science.

This history of Garfield is much more than a story of an assassinated leader. You learn of early science dicoveries and the advance of medicine. Then it is all woven together in the life of James Garfield. Then there is the life and mind of a killer.

death of the president

well told story about a piece of history that was not well known to me. Story moved along well, new insight and well read

Candace Millard Makes History Fun!

Would you listen to Destiny of the Republic again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this book again. So interesting. Couldn't put my iPod down!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the fact, that not only did I learn about James Garfield, but also about other people during that era, such as Alexander Graham Bell.

Any additional comments?

This book is not just for history lovers, but everyone.

Revealing story

What made the experience of listening to Destiny of the Republic the most enjoyable?

It was history with which I was not familiar. It also was well read by the performer.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Destiny of the Republic?

The details of the treatment after Garfield's shooting.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not applicable