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)

The way all history books should be

I read a lot of non-fiction history, and this will always be one of the ones I enjoyed the most. Great writing, great narration.

Man forgotten by history....

Very good book. I had no idea how interesting and ultimately tragic James Garfield's life was. He seemed like a really good man obviously. If you like history I think you'll enjoy this book.

Excellent

Well written, well read, very historically educational! I enjoyed this book very much, especially the ability to tie many relevant people of the time together in the outcomes.

Surprising information about a President

This book was so completely surprising in it's scope. Not only do we learn some back story of a lesser-known president of the United States, James Garfield, we also learn about his assassin's life and circumstances, and the many doctors and inventors who were directly and indirectly involved in trying to save him: Hello Alexander Graham Bell and Joseph Lister, to name a couple! We listened to this while road-tripping and were loath to pause it during gas stops. Enjoy!

Well written, well read, worth every minute!

I have over 450 books in my audible library of all genres but rarely write reviews. This book deserves one and will go down as one of my favorite narrative non-fiction work. Millard brings these historical figures back to life with exceptional prose and an engaging story line - I'm not a huge history buff but I learned that I don't know near as much about American history as I thought I did. I only hope that President Garfield was as good a man as Millard paints him. Other non-fiction library favorites: Junger - The Perfect Storm, Krakauer - Into the Wild, Under the Banner of Heaven, Missoula, Kurson - Shadow Divers.

Well Researched

It took me a few tries to get into this book, but it was very good. Not quite great, but very good. It was well researched and I learned a lot, but a year later, I remember little of it.

Excellent

I had no idea about the back ground of this story. Extremely informative, so well done

A great book

This book was amazing and very moving...I learned a tremendous amount about a short but important part of US history,. Well done

Amazing history

What an interesting, multifaceted story this audible book is! Not only did I learn about the life of Garfield, but the politics and players of the time. I learned so much more about Alexander Bell and his important contributions to science--the induction balance and the vacuum jacket. Sadly, Lister's advice regarding germs hadn't been heeded, but he was later recognized for his life saving medical contribution. If you enjoy history, you need to listen to this audible book!

Nice vacation listen

It was great how the author tied in all of the other stories to the main one.