The President and the Assassin

McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century

By: Scott Miller

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1901, as America tallied its gains from a period of unprecedented imperial expansion, an assassin's bullet shattered the nation's confidence. The shocking murder of President William McKinley threw into stark relief the emerging new world order of what would come to be known as the American Century. The President and the Assassin is the story of the momentous years leading up to that event, and of the very different paths that brought together two of the most compelling figures of the era: President William McKinley and Leon Czolgosz, the anarchist who murdered him. The two men seemed to live in eerily parallel Americas. McKinley was to his contemporaries an enigma, a president whose conflicted feelings about imperialism reflected the country's own. Under its popular Republican commander-in-chief, the United States was undergoing an uneasy transition from a simple agrarian society to an industrial powerhouse spreading its influence overseas by force of arms. Czolgosz was on the losing end of the economic changes taking place---a first-generation Polish immigrant and factory worker sickened by a government that seemed focused solely on making the rich richer. With a deft narrative hand, journalist Scott Miller chronicles how these two men, each pursuing what he considered the right and honorable path, collided in violence at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Along the way, listeners meet a veritable who's who of turn-of-the-century America: John Hay, McKinley's visionary secretary of state, whose diplomatic efforts paved the way for a half century of Western exploitation of China; Emma Goldman, the radical anarchist whose incendiary rhetoric inspired Czolgosz to dare the unthinkable; and Theodore Roosevelt, the vainglorious vice president whose 1898 charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba is but one of many thrilling military adventures recounted here.

©2011 Scott Miller (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is a wildly complex and significant period in American history, and Miller does a solid job of attending to the many boiling pots on the stove." ( Kirkus)

Great look back into 19th Century America.

What made the experience of listening to The President and the Assassin the most enjoyable?

Learning about a period in history I was not as familiar with.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The President and the Assassin?

The cause and consequence of the Spanish American War on the shaping of the United States as a world power as the 20th century began. Also the role that the anarchists played in society at the time and their influence on the labor unions that would become more prevalent in the 1920's and 1930's.

Which scene was your favorite?

How William McKinley did not overact the sinking of the USS Main and his more global view of America's involvement not only in the battle in Cuba but our military involvement in the Pacific.

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

It was sad to read about how the assassin who in so many ways was delusional and insignificant played such a vital role in shaping the history of the United States for the rest of the 20th century.

Any additional comments?

This was a very enjoyable listen.

Very Enlightening

I’ve been a “presidents nerd” for as long as I can remember. There have been millions of pages written about the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, but very few about McKinley (and Garfield). This book did an amazing job of covering the life stories of both McKinley and his assassin, as well as tying in everything that was going on in turn-of-the-century America; to the point that even as an amateur historian, I learned a lot from this book that I never knew before.

Plus I finally learned how to pronounce “Czolgosz”

Much bigger (and better) than the title

Not only does this book cover the assassination of McKinley, it offers a brilliant glimpse into the grander acts of violence which led up to it. At he end of the 19th century, the concepts of anarchy and Imperialism clash as the U.S. rushes headlong into its role as an international power. McKinley evolves from a Civil War vet determined to avoid another war to the leader of a colonizing power, subjugating peoples for the sake of big business. His assassin's evolution is also well charted, revealing the powerlessness of our working poor. Overall one of the best books on this period of American history.

One of my favorites yet!!

This was not a biography of a person but rather more of a timeography as it was a very interesting and detailed look at that time.. in life and politics before during and after McKinley was assassinated.
Highly recommend!

compelling and focused history

I dispute the reviewer claiming the title is inaccurate, and I'm surprised some others found the chronology confusing. There are two timelines that proceed in a linear fashion; one centered around McKinnley's presidency, the other on the anarchist movement and Czolgosz's life in the US. Miller jumps back in forth in time when alternating these lines, but I found it easy to follow after becoming accustomed to it.

Apparently one reviewer was bothered by the fact this book isn't solely about the personal lives of the two subjects. It is true that, while most of the book is focused on these two men, there's ample detail of events they didn't witness (e.g. Battle of Manilla Bay, Haymarket Riot). It is after all a history book, not a novel, and I found such contextual info very well narrated and essential to understanding the decisions these men made.

Miller's relatively short book is very consise and focused. Almost every chapter is about either imperialism or the treatment of workers in the guilded age. It seemed pretty unbiased to me. Strongly recommended for those not well read in McKinnley's presidency.

Fascinating, complex history

Scott Miller has written a well-researched, in-depth history of a time that seems similar to our own. There are really two (maybe three) books here -- that's a compliment and a criticism. He tells the story of anarchism in the late 1800s, with the Haymarket incident and Emma Goldman, as a way to explain the assassin. And tales of the McKinley administration, with the War of 1812 alone, are rich enough to fill several volumes.

I really have enjoyed the book, so I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it, but listening to the Audible edition, I've found the author's organization of the book jarring at times, moving from the 1870s to the 1890s and back again. That might just be a quibble if you're reading the print version. It isn't too jarring to continue, and I'm not sure how he would've avoided it, but fair warning if you'd like a linear storyline.

I might've preferred the print version, too, just to see footnotes, but I love footnotes, and not everyone is like me (hey, the print version may not even have footnotes, for all I know).

They're all great stories, and if you don't know much about this period of our history, or even if you do, you'll enjoy Miller's take on it. It gave me a much better understanding of Teddy Roosevelt, too, and of why the 20th century proceeded as it did.

But beware if you're not crazy for small, interesting nuggets of history. I love 'em, and I do like this book.

Interesting, but not my favorite

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found myself drifting a bit when listening. I think it was an alright book but didn't "capture" me like others. I actually had to replay the first hour because I had missed too many details.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I can't quite pin-point it. I loved the book about James A. Garfield - "Destiny of a Republic" - seemed to weave the facts into such a great story. I felt like this book could have been the same way with just a little different way of writing.

What three words best describe Arthur Morey’s performance?

Alright, neither loved nor hated the narration.

Did The President and the Assassin inspire you to do anything?

Since I live in Cleveland, Oh is was interesting to hear about the references to Cleveland and of course, Canton where McKinley lived (wife was from). I guess I was a little inspired to go back to the McKinley sites in Canton to visit again...

Solid, jumpy, but solid.

Miller does a fine job with this book. At first the writing in the story is a bit jumpy, but that’s intentional as the author goes between the current day presidency of McKinley and his to be assassin, Leon Czolgosz, not a comprehensive biography of McKinley, however, I don’t believe Miller‘s intention was to have this be a cradle to the grave biography of McKinley, and in doing so, was able to open up the book to a whole range of topics mainly the Spanish American war and the events that led to the war, specifically in Cuba, which was done very well, and with great detail, touching on Teddy Roosevelt, and the rough riders, and the Navy in particular, and the power of that America started to exhibit both financially, and militarily. Miller also did a splendid job with naval officer, Dewey, and his part in the Philippines. In all this book will likely be lauded for its overview of Cuba and the Philippines in the Spanish American war, and it was quite good. Miller is well researched and has an enjoyable writing style, the frustration and the atmosphere and emotions of America are felt by the reader, and in particular cholgosh, and what led to him assassinating McKinley was presented in a clear and persuasive manner. Scott Miller has a good book in the president and the assassin and I would recommend it as an introduction to McKinley in Spanish American war in particular, and the late 1800s.

Turn of the 20th Century History at its Best

When one looks at the main title, much of the book is missed. Yes, this is a book about the assassination of President William McKinley, but the author places that event into a very complicated geo-political context. When the sub-title is considered, the book is aptly named. I've read two other books that are similar in style and scope: "The Big Burn" by Timothy Egan and "Destiny of the Republic" by Candice Millard. Both of these books also place one event into a very large context. The author examines the relationship between labor and business owners, which influences the movement knows as anarchism. Most readers will associate anarchism with Emma Goldman, but the author goes much beyond that and shows how the movement used terrorism in Europe to further their goals. Ultimately, it was shown that the president's assassin was an anarchist. The author also gives a fine history of the Spanish American War and all it entailed with American possessions. Almost all the material the author used was new to me. I learned a lot from the book and I really liked the narrator's style. Most importantly, I finally learned how to pronounce the assassin's name!

Gripping history but no biography

A well written book that gives you a good historical overview of the issues of social unrest and war/foreign affairs during McKinley's presidency. As a history piece it works well as a biography, which was my purpose, it lacks. Chronology can be hard to follow at times and social unrest focus is mainly on anarchism insight of McKinley outside these issues is lacking though it does give you a sense of his personality. Enjoyable but I'll need another book for his biography.